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Media Releases
Former Apollo Athlete raises the bar!
Nugget - May 20, 2010
When it comes down to crunch time, Erik Faucon will dress down his pole.
With starter pistols blasting and curious eyes gazing during her attempts, Alison Fung visualizes the perfect finish.
Pole vaulters have their own preferences when it comes to psyching themselves up for a big performance, but when it all gets stripped away, the sport comes down to a common quality -- confidence.
Before days like Thursday -- when Faucon, Fung and newly crowned Fergie Dowdall Memorial Trophy-winner Sarah Swain all bested pole vaulting records during the NDA track and field championships at Cundari Field -- there are moments when they hit a low, when they don't want to practice any more.
There's definitely some practices where you're not doing so well . . . and that's what throws you off and makes you worry," said Fung, 15-year-old Chippewa Intermediate and Secondary School junior athlete who turns 16 Monday. My practice before this competition was not good at all. I was like, 'Oh no, what if I don't even jump over the bar.' So there's definitely some times where you're thrown off I guess."
But usually the next competition throws you right back into it."
Peaks and valleys.
And just like the up-and-down nature of the sport, they can be dramatic. Fung for instance went from wondering if she'd even clear the bar earlier this week to setting an all-time NDA record Thursday with a height of 2.92 metres. She bettered the mark of teammate Swain, who cleared the bar at 2.75 as a junior in 2008
I'm really trying to compare myself to her (Swain's) level and where she was at my age," Fung said. I'm trying to follow the same path as her. I sort of look up to her because we're both in hurdles and pole vault and she's awesome at both."
Faucon, meanwhile, has been through both the highs and lows not only in practice, but in competition.
Thursday, despite switching between graphite and fibreglass poles, the senior Raider set a post-2004 record with a height of 4.12 metres, bettering his own mark of 3.98 set last year. He also came just 0.04 metres short of besting the all-time record of 4.16 set by Chippewa's Gene Marshall in 2000 before it was retired in 2003 due to the double cohort.
That was a high. The end of last year, that was a low, when he passed on the first five heights, couldn't clear his opening three jumps of 3.70 metres and didn't place at the 2009 OFSAA track and field championships in Toronto.
Again we had pole troubles," said Faucon, who has been trying to retire his old, shorter and more rigid fibreglass pole for a longer graphite model with more give -- which can also be a problem because Faucon believes a graphite pole is more wobbly on the lead up to a jump.
So this year, the goal (at OFSAA) is to make opening height and hopefully everything goes well."
Part of the challenge is there are so many nuances to the sport -- the right pole, the right wind conditions and the right mindset on the right day -- it can get discouraging at times for Faucon.
That's part of the sport," he said. You need to get past it and keep going. Like that pole I was jumping on today, I've been having problems with it for a while. Had to have bailed out at least 20 to 25 times. It's all confidence really.
There's days I don't want to do it anymore, but over the years I've learned to keep trying. Now I try to push for that extra jump (in practice) to see if I have anything left. You have to know what your body can do at certain times."
That's where coaching comes in, and there's few in Canada with as much experience as Brian Risk, a former national team and Level 5 coach at Chippewa who specializes in sport psychology, speed development and strength training.
We're slowly learning how to coach ourselves," Faucon said.
Mr. Risk does a really good job of telling us what we need to do; warm-up patterns right on down to the scientific stuff like taking off your sunglasses for too long."
Whether it's technical training or boosting an athlete's confidence with some well-timed words of support, Risk's athletes recognize how much of an asset they have in their corner.
There's some practices where you can't jump properly," Fung said. Sometimes something's off, but our coach is really good with that. He can tell what your mental state is. He'll know if you're not up to it mentally, if your body's tired or if you're sore in certain places.
He knows what he's doing for sure. He's one of the best pole vault coaches in the province. We have a lot of trust in him basically, and you need a lot of trust in an event like this."
Apollo's Rock 'N' Roll Invitational a Huge Success
North Bay May 16, 2010
The Apollo Gymnastics Club flipped for joy when they received sanction approval from Gymnastics Ontario, allowing the Club to Host its first Invitational Power Tumbling competition. The one-day rock 'n' roll themed event took place over the weekend, with participants from North Bay, Sudbury and Alliston testing their tumbling skills and aiming for top spot on the podium.
Apollo had 25 athletes from the recreational and competitive program take part in the competition.
The recreational gymnasts who competed in the men's and women's beginner 6 and 7 year old division included Mackenzie Madore, Julie Whitehead, Kate Hunt, Cory Neil, Sally Duhaime, Mason Cook and Caedan Carriere. As per Gymnastics Ontario regulations, athletes under the age of 8 are unable to compete for ranking. Due to the restriction, each participant received a gold medal all-around and a certificate with Judges' feedback instead. Cory Neil was; however, the recipient of the judges' award for having the "cleanest cartwheels and round-offs".
Saturday morning saw first time competitors, Gia Waram, Kaitlyn Francis, Michaela Seidel, Emily Hobbs, Megan Simola and Cheyenne Corbeil. Waram earned 3 gold medals- including the coveted all around finish. Francis secured a spot on the podium with 3 silver medals and teammate Seidel was the bronze medalist on both passes and all-around. Hobbs, Simola and Corbeil finished 4th, 5th and 6th respectively in the beginner age 8+ division.
"We loved having the recreational athletes participate in the competition" said Jen Lavigne, Apollo's Head Coach and tumbling Meet Director. "These athletes train between 1 and 4 hours a week, and have worked really hard to prepare for this event. It gave them an opportunity to showcase the skills they have been working on in a fun, yet challenging environment."
David Conway and Domenic Viczian competed in the Men's Junior age 8+ division. Conway won gold on his 1st pass and silver on his 2nd pass. He finished with a silver medal all-around. Viczian earned 3 bronze medals for both passes and his over-all performance. In the Women's junior 8+ portion of the competition, Christina Goode placed 5th on her first pass and all-around and teammate Zoey Polhill placed 5th on her second pass and 6th over-all.
Meagan Hester, Sydney Knight and Trista Hester finished the day as the gold, silver and bronze medalists respectively, in the all-around women's senior 12+ category. Meagan Hester took the title, earning 3 gold medals at the end of the day. Knight secured a gold for her first pass and 2 silver medals. Trista Hester took home 3 bronze medals for both passes and over-all. Carly Gagne won a silver medal for her 2nd pass, a bronze for her 1st pass, and was the silver medalist in the all-around women's senior 9-11 year old division.
Jack Chadbourne, competing in the men's intermediate 8+ division, earned a gold medal for his 1st pass, a silver for his 2nd pass and was the silver medalist all-around. Angela Green earned 2 bronze and additional bronze medal for her over-all effort in the women's intermediate 8+ division.
Taylor Vaillancourt and Alison Fung competed in the Provincial portion of the competition. Vaillancourt was the gold medalist for the optional and compulsory passes. She was also the Provincial D all-around category winner. Fung earned 3 silvers during the competition- two for her optional and compulsory passes and one for her over-all efforts in the Provincial B and C combined division. She was also the recipient of the judges' award for have the "longest back handsprings".
The Apollo Team was coached during the competition by 2009 Power Tumbling Provincial Champion, National Silver Medalist and Apollo Competitive Coach, Nick Entwistle. "The athletes did very well and everyone is really excited to compete again next year" said Entwistle.
The Rock 'N' Roll Invitational competition required many hours to organize and execute, and Apollo's volunteer parents proved invaluable during this process. The event was well received by all the athletes, parents and coaches in attendance, and the registration is expected to grow next year.
The Apollo athletes are now gearing up for their year-end Performance Night- a showcase of group and individual routines- taking place June 18th from 6:00 - 8:00pm. Admission is free.
9 All-Around Wins for Apollo Gymnastics
Sudbury - April 18, 2010
21 athletes from the North Bay Apollo Gymnastics Club attended the Sudbury Laurels Invitational Competition over the weekend. The boys and girls team returned with a whopping 90 medals combined. 9 athletes won the gold medal all-around in their respective levels and six gymnasts were also recognized for their excellence in performance by the judges- receiving a special award for their efforts.
The boy's team, consisting of Addison Hunt, Jack Chadbourne, Sam Aubut, Zacharie Gaudet, David Conway, and Domenic Viczian started off the competitive season on a very high note.
Hunt and Chadbourne won the Interclub level 2 and Interclub level 3 division respectively. Hunt earned 4 gold and 2 silver medals and was also the recipient of the special Judges award for having the "Best Form on Rings". Chadbourne secured his win with 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal. He also received a special Judges award for having the "Most Daring High Bar" routine. Aubut was the all-around winner in the Interclub Level 2, age 11 and up division, after finishing with 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal. Gaudet won 4 silver and 2 bronze, finishing with an additional silver medal for his over-all performance in the Interclub 3 division. Conway won 3 gold and 4 silver medals, including his all-around finish in the Interclub 3, age 8 to 10 division. First time competitor Domenic Viczian earned 3 gold, 2 silver, a bronze and finished 2nd in the Interclub level 1 category.
Men's Head Coach, Matt Millar, says, "The boys trained really hard during the practices leading up to this competition and should be very pleased with how well they did at this meet."
In the women's portion of the competition, Joy Simola, Angela Green, Emma McArthur, Alexiss Meecham and Zoey Polhill performed their level 2 routines on Saturday morning.
Simola won the all-around level 2, age 12 division, after earning 2 gold and a bronze medal. Green was the silver medalist in the all-around age 9 division, after winning two silvers on vault and floor. McArthur finished the day with a bronze medal around her neck for her over-all performance, after receiving a gold and 2 silver medals. Meecham won gold on beam and floor, finishing 5th in the all-around. Polhill earned two bronze medals for her bar and floor routine and finished 6th over-all.
Lia Mai Perry, Carly Gagne and Christina Goode competed in the level 3 division. Perry, 8, received 2 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. She received a gold medal for her over-all score. Gagne won the all-around level 3, age 10 category, after securing two golds and two silver medals. She was also selected to receive the Judges award for "Highest Swing on Bars". Goode won a gold on vault and the special award for the "Most Dynamic Vault", a bronze medal on bars and a silver medal all-around.
Rylee Lamothe and Sydney Knight competed in the level 4 division. Lamothe was the over-all winner in the 14+ division, tightening her win with a gold, 2 silver and one bronze. A computer glitch in the system placed her 2nd over-all; however, with a vault score revision, it put her at the top of the podium in her category. Knight was the silver medalist on floor and placed 4th on beam and over-all.
Katie Vaillancourt, Taylor Vaillancourt, Trista Hester, Meagan Hester and Mackechnie Chadbourne competed in the level 5 division.
Katie Vaillancourt finished at the top of the 12 year old category with 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal. She was the recipient of the "Most Dynamic and Aggressive Beam routine" selected by the judges. Taylor Vaillancourt was the gold medalist on beam, and earned 4 silver medals, including all-around. Taylor also received the "Highest Swing on Bars" Judges award. Meagan Hester finished 3rd all-around, winning a bronze on the balance beam- despite a fall on the apparatus. Had she stayed on the beam, she would have earned a score of 12.3 out of 12.6 - a near perfect routine. Trista Hester won a bronze on vault and beam and placed 5th all-around. Mackechnie Chadbourne was the silver medalist on beam and placed 5th on floor and over-all.
One of the National level Judges at the competition took Jen Lavigne, Apollo's Head Coach, aside and commented on how great the Apollo gymnasts were performing and executing their skills. "It was a huge compliment to hear this from such a respected Judge. The judges are definitely taking notice of our athletes and rewarding their efforts with awards," said Lavigne. The athletes did extremely well at the meet, met some goals and set some personal bests in the process. "It is great to see how much the athletes have progressed, and the medals and awards that they received are just icing on the cake."
Many of Apollo's recreational and competitive athletes will be competing in the Power Tumbling Rock 'N' Roll Invitational hosted at Apollo May 15th. The Boys and Girls artistic team will travel together to Vaughan May 28th.
MORE HARDWARE FOR APOLLO GYMNASTS
Bracebridge - February 22, 2010
Fourteen gymnasts from the Apollo Gymnastics Club participated in the Muskoka Classic/Women's Provincial qualifier over the weekend. After a strong competitive finish 3 weeks ago in Nepean, the team morale was up and spirits were high for this meet. The Apollo athletes once again proved that they are worthy competitors- returning home with 23 medals, 2 all-around titles and 2 coveted Special Judges Awards.
The Friday morning competition included the level 2 competitors. Angela Green, Christina Goode, Emma McArthur, Alexiss Meecham, Zoey Polhill and Joy Simola represented Apollo in their respective age categories.
Green, 9, was the gold medalist on vault and beam, securing a silver medal in the all-around. She narrowly missed gold medal contention by 0.05 points. Goode won gold for her floor routine, and a silver medal on vault, bars and beam. Goode finished the day with gold and the overall age 10 Title for the second time this season. McArthur wore a silver medal around her neck for her efforts on the balance beam and finished 5th over-all. Meecham was the silver medalist on the floor exercise and was 6th in the all-around. Polhill received a bronze medal on vault and ended the day with a 7th place finish. Simola was the winner on vault and beam, and the silver medalist on floor. She earned a bronze medal in the all-around level 2, age 12 division and was also the recipient of the Special Judges Award (given to one athlete during each flight of competition) for the "Best Choreography" on floor.
Lia Mai Perry, Carly Gagne and Sydney Knight competed in the level 3 division.
Perry, 8, who is unable to compete for ranking due to her age, received a certificate with seals in place of medals- including a gold seal on vault and silver on floor, beam and over-all. Gagne was the over-all age10 winner after securing a silver medal on vault and bars. Gagne was also presented with a Special Judges Award for the "Highest Swing on Bars". Knight, 12, was the gold medalist on vault and silver medalist on bars, finishing 4th in the all-around portion of the competition.
Rylee Lamothe won a bronze on the balance beam and received a 4th place ribbon for her efforts on vault and floor. Lamothe finished 4th in the level 4, age 13+ division.
Mackechnie Chadbourne, Trista Hester, Meagan Hester and Taylor Vaillancourt competed in the level 5 division.
Chadbourne won a bronze medal on beam, placed 4th on floor and finished 5th in the all-around, while teammate Trista Hester was 5th on vault, 6th on bars and floor and 7th in all-around age 12+ division. Meagan Hester,10, won a silver medal for her handspring vault. She also placed 5th on floor and 7th over-all. Vaillancourt attended the Provincial Qualifying competition on Sunday, in the level 5, age 10 division. She placed 6th on floor, 7th on beam and 9th on vault, bars and over-all in a field of 19 competitors from across Ontario.
The Women's Team, coached by Jen Lavigne, Brody Hall, Matt Millar and Seamus O'Donoughue, will travel to Sudbury with the Men's Team April 17th and 18th, to attend the Raise the Bar Gymnastics Challenge.
Successful Weekend for Apollo Gymnasts
Nepean - January 31, 2010
Apollo's women's gymnastics team, consisting of 14 members, returned from the provincial qualifier and invitational competition over the weekend, with a lot of hardware and two all-around titles.
Six athletes represented Apollo in the level 2 division, including Angela Green, Christina Goode, Alexiss Meecham, Emma McArthur, Zoey Polhill and Joy Simola.
Green, 9, won a silver medal on floor and finished 4th in the all-around. Goode secured the overall age 10 Title with a score of 41.1 after winning gold on vault and beam, and bronze on floor. Meecham was the gold medalist on the floor exercise and won the bronze in the all-around. McArthur won a gold on bars and bronze on floor, finishing 5th over-all. Polhill received a silver medal for her dynamic vault and was 6th in the all-around. Simola earned a gold medal for her floor routine, a bronze on bars and beam, and finished second in the level 2, age 12 division.
Lia Mai Perry, Sydney Knight, Carly Gagne and Jesslynn Emms, competed in the level 3 division.
Perry, who is unable to compete for ranking due to her age, received a certificate with seals in place of medals- including a gold seal on vault, silver on bars, beam and over-all. Knight, 12, received a bronze on bars and beam, finishing 4th all-around. In the age 10/11 category, Gagne placed 4th on vault and 5th all-around and teammate Emms placed 4th on beam and floor, in a field of 15 competitors.
Trista Hester won the all-around title in the level 4 division after winning gold on vault, silver on bars and bronze on beam. Hester, up against 13 competitors, stood at the top of the podium after receiving an all-around score of 43.2.
Mackechnie Chadbourne, Meagan Hester and Taylor Vaillancourt competed in the level 5 division.
Chadbourne, 14, was the gold medalist on floor and received silver on vault and in the all-around. Hester won vault with an impressive 11.7 out of a possible 12.6, and received a silver on floor and bronze all-around. Vaillancourt competing in the level 5 provincial portion of the competition, finished 8th on vault and 11th on beam and floor.
"Many of these athletes have moved up an entire level from last season" said Coach Jen Lavigne. "This competition marked the first invitational meet of the year for the athletes, and they should be very pleased with their accomplishments at such an early stage in the season."
VAILLANCOURT WITH BRONZE AT PROVINCIAL QUALIFIER
Ottawa - December 7, 2009
Two members of the Apollo Gymnastics Club travelled to the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre to
attend their 1st Provincial Qualifying Meet held over the weekend. This was their first
competitive experience of the season.
Taylor Vaillancourt, 10, won a bronze medal for
her dynamic handspring vault. She also finished 7th on
floor and 8th on the uneven bars. With an accumulative
score of 44.0, she placed 6th in the Level 5 all-around.
"This is Taylor's second year as a provincial athlete, and already she has shown vast
improvement since last season. Her skills are more refined and she looks more confident
during her routines" said Head Coach Jen Lavigne. "She should be very pleased with her results."
Alison Fung had a spectacular floor routine, receiving
only 1.15 points in deductions for her performance. She
finished 4th on floor and was the recipient of the Judge's
Award on the event. Fung was selected out of more than
30 athletes as having the "most amplitude in her tumbling
elements." Fung also finished 8th on vault, 6th on the
uneven bars and all-around in the level 7, 14 and up category.
"Alison has worked hard to increase her level of difficulty this year" said Lavigne.
"She had 4 new elements added to her existing routines, including a new handspring
vault with a full twist. With 7 weeks to go before the next event, I'm confident
that she will be well prepared."
This competition marked the first of three provincial qualifying meets used to
determine which athletes will attend Ontario Cup (a semi-final competition
used to advance athletes to Provincial Championships held in April). Qualified
athletes will be determined based on rank after all gymnasts have had an
opportunity to compete at 3 meets.
The provincial and invitational women's team will travel to Nepean for the
2nd Qualifier and Invitational Competition held January 29th, 30th and 31st.
Entwistle Wins Bronze at National Championships
June 09, 2009
Hamilton - Nick Entwistle, a power tumbler from the North Bay Apollo Gymnastics Club, competed at the Canadian National Championships in the Novice National Age 15+ at McMaster University in Hamilton this past week.
Entwistle, age 17, qualified for the prestigious event after attaining the mandatory all-around score at various meets throughout the season. He went on to win gold at the 2009 Ontario Championships and took the Provincial title in his division. His impressive competitive standings earned him the shot to represent Ontario at a National level.
After the completion of his preliminary tumbling passes, Entwistle's total score was 84.8 (29.0 first pass, 28.2 second pass), placing him 1st out of the twelve competitors from across Canada. During Entwistle's finals pass he over-rotated his final skill (double back somersault piked) and stepped out of bounds in the landing area. Despite this technicality, Nick finished 3rd place over all and qualified for team finals. As a member of Team Ontario, Entwistle wore a silver medal overall, with Team Alberta taking the top spot.
"This was an incredible experience for Nick" said Coach Matt Millar. "He has worked hard all year to be a high-caliber athlete, and should be very pleased with his accomplishments".
APOLLO GYMNASTS ROCK IN SUDBURY
April 19, 2009
The Apollo Gymnastics competitive team, consisting
of 22 athletes, traveled to Sudbury for the annual Raise
the Bar Challenge held this past weekend. The team returned
home with 4 all-around titles, a combined accumulation
of 74 medals and the "Best Sportsmanship"
award.
First time competitors David Conway, Addison Hunt and
Sam Aubet had an incredible finish in the Men's Interclub
1 division. Conway won 3 silver medals and a gold medal
on high bar, floor, pommels and all-around. Hunt won
2 bronze, a gold on pommels and rings, and a silver
medal on floor, rings and all-around. Aubet finished
3rd over-all after acquiring 4 bronze medals, a gold
on pommels and a silver medal on rings and parallel
bars.
Matthew Perreault and Jack Chadbourne competed in the
provincial one men's division. Perreault won a gold
on pommels and bronze on floor, rings and all-around.
Chadbourne won silver on pommels, rings and high bar
and a bronze on parallel bars.
Level 2 athletes, Lia Mai Perry, 7, and Angela Green,
8, received gold, silver, bronze or merit seals based
on scores in lieu of ranking, as per Gymnastics Ontario
regulations. Perry received a gold seal for her outstanding
score on the uneven bars, and a silver seal for beam,
floor and over-all. Green received a bronze seal on
beam and floor and won a silver seal in the all-around.
Carly Gagne, Emma McArthur, Jesslynn Emms, Christina
Goode and Zoey Polhill competed in the level 2, age
9 Division. Gagne took home 4 medals after winning vault,
bars and the level 2 title. She also won and a silver
on floor. McArthur wore 3 medals around her neck, including
a silver medal on floor and a bronze for bars and all-around.
Emms won a silver medal on vault and beam and a bronze
over-all. Goode was the gold medalist on vault and the
bronze medalist on floor. Polhill wore a silver medal
for her performance on vault and beam.
Rylee Lamothe, 14, won a gold medal on floor and received
a silver medal on vault, beam and all-around in the
level 3 division.
In the level 3, age 11 Category, Trista Hester won a
bronze medal for her performance on vault and was the
silver medalist on the balance beam, floor and over-all.
Teammate Sydney Knight placed 4th on vault and floor,
finishing the day with an over-all score of 40.75.
Taylor Lamothe was the silver medalist on beam and the
bronze medalist on vault in the level 3, age 12 division.
Mackechnie Chadbourne, 13, won silver for her outstanding
performance on the uneven bars and floor exercise. She
also received a bronze medal on beam and over-all in
the level 4 division.
Meagan Hester took the level 4, age 10 Title after winning
a bronze medal on bars, and earning a gold on beam and
floor. Her success on each event secured her gold medal
finish in the all-around. Chloe Hunt also had an exceptional
finish, winning a gold medal on bars, silver on vault
and bronze in the all-around.
Apollo's provincial team, consisting of Taylor Vaillancourt,
10, Victoria Willars, 13, and Katie Vaillancourt, 12,
had a successful meet. Taylor was the silver medalist
on beam and the bronze medalist on bars with an incredible
score of 11.55. Willars won a gold medal on bars, a
bronze on beam and floor and finished the day with a
silver medal all-around. Katie brought home 5 medals
around her neck and the level 5, age 11 and 12 Title.
She won gold on bars, silver on vault and beam, bronze
on floor and gold in the all-around.
"I am very impressed with how well everyone did
at this competition" said Coach Jen Lavigne. "These
athletes train hard and it is nice to see them get recognition
for their efforts."
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Apollo with another Provincial Champion
Toronto April , 2009
Two members of the Apollo Gymnastics power
tumbling team attended the Ontario Provincial Championships
at Seneca College over the weekend.
Nick Entwistle, age 17, won gold in the Novice National
15+ category becoming the 2009 Provincial Champion.
Entwistle placed 1st on all three of his tumbling
passes and finished the day with an overall score
of 90.5. Incredibly, he was more than 5 full points
ahead of the silver medalist. Entwistle is the seventh
athlete from Apollo to finish as Provincial Champion
since 2000.
With Apollo as the training ground for National Champions
Samantha McParland (2005) and Rose James (2006), Entwistle
has a very strong chance at the all-around title at
the Canadian National Championships held at McMaster
University in Hamilton. The competition will take
place on May 28th.
Quinlan McParland, age 13, placed 4th in the Provincial
A category. After competing his compulsory, optional,
and finals pass his total score was 73.7. McParland
will be traveling to Nova Scotia as part of Team Ontario
at the Eastern Championships that will be taking place
the first week of May.
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Apollo Tumblers Advance to Provincial and National
Championships
Etobicoke February
2009
Two members of the Apollo Gymnastics power tumbling
team attended a Provincial and National qualifier
at the Etobicoke Gymnastics Club over the weekend.
Nick Entwistle, age 17, won a silver medal in the
Novice National 15+ category. Nick won gold for his
first pass and silver on his second. He finished with
an overall score of 87.4. Having qualified at two
competitions, he is now guaranteed a spot on Team
Ontario at the National Championships being held May
31st in Hamilton.
Quinlan McParland, age 13, won a bronze medal in
the Provincial A category. After competing his compulsory,
optional, and finals pass his total score was 75.4.
Having hit the qualifying score twice, McParland will
be representing North Bay at the Provincial Championships
held on April 17th in Toronto.
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APOLLO GYMNASTS HOME WITH 34 MEDALS
Base Borden February
2009
Apollo's Women's Gymnastics Team is
in high spirits after returning from the provincial
qualifier and invitational competition held in Base
Borden. The girls finished the weekend with an extensive
collection of medals and ribbons and impressive all-around
finishes.
5 athletes competed in the provincial qualifying
portion of the competition. Victoria Willars,13, had
an excellent finish in the level 5, age 12 and 13
division. She won a bronze medal for her handspring
on vault and narrowly missed the podium for her performance
on the balance beam by less than 0.05 points. Willars
finished 4th on the event and 5th in the all-around.
Rachel Fung had a silver medal performance on floor
with a score of 11.466. She also performed a solid
routine on the balance beam for a 4th place finish
on the event. Fung placed 7th on vault, 8th on bars
and 6th over-all in the level 5, age 14 and up division.
Taylor Vaillancourt, 9, placed 8th on vault and finished
9th on the uneven bars and floor with an accumulative
score of 41.8.
Alison Fung had a spectacular floor routine, receiving
only 0.85 points in deductions for her performance.
Her cleanly executed routine helped her secure the
silver medal on this event. Fung also finished 9th
on beam and 11th all-around in the level 7, 14 and
up category.
Katie Vaillancourt, 12, had a solid competition, placing
top 8 on 3 of the 4 events and over-all in a field
of 22 level 5 competitors. She placed 4th on bars,
6th on vault and 7th on beam. Her consistent performance
throughout the day secured her 7th place position
in the all-around.
This competition marked the third provincial qualifying
meet used to determine which athletes will attend
Ontario Cup (a semi-final competition used to advance
athletes to Provincial Championships held in April).
The qualifying score is currently under review and
may be amended. The determined score and a copy of
the qualified athletes should be released from Gymnastics
Ontario by the end of the month.
HESTER EARNS THE LEVEL 3 TITLE
Apollo had 14 gymnasts attend the "Compete
for the Cure" invitational portion of the competition.
Apollo's youngest competitors, Angela Green and Lia
Mai Perry, were pleased with their performance at
their very first competition.
Perry, 7, received an impressive score on the uneven
bars to earn a gold seal for her efforts on the event.
She also received a bronze seal on vault.
Green, 8, performed a solid beam routine to earn a
bronze seal on the event. She also received a bronze
seal for her uneven bar routine.
As per Gymnastics Ontario regulations, gymnasts aged
7 and 8, are not able to compete for rankings. Instead,
each athlete receives a gold, silver or bronze seal
on a certificate per event and all-around based on
their scores.
Meagan Hester took the level 3, age 10/11 title. Hester
won gold on beam, silver on floor and a bronze medal
on bars. Her success on each event secured her gold
medal finish in the all-around.
Mackechnie Chadbourne, 13, and Taylor Lamothe, 12,
took to the podium in the level 3 category.
Chadbourne won 3 gold medals for her outstanding performance
on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
She also received a bronze medal on vault and finished
with a silver medal around her neck.
First time competitor, Lamothe, won a silver medal
for her dynamic vault and received a bronze medal
for her showing on beam and floor. At the end of the
day, her all-around score secured her bronze medal
finish.
Rylee Lamothe, 14, received a silver medal for her
cleanly executed floor routine. She also finished
5th on vault and 4th on beam. Lamothe finished her
first-ever competition ranked 4th in the level 3,
age 12-14 division.
Jesslynn Emms, Emma McArthur, Carly Gagne, Zoey Polhill
and Christina Goode performed for their first time
in a competitive setting, being judged and ranked
against other competitors in the level 2, age 9 Division.
Emms took home 5 medals. She was the gold medalist
on beam, and also received a bronze medal on vault
and bars. Emms took the silver medal in the all-around.
McArthur wore 4 medals around her neck, including
a gold medal for her high score of 10.55 on bars.
She also received a silver medal on vault, and a bronze
medal finish on beam and over-all.
Gagne took the top spot on the uneven bars with an
impressive 11.0 out of a possible 11.8 on the event.
She also earned a bronze medal on floor and finished
4th in the all-around.
Polhill won a silver medal for her solid balance beam
routine and finished 4th on vault, bars and floor.
Goode placed 4th on the balance beam, 5th on vault
and bars and 6th in the all-around.
Trista Hester and Sydney Knight competed in the level
3, age 10/11 Category.
Hester won a bronze medal for her performance on vault
and beam and finished 5th on floor and in the all-around.
Knight placed 4th on vault and floor, finishing the
day with an over-all score of 37.250.
In the level 4, age 10/11 division, Chloe Hunt had
an exceptional finish, winning a silver medal on vault
and bars. Hunt also received a silver medal for floor
and was 4th in the all-around, narrowly missing a
bronze finish by less than 0.05 points.
"I am very impressed with how well the girls
did at this competition" said Coach Jen Lavigne.
"These athletes train hard and it is nice to
see them get recognition for their efforts."
The Team will travel to Sudbury for their next invitational
competition held April 18th - 19th.
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