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Gymnasts vault to success |
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Written by Dale Woodard
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Wednesday, 22 April 2009 |
No strict judging or feeling a little under the weather were going to keep Alyssa Fraser and Seanna Goeseels from turning in top-notch performances.
Representing the Westwind Gymnastics Club, the duo headed to Brooks for provincials on Friday.
Despite facing some judging that was stingier than she was used to, Fraser turned in a provincial-championship performance as the nine-year-old took the gold medal in the Provincial Argo II division.
Despite battling some illness, Goeseels — also nine and competing in the Provincial Argo II division — turned in a sixth-place performance.
Those performances had Westwind Gymnastics Club women’s head coach Katrina Burton nodding her head in approval.
“Overall she’s a very strong, focused athlete,” said Burton of Fraser, who captured second on the vault, second on bars, seventh on beam and first on the floor. “She went in with her regular mindset and did what she could do. Judging-wise it was a bit more strict than what we were used. She had the best beam routine of her life, but when her score flashed up it kind of took her back a little bit because that’s not typically a score she would see in competition. She did well, her performances were good and that’s what I like focus on, if they do well for themselves. But seeing a score pop up like that we kind of had to put her back into the right mental mindset going into the next event.”
Still, Fraser’s provincial title speaks for itself.
“She had the best meet of her life,” said Burton.
With some encouragement from her coach, Goeseels toughed it out despite feeling under the weather.
“When somebody is sick they can’t have the best performance, but overall sixth place is something to be happy about,” said Burton of Goeseels, who took eighth in the vault, sixth on the bars and fifth on the beam. “She stepped right up.”
The duo have one more competition before the season wraps up as they head to a competition in Calgary May 8.
“Based on their performances at provincials they’re going to move up to a more difficult level,” said Burton.” They’re still competing against nine-year-olds, just doing more difficult skills to get them geared up for next year.”
A six-member team that will compete in the provincial level one catetory will also be on hand at the Calgary event.
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