Greater Napanee Gymnastics held their first invitational meet over the weekend with both its athletes and volunteer organizers earning praise.
Gymnasts from five different clubs in various levels took part, competing in vault, beam, bars and floor, earning an all around score from judges.
Napanee’s Louisa Lacerda was sixth all-around in Level 2, age 7-8 A, placing fifth in vault, beam and floor with a sixth in bars.
Napanee’s Riley Oogarah earned first all around in Level 2, age 7-8 B with a first in vault, bars and floor with a fourth in beam. Teammate Casey Hale was fourth with a second in vault and beam with a third on the bars and sixth on floor. Luella Lockridge was sixth overall with a fifth in vault and floor, sixth in beam and bars.
Alaina Harper was Napanee’s lone Level 2, age 9 competitor, placing second overall with a second in vault and beam, fourth in bars and sixth on floor.
Napanee’s athletes placed one through four in Level 2, age 11. Faith O’Neil placed first in vault, beam, bars and floor. Sophia Abrams was second with a second on vault and bars with third in beam and floor. Meka Muller was third with second in both floor and beam with fourth in vault and bars. Mya Allen was fourth with third in vault and bars, fourth in beam and floor.
Olivia VanSteenbergen was second in Level 2, age 12-13, earning first in vault, second on bars and floor and third on beam.
Aubree Stark finished sixth in Level 2, age 10 with a fourth in bars and floor.
Greater Napanee Gymnastic Club’s Quinn Stacey leaps and sticks the landing on the balance beam. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Quinn Stacey was fifth in Level 3, age 11 with a second in bars and third in floor. Dorothy Wood was seventh with a second on floor and fourth on beam.
Laura Lyn O’Neil was sixth overall in Level 3, age 13, with a fourth on beam and fifth on floor.
Aubree Stark on the balance beam. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Theresa Kerr was third overall in Level 3, age 14+ with second on beam, third in bars and floor and fourth on vault.
Also represented at the competition was Kingston Gymnastics Club, Loyalist Gymnastics, Les Sittelles Gymnastics Club from Orleans, On. and Scarborough Gym Elites.
Dorothy Wood of Greater Napanee Gymnastic Club performs her floor routine. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
The event had 158 athletes competing ranging in age from 7 to 15+ in levels 2 to 5 and the new Xcel program with Bronze, Silver and Gold competitors.
There were 24 coaches, nine judges and approximately 550 spectators who attended, along with 50+ volunteers on hand each day to help.
The club thanked Atura Power for the Grant to purchase equipment, Naturally L&A Activation Fund for the grant to help promote the event and town, the Napanee Kinsmen for their donation that supports kids in the community, Parasol Financial Solutions in Kingston for being a major donor and the sponsor of the volunteer lunch, D&D Electrocraft Inc for also being a major sponsor. A special thanks went to Pro-tech Training Services Inc who allowed the club to use two of their tractor trailers to store excess equipment and spent numerous hours on Friday and Sunday providing the trucks and trailers while they dismantled and then rebuilt the gym.
Special guests were invited to present medals and awards including Greater Napanee mayor Terry Richardson, Greater Napanee’s manager of economic development Annie Manion, Hastings-Lennox and Addington MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Andrew Potvin from the Kinsmen and Shawna Greyling from Parasol Financial Solutions. Bill Pierson, president of GNGC also presented gold medals.