Apollo Gymnast Ranked 4th in Ontario

Two athletes from the Apollo Gymnastics Club competed at the prestigious Provincial Championships in St. Catherine’s over the weekend.

Alison Fung, 11, performed a dynamic handspring vault and placed eighth on the event. She had so much power and height that she was unable to stick her landing. Had she have controlled her landing, she would have added .2 points to her score with an allotted bonus point. Fung would have received an impressive score of 9.55, marking her highest score of the year and a silver medal finish on the event. She was also 9th on bars.

In the level 5 age 11 category, only 30 of 55 athletes had qualified for the event. Fung worked very had throughout the year to obtain the demanding score to attend Provincial Championships.

“This was Alison’s first experience at Provincials, and I am pleased with her accomplishments,” said Jen Lavigne, Apollo’s Women’s Program Head Coach. “She is the youngest female gymnast to represent our gym at the annual Championships, and has raised the bar for the young gymnasts coming up in the program,” added Lavigne.

Victoria Ryman, 14, had an excellent day and impressive competitive results. She scored a 9.35 on bars to earn a bronze medal for her efforts. Ryman demonstrated a solid beam routine for a fourth place finish on the event. She over-rotated her dismount on beam which cost her 0.2 points, dropping her from Provincial Champion on the balance beam to fourth place. Ryman finished 4th all-around against 23 of the best level 5 gymnasts from across the Province.

“Victoria did exceptionally well at her first Provincial Championship competition,” said her coach. “She had been battling a mild case of Strep throat, which offset her equilibrium and balance, but she managed to pull everything together despite her illness,” added Lavigne. Ryman holds the highest balance beam score of the year, achieved at the provincial level in the Level 5 age 14 and up division. She received the remarkable score of 9.625 at a qualifying competition in November, and it has not been surpassed. Ryman also maintains the second highest score on the uneven bars in her category with an excellent score of 9.55.

Apollo’s provincial and interclub athletes will now prepare for the upcoming Gymtrix invitational competition, and the much anticipated year-end Performance Night held in June.

Submitted to BayToday.ca