Apollo Gymnasts Medal at Provincial Qualifier

Niagara Falls – Five members of the Apollo Gymnastics Club traveled to Niagara Falls to compete in the first of three provincial qualifiers. The team returned from a successful weekend with some impressive competitive results.

There are 17 provincial qualifiers offered at various gymnastics facilities across Ontario this year. Each Club selects 3 competitions that they would like to attend. Gymnasts must achieve an average qualifying score at 2 of the 3 meets in order to attend Provincial Championships held later in the season.

Katie Vaillancourt, won a silver medal for her confident and sure-footed performance on the balance beam. With a score of 11.7 on the difficult event. The 10-year-old currently holds the third highest beam score achieved at a provincial qualifier this year in her division. She also placed 4th on the uneven bars, 5th on vault and 6th on floor. Vaillancourt’s success on each apparatus contributed to her over-all score of 45.8, capturing the bronze medal in the level 5 division against 21 athletes from across Ontario. She has exceeded the minimum qualifying score of 45.0 for Provincial Championships held in May.

Victoria Willars placed 6th on the balance beam and 7th on floor in the level 5, age 11 category. Willars finished 12th in the all-around with a score of 44.9, narrowly missing the qualifying score by 0.1 point.

Rachel Fung received a silver medal on the floor exercise. Rachel earned a score of 11.9 out of a possible 12.6 on the event, combining exceptional tumbling with artistic grace and style. She is currently ranked 2nd on floor in the province in the level 5, age 14 and up division. Fung also placed 7th on the uneven bars and 8th on vault.

Alison Fung, placed 6th on the uneven bars and 10th on floor in the level 6, age 12 and 13 category.

Victoria Ryman won a bronze medal on floor with a score of 11.75. She also performed a solid beam routine for a 5th place finish on the event. Ryman finished 6th on vault and in the all-around standings. Ryman has also met the qualifying score for Provincial Championships.

“The girls have already shown improvement from last year and there were many personal best scores achieved at this meet” said Coach Jen Lavigne. “We have started the competitive season off on a positive note.”

The Women’s Apollo team will travel to Kingston for the next qualifier in February.

Submitted to BayToday.ca