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Gymtrix's Mah one fall away from California

Five top North Bay gymnasts from Gymtrix competed at the Gymnastics Ontario Tour Selection competition from November 10-12th in Belleville
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15-year-old Emily Mah in action in Belleville. Photo submitted.

Five top North Bay gymnasts from Gymtrix competed at the Gymnastics Ontario Tour Selection competition from November 10-12th in Belleville, Ontario.

Considered within the Ontario gymnastics community to be the most prestigious selection event of the year, the Gymnastics Ontario ‘Tour’ program provides an International opportunity for Ontario’s top Provincial and National league gymnasts.

There is only one selection event to determine the eight-member teams in Provincial Levels 6 to 9 and National Level 10.

This year, Team Ontario is traveling to Anaheim and Los Angeles to compete in the California Grand Invitational, January 12-14, 2018.

Gymtrix’s Emily Mah and Victoria Desfosses competed against 80 of Ontario’s best Level 8 athletes for a chance to fly west with the Ontario All-Star team. 

As the competition got underway, it looked promising that Mah might make the eight-member Ontario team.

An uncharacteristic fall from the Balance Beam was all it took to knock her out of the race.  Mah’s fall during the Balance Beam event dropped her from 9th overall (and first alternate position) on Team Ontario, to 18th place in the All Around. 

As the alternate, Mah could have traveled with the Ontario team and competed in the event that a team member scratched.

Fifteen-year-old Mah also made North Bay gymnastics history as the first gymnast from North Bay to perform a Yurchenko Vault in competition.  The Yurchenko vault, named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, requires years of practice to master and is now the primary vault style used at World / Olympic competitions.

The gymnast does a round-off onto the springboard, then a back handspring on to the horse/table and then while pushing from the hands performs a 1 ½ rotation salto before landing. Mah performed a Yurchenko vault with a pike salto and it was good enough for 6th place.  Mah also earned the 7th best score in the Uneven Bars event. 

For a ‘Level 8 out of the gate’, Mah’s results were more than enough to make Team Gymtrix and North Bay very proud!

Team mate Victoria Desfosses also completed a brand new vault for the first time in competition, a tucked Tsukahara, and placed 18th on the Vault event.

Both Mah and Desfosses made the jump from Provincial Level 7 last season to Provincial level 8 this season.

In the level 6 category, Vanessa Perrault finished in 8th place in the Balance Beam event with a huge score of 9.483 (out of 10.0) and a clean Uneven Bars routine put her into 12th position on that event.  The level 6 category, was the largest category of the weekend with 100 of Ontario’s best gymnasts.  First time Tour Selection gymnasts Koral Tench was 29th on the Balance Beam and Kaylee Tench was 33rd on the Vault.

Although the athletes did not qualify for this year’s Team Ontario, results were impressive nonetheless, considering all three level 6’s were competing at Tour Selection for the first time. “To be hitting top 12 finishes this early in the season against 80 and 100 of Ontario’s best athletes is a very big accomplishment” said competitive coach Tara Alger.  “It shows our athletes are right up with the best gymnasts across Ontario, and on track to qualifying for the Ontario Championships in April.”

The five member Gymtrix team were the sole representatives from North Bay at the Tour Selection event.  In the past, Gymtrix has had multiple gymnasts qualify for Team Ontario who have traveled on tours to Nevada, Texas, Florida, and Arizona.

The Provincial level team is coached by Marc Pilon and Tara Alger.