By Dan Plouffe
Many athletes overcame adversity at April’s Ontario artistic gymnastics championships, but maybe none moreso than Sofia Baggio. Less than a week before she was to compete at provincials, her family’s Kanata home went up in flames.
“It was crazy,” recalls Baggio, who escaped unharmed along with her family and pets. “It was stressful. We had to figure out where we were staying, plan what we were going to wear for the next day because we lost most of our clothes. It was hard.”
With heavy smoke and water damage from the fire caused by a short-circuited patio light, the Baggios didn’t have much left besides the clothes on their back. Emotional toll aside, the 11-year-old Ottawa Gymnastics Centre athlete lost everything she needed to compete at provincials, but club members quickly stepped up to provide leotards, track suits and competitive gear.
It was especially natural for teammates to help out Baggio, OGC coach Tobie Gorman notes, because she is “always on the lookout to help people” herself. Baggio would even put an arm on the shoulder of teammates who are several years older when they had tough moments, and was the recipient of club sportsmanship awards in back-to-back years.
“That normally doesn’t happen,” Gorman adds. “And she’s been here (at provincials) the whole time cheering for everybody.”
On top of her kindness, Baggio also displayed remarkable composure throughout the ordeal, and nowhere was that more evident than when the #4-ranked gymnast pulled off an all-around bronze medal win in the Level 8, Age 10-11 category.
“I tried to just clear it out of my head for the meet,” explains the Grade 6 Holy Redeemer Catholic School student. “I didn’t think I was going to place in top-3. I thought I had a consistent meet, but when I saw the other girls’ scores, I was like, ‘Woah – they’re scoring high,’ but I came third. It was really good. I wasn’t expecting it.”
Baggio’s coach also wasn’t anticipating that type of performance, nor were her parents, who decided to get a hotel room so it would feel like an out-of-town meet for their daughter, Gorman describes.
“They were thrilled (with the medal win). It’s a real highlight of a very, very sad week for them,” notes Gorman, who was filled with pride for her athlete. “For an 11-year-old to handle that upheaval, and for her family to handle it, I don’t know how you do that – that’s such resolve.
“She’s one special little girl.”