By Dan Plouffe, published May 17 in Kanata Kourier-Standard/EMC
Set to compete in the Canadian senior championships May 22-26 in Regina, Lucinda Nowell’s first season in the national level stream has already provided more than the 15-year-old Kanata Rhythmic Gymnastics Club athlete could have asked for.
“I’m not sure what my expectations were, really,” says Nowell, who began gymnastics at age seven. “I just wanted to see how good I could get. I’ve improved a lot from last year, I think.”
The Grade 10 Earl of March Secondary School student was a provincial duo champion last season with teammate Megan Kawai, but finds that her skill level has increased alongside the number of hours she trains with her club every week: 20.5.
“I don’t have that much time for my friends,” notes Nowell, who’s still happy to have her teammates occupy that role as soon as homework is out of the way. “It’s really fun here. I’ve made a lot of friends. We always do fun stuff – it’s not just working really, really hard all the time.”
Kanata Rhythmic Gymnastics Club coach Dasa Lelli, who runs the 300-member club primarily out of Bridlewood Community Elementary School, notes that time management is a key required trait for her top athletes, and Nowell definitely fits the bill.
“She’s a very smart, organized person. She’s got the full package,” explains Lelli, adding that great family support is also part of the equation. “First of all, Lucinda loves the sport. She’s totally devoted. She has the natural ability with coordination. She has a good level of power, flexibility, and strength.
“When you look at Lucinda, she has everything a rhythmic gymnast is.”
Those qualities were certainly on display at the April 18-21 Eastern Canadian championships. The only competitor from the area, Nowell travelled with a Montreal group to the event in Moncton, N.B., which provided quite the atmosphere for the young athlete.
“It was pretty big,” Nowell describes. “You marched out as your province instead of your club.”
Despite the big stage, Nowell felt relatively calm during her two-day competition, and the results showed. She earned bronze medals for her clubs and ball routines, and placed fifth in ribbon and sixth in hoop en route to a fifth-place finish overall to earn her ticket to nationals.
“It was surprising,” recounts Nowell, who felt her hoop routine was actually her best, although it was the same story for her competitors. “I was really excited. I didn’t think I was going to place that high.”
Despite the impressive results, Nowell hasn’t thought too much about what may lie ahead, although Canadian team berths could be on the horizon in future years. For now, she’s targeting a top-10 finish at her first nationals, although the main objective is to feel good about her routines when she’s done them.
“It’s exciting,” Nowell adds. “I’m not nervous yet, but I’m sure I will be when it gets closer.”
More medals for club’s provincial gymnasts
Nowell is far from the Kanata club’s only member to excel this season. Fifteen individual gymnasts and four groups have earned the right to compete in the provincial championships starting June 8 in Etobicoke, including a trio who topped their categories at qualifying meets – Kawai, Erika Lin, and Jessica Luo.
“I was absolutely delighted to see so many of our athletes do so well,” Lelli smiles. “The hard work we try to instill in our gymnasts is paying off.”