By Brendan McConnell
With the memory of a successful homegrown 2013 Canadian Gymnastics Championships fading slowly along with the summer sun, Ottawa has reason to be excited again as the new gymnastics season approaches, with the city having claimed its spot as host for the second year in a row.
Set for May 26-31, the 2014 national championships will again welcome gymnasts from across the country at Carleton University, a venue that proved to provide an excellent environment for the elite gymnasts, notes competition chair and Ottawa Gymnastics Centre general manager Kellie Hinnells.
“Athletes and coaches all enjoyed the facilities, our volunteers were very friendly and organized and the event generated profit,” recalls Hinnells, adding that the on-site housing, training and meal venues all cut down travel time significantly, thus making it easier for athletes to focus on their events.
With the familiar Ravens Nest and fieldhouse decked out with top-level gymnastics equipment, spectator bleachers and judges stands, Carleton athletics took on a whole new look during the competition last year – an atmosphere that organizers hope to repeat and improve upon in 2014.
One change for the coming championships is the date – they’ll take place one week later than last year so that there is no conflict with Ottawa Race Weekend, explains Hinnells, noting the event will be condensed to a speedy seven days as opposed to last year’s 10 days.
The competition will also receive much more advanced promotion in the Ottawa and gymnastics communities in hopes of drawing in more curious spectators, she adds.
The 2014 Championships will be run by Gymnastics Canada in conjunction with the same four local host clubs as last year – OGC, Tumblers, Gatineau’s Unigym and Kanata Rhythmic.
Each of those clubs are expected to have athletes compete in their hometown, says Hinnells. Last year, 10 Ottawa gymnasts competed at nationals, with many earning medals, led by National Capital’s Sam Zakutney, the Tyro high-performance class all-around champion.