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By William Bailey
The fastest wind gust forecast for Thursday through Sunday in Ottawa is 62 kilometres per hour. While that could be an issue for early-season golfers, it shouldn’t be problematic for the Ontario Women’s and Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Now, a weather report would not usually be top-of-mind for a sports event held entirely indoors, but organizers of the April 11-14 provincials know better.
The last time they hosted the championships in 2022, the meet had to be cut short when the EY Centre lost power during the derecho storm, as winds reached almost 200 km/h.
Read More: Gymnast from host club caps career with provincial crown before storm cuts competition short
Without dark clouds from COVID and Mother Nature hovering, roughly 1,200 athletes from across the province will get the chance to put their best foot forward when they compete in a total of 40 sessions across three separate gyms, running for around 12 hours each day.
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It will be a particularly special experience for gymnasts from the nation’s capital, highlights Suzanne Fisher from the host Ottawa Gymnastics Centre.
“Having provincials in Ottawa means local athletes have the hometown advantage,” OGC’s interim executive director and competitive program manager says in an email interview with the Ottawa Sports Pages. “Not only do they not have to travel and get to sleep in their own beds, having the competition in Ottawa often means more family and friends can attend to support the athletes.
“It’s also nice to have the opportunity to share the city of Ottawa and all it has to offer with our fellow athletes, coaches, and officials from out of town.”
There are several athletes from host OGC who are entered in the championships’ top divisions.
Elliot Choi and James Doucette will compete in the men’s junior and senior events Friday evening, while Dalia Weisz and Addison Graham (Level 9 – Thursday daytime) and Alexandra Reddick and Cléante Théorêt (Level 10 – Friday afternoon) will have the chance to earn Team Ontario berths for the Canadian Championships, which will be held from June 2-9 in Gatineau.
Read More: OGC gymnast follows in teammate’s footsteps as both claim tour tickets
Reddick will also take part in the all-star event on Saturday night, along with OGC coach Amanda Pepin.
“It is a competition, the teams compete against each other, but they put on a show while competing, which makes it fun to watch,” Fisher notes. “It’s a bit different than what you usually see at a gymnastics competition because it’s a combined event with exciting activities, commentators, and a fun team atmosphere.
“The teams are made up based on rankings from qualifiers and each team includes athletes of different ages and different levels. It’s a really fun way to introduce more of a team feeling to an individual sport.”
The final day of competition on Sunday lands on the perfect day since it’s the first day of the Apr. 14-20 National Volunteer Week, adds Fisher, whose not-for-profit club will have piles of helpers running the show over the event’s four days.
“It’s great timing because it gives us an opportunity to recognize and celebrate our volunteers,” she underlines. “Volunteers are essential for running an event like this. We really couldn’t do this without the hundreds of volunteers you’ll see throughout the weekend.”
More details on the Championships are available via Gymnastics Ontario’s events calendar. Check OttawaSportsPages.ca for coverage of the provincials in the coming days.