By Isabella Disley
Following four consecutive competition weekends, the Kanata Rhythmic Gymnastics Club will at last get to exhale for the Easter holiday and reflect on a run that included a successful Kanata Cup and the qualification of several athletes for an unexpected home national championships.
Kanata Rhythmic held its annual invitational meet at a sparkling new venue at Algonquin College on Apr. 5-6, which served as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Canadian Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, to be held June 5-9 at Algonquin.
The rhythmic nationals were originally set to take place alongside the artistic gymnastics Canadians in Calgary, but a change was needed when a Pan American rhythmic competition switched its dates to the same time, so up stepped Kanata and fellow local club Pirouette with an offer to host the event in Ottawa.
“We’re absolutely honoured and excited to host one of the most celebrated domestic competitions in rhythmic gymnastics right here in our hometown,” Kanata Rhythmic head coach Yuliana Korolyova said by email amid the hectic schedule. “The Kanata Cup definitely shows that our community and club are ready to take on events of that calibre.”
Along with the bigger venue came a bigger number of participants than Kanata usually welcomes at their usual Bridlewood Elementary site, as hundreds of athletes descended from Kanata, Pirouette, Ottawa, Barrhaven, Montreal’s Questo and Rythmik Québec clubs.
“It was wonderful to see the friendships and camaraderie between the clubs, a value that’s been passed down from our club’s founder, Dasa Lelli,” Korolyova highlighted. “Each year, we see higher levels of performance, deeper community involvement, and stronger inter-club relationships. It’s these core values that make the Kanata Cup so special.”
Korolyova was impressed by the dedication and progression shown by gymnasts who were as young as eight, in divisions ranging from introductory to high-performance levels, while the Special Olympics athletes from Ottawa Rhythmic left a memorable mark.
“They brought so much energy and inspiration to the floor. That, combined with the amazing performances across the board, made for an unforgettable event,” Korolyova indicated. “We’re incredibly proud of how everything came together, and that wouldn’t have been possible without the huge help from our families, who volunteered countless hours to make the event happen. Their support truly made all the difference.”
Korolyova was back on the road the next weekend for the Eastern Regional Championship at the Pan Am Centre in Markham, which served as a final qualification opportunity for the nationals. Kanata’s Silvia Yu (junior high-performance), Victoria Wang (junior open) and Evangelia Sarlis (senior open) all booked their entries to compete for the home club at the Canadians.
The weekend before the Kanata Cup was a provincial championships qualifier in Burlington, which came on the heels of Elite Ontario, also held in Markham.
“The season has been full of learning moments — every competition helps build their perseverance, strength, and stamina, which align so well with the character-building values we hold dear at the club,” Korolyova noted. “We’re incredibly proud of how they’re progressing, and we’re excited to see them continue to shine.”
The countdown is already under two months until the big show, and the hosts are taking a big breath for the excitement of having the rhythmic nationals in town for the first time in over a decade since Carleton University hosted all gymnastics disciplines in 2014.
“It’s not just about the competition — it’s about uniting the community and inspiring the next generation,” Korolyova underlined. “The commitment from our volunteers and families is once again the backbone of it all.”
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