Just weeks after opening the doors to some of the Highlands’ most promising up-andcoming athletes, Haliburton Gymnastics coaches are preparing to take the club’s inaugural competitive team to its first official event.
The eight-member squad, comprised of five young gymnasts and three coaches, will travel to Bracebridge this weekend for the first of three provincial qualifiers. Club founder, Kathy Judson, said it’s a big deal to have local athletes involved.
“This time last year, I never would have thought Haliburton would have its own competitive team. The fact we’re going to be there, that the girls have learned the skills in their routines and will be representing our community is just amazing,” said Judson. “It’s a dream come true, literally.”
It was about a year ago that Judson started thinking about launching the Countybased club, which opened in August. Her daughters, Hadley and June, had to travel out of town for high-level, competitive programming for years – now, they’re core members of the local team.
Hadley will compete in level five, June in level four and Nora Metcalfe, Naia Hicks and Amelia Metcalfe in level two. Judson said all competitive gymnasts work their way through a tiered system, from level one to 10.
All five will test their mettle in the four core women’s gymnastics events – beam, vault, floor and bars. Working with the girls as one of their coaches, assisting John Craig and Emma Summers, Judson believes they’ll have a strong showing in Bracebridge.
“We have a few obstacles ahead of us – every one of our competitors is in a brandnew level. For our level twos, this is their first time competing, but [Hadley and June] have moved up too,” Judson said. “They’re all doing great and have made huge progress… I think we’ve got a really good shot at getting a couple of podium finishes.”
While only having a small team this year, Judson is expecting major growth. More than 300 kids were enrolled for entry-level recreational programming in the fall, with two pre-competitive groups also forming.
“We’re building on that now, because there seems to be a lot of interest in it. We should get up to three good-sized groups for the winter,” she said. “This time next year, I imagine we’ll have at least doubled our competitive team.”
Asked about the time commitments of each level, and what the kids learn, Judson said it varies. Recreational is more about fitness and fun, with kids spending an hour or two a week at the gym.
“It’s all about getting the kids moving and teaching them the foundations in fun ways,” Judson said.
Pre-competitive is “for kids who want a little bit more” and introduces things like tumbling and proper form and technique. Judson estimates those kids will be in classes three-to-four hours a week.
The competitive program isn’t for the faint of heart, Judson noted – first-year athletes start at nine hours a week, with the older age groups currently doing 18 hours a week.
“It just changes the game. All that time in the gym allows them to focus on specific technical skills. They all have their own little projects they work on, specialty routines,” Judson said. “Believe it or not, when you’re practicing for four events, all that time still doesn’t feel like enough for the kids.”
As well as the physical benefits of gymnastics, Judson said it teaches competitors mental strength, too. She noted, often, the lessons learned through failure can be more defining than winning.
After Bracebridge, the team has other competitions lined up in Kawartha Lakes in February and Richmond Hill in March. Provincial qualifiers are in April.
