Talented gymnasts showcased their skills and capped off a great season with the Athabasca FLIPS Fun Meet last Saturday.
Held at the Athabasca Agriplex, the event ran all day and served as an opportunity for the 130-plus local gymnasts to show off all they had learned since training began last fall.
The event was a friendly competition, with judges critiquing the performances.
But at the end of the day, everybody got a medal.
The competitive aspect of the event was another way to get gymnasts ready for future competitions. This was the first year that FLIPS offered a competitive curriculum, so the gymnasts are learning what will be expected of them when they go to real competitions elsewhere.
“It ran very smoothly,” said FLIPS vice-president Nichole Collins of the event.
“The kids were very happy.”
Interspersed with the competition were special demos from the coaches and visiting gymnasts, who showed off the kind of skills that the kids can look forward to achieving for themselves if they keep working hard.
“There were a lot of open mouths,” chuckled Collins. “The kids were in awe.”
The meet brought an end to a successful year for the club, their first spent at the Agriplex. FLIPS was a permanent fixture at the facility, and since they didn’t need to move their equipment every night, they were able to have more classes and get more kids involved.
“We keep increasing in participation every year.”
The gymnasts will be back in action in August for a summer camp before the fall session starts in October.
The FLIPS club has begun fundraising for a new building expansion that would allow them to set up all of their equipment with room to spare.
