There was one training group that was getting all the attention last week at the Delta Sport Development Centre.
While Delta Gymnastics carried on with their regularly scheduled morning classes, the men's national team held a four day training camp as it prepared for last weekend's Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Everett, WA. Children and parents got a rare opportunity to see elite world class athletes going through their regular training sessions and executing jaw dropping routines.
The camp not only provided an up close look at role models for inspiring gymnasts, it added to the growing reputation of the year old Delta Sport Development Centre being one of the country's top facilities.
"This is a great venue that has really come nicely together," said Canadian team coach Richard Ikeda. "It's a good atmosphere in here and we need enough space to do what we want to do. Delta was gracious enough to give us the run of the gym. It can be hard doing what we do with classes and programs going on at the same time.
"When you are trying to raise the level of performance of your athletes, having the run of a brand new facility like this puts us at ease a bit."
The six member Canadian team, which featured three senior and three junior athletes, went on to place sixth at the nine country Pacific Rim competition, that featured powerhouses United States and China. The individual results were highlighted by Vancouver's Scott Morgan winning bronze on the vault.
The athletes are now preparing for the upcoming Canadian championships.
Delta Gymnastics Society was more than happy to host the national team and will gladly open their doors again for future training camps.
"It's pretty exciting for people to see what high level gymnasts do," said the Society's director of marketing Carlene Lewall. "We put it in our newsletter and on Facebook encouraging people to drop in and watch. Of course, men are so much more powerful than women so up close you get to see that power and just how high they are going.
"It definitely is motivating for our gymnasts. Not so much of one day being an Olympian but just what they have accomplished and realizing that I can accomplishing something to."
