Four athletes from Delta Gymnastics are in the nation’s capital this week for the 2019 Canadian Gymnastics Championships.
The six-day meet will be held at Carlton University in Ottawa and brings together Canada’s best national level and high-performance gymnasts, from novice to senior Olympic level athletes.
“This is an important event for our athletes,” says Chris Sheremeta, Delta Gymnastics Men’s Program Director. “This national competition is one of the two events where the national teams are selected.”
Delta Gymnastics is excited to be sending more athletes to nationals than they have in quite a few years.
The MAG team includes James Xuan, 28 and 18-year-old Ryan Woodhead.
Xuan, a two-time National Champion on rings, will be competing in rings, pommel horse and parallel bars. This will be Woodhead’s fourth trip to nationals. He will be competing in the pommel horse and bars events.
It’s the first trip to the Canadian Champions for 15-year-old Astarte Garnett and Mackenzie Grant, 12, who will be competing in all the women’s events including vault, beam, bars and floor.
“This is a great opportunity for the girls to be exposed to high level competition.” says Jennifer Dober, Delta Gymnastics Women’s Program Director. “Both Astarte and Makenzie have been to Westerns, but this is their first time competing on a national scale. We are hoping BC will come home with some team medals.”
Also attending will be five Delta staff members: Dober, Sheremeta and Thorstein Fischer, Assistant Coordinator of the MAG program will travel as judges. Kristina Sharp, Women’s Program Coordinator will travel as a Team BC coach, and Shu Jun Gao will attend as a coach for Xuan and Woodward.
Delta Gymnastics Society offers programs from infants to seniors at their Ladner facility year-round. For information of events, programs and activities visit deltagymnastics.com
