The biggest weekend of the year for the Delta Gymnastics Society gets underway Friday at the Richmond Olympic Oval with the annual Delta Invitational and Cash and Carry Cup.
Regarded as one of the largest gymnastics events in the province, the three-day competition will include 33 gymnastics clubs and feature over 1100 athletes representing B.C., Alberta and the Yukon.
“We are excited to once again offer an opportunity to our community to experience high quality gymnastics in an impressive setting for a minimal cost, “said Ana Arciniega, Executive Director at Delta Gymnastics and host of the event. “National level athletes will be participating at our unique Cash & Carry Cup taking place on Saturday starting at 4:30 p.m. where the gymnast’s execution rather then difficulty of the skill is emphasized and serves to level the playing field.”
The Cash & Carry Cup offers $10,000 in cash prize money towards training expenses and awards it to the top six male and female all around winners, plus the top three winners of each of the events.
“Traditional gymnastics competitions do not typically offer cash rewards, which makes for a very exciting competition to watch,” continued Arciniega. “If you have ever wanted to watch high performance gymnastics live, this is a great place to be!”
This year’s Invitational continues the theme of Embrace the Journey as gymnastics teaches athletes how to move through success and failure, good days and bad, and embraces the road that enhances an active and healthy lifestyle.
“Ultimately our goal in hosting this event is to expose our youth to a wide range of opportunities, skills and abilities that are accessible through the sport of gymnastics,” added Arciniega.
Admission at the door is $12 for adults, $6 for ages seven-to-18 and free for children six and younger.
