Brimmin' for the Bahamas
Rankin club sends 12 gymnasts to international event
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
RANKIN INLET
Excitement is running high as 12 youths from the Aqsarniit Ujauttaq Gymnastics Club in Rankin Inlet prepare to head to the Bahamas this week.
The young gymnasts, aged six to 17, will compete in the Atlantis Crown Invitational at Nassau.
Coach Lisa Kresky said she will be helped at the event by fellow Rankin coaches Haley White and Kristen Sawyers.
She said the competition takes place at the Atlantis Resort.
"Atlantis is a top-of-the-line resort, so the kids are pretty excited about staying there," said Kresky.
"With four countries being represented by more than 900 athletes, the competition includes levels we compete at all the way to national levels.
"That gives the kids a chance to see what competition is like at those levels, and there's special guests involved, including former Olympians.
"So the kids will get to interact with some people who, otherwise, they probably would never have met."
The gymnasts will be in the Bahamas from Dec. 13 to 19.
They will also spend three nights in Winnipeg along the way, which will see them attend the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and the Sky Zone trampoline attraction.
Kresky said the gymnasts will gain valuable experience at the event.
She said it's hard to get competition experience when you live in Rankin Inlet, so the event will help the kids to better understand certain aspects of high-level competition.
"The trip is so much more to the girls than the actual competition.
"They're going to learn from this, no matter how they do in the competition.
"It will be great if they do really well, but they'll still have plenty of areas to improve on for the next time.
"We pride ourselves over the fact they're going to meet other people who share the same enjoyment and love for the sport, which is a big aspect of this trip."
The Rankin gymnasts will take what they learn in the Bahamas to improve their skills and routines, as soon as they hit the gym again in January.
They will also work on a lot of progression and skill development as the Arctic Winter Games draw near.
Kresky said the Rankin club owes a thank you for the contribution received from Sport Nunavut to help fund competitions, and to bring Toronto, Ont., coach Pam Collett to Rankin to work with the gymnasts as part of skill development and preparation.
She said the club also did its own fundraisers, including producing a calendar that featured the Rankin gymnasts, holding bake sales and managing a Go Fund Me page on the Internet.
"By the time we return, I would ball park the cost of the trip to be between $40,000 to $50,000.
"The biggest cost of the entire program is flying to Winnipeg from Rankin.
"Just to get to Winnipeg, cost-wise, is the killer."
Kresky said the kids are beyond excited in anticipation of the trip.
She said it's a challenge to keep them focused with the excitement running so high.
"Some of them have been packed for weeks," laughed Kresky.
"Yes, they're excited to be going to the Bahamas, but they're just as excited about the actual competition.
"These kids just love doing gymnastics.
"As much as it may be seen as an individual sport, our group is very much a team, and we do a lot of things together, so they're just as excited about getting to go away with their friends."
Kresky said the program is about gymnastics, fitness and the benefits of being active in sport.
But, she said, there's a whole lot more to it.
"It's also about helping young kids develop self-confidence and independence, as well as getting them to strive to reach their goals.
"To me, having them understand their goals move within reach when they really work hard is an important aspect of our program.
"We're only doing competitive gymnastics this year, partly because I'm only here for a part of the year and there's only a few other coaches helping, so it's a lot for them to run a rec program.
"Plus, getting gym time is very difficult in Rankin now because there's so many sports requesting gym space."
Kresky said another reason the Rankin club is heading to the Bahamas is that it's the one competition that fit their schedule.
She said most of the meets at their levels in southern Canada don't occur before Christmas.
"They only happen between January and June, but this one fit our schedule and we made it happen.
"It may not be at quite the same level as the Bahamas, but the excitement is still very much there when they get a chance to attend a competition in Winnipeg.
"They get to go and do a sport they love with their friends, and that means so much to these kids.
"They know we're looking at some other big international things during the next couple of years, and they know they have to work hard if they want to be a part of that."
