Rankin gymnasts fly south
Rankin gymnasts pumped for next step after competition in the Bahamas
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
RANKIN INLET
A group of young competitive gymnasts from Rankin Inlet's Aqsarniit Ujauttaq Gymnastics Club shone brightly at the Atlantis Crown Invitational competition in Nassau, Bahamas, this past month.
Taking to the mats representing Rankin Inlet were Kylie Mae Aksalnik, Maya Hidalgo, AJ Libatique, Caroline Gibbons, Dora Tatty, Katauyak Everard, Josie Panika, Kortni McKay, Alyson McKay, Chloe Stacey, Abby Saculles MacDonald and Yzabell MacDonald.
Head coach and club founder Lisa Kresky said the trip to Nassau was incredible for the Rankin athletes, who range in age from six to 17.
"It was an amazing experience for our kids to not only compete at their level, but, also, to see this really high level of gymnastics being performed," she said.
The competition featured more than 900 athletes from 63 clubs in five different countries.
"They had everything at this event from the lower levels of competition all the way up to Level 10, which is kids doing double flips on the floor, no-handed flips on balance beams and release moves on the bars," said Kresky. "They also offered trampoline, power tumbling and double-mini, which is not something you get to see very often."
More importantly, the kids got to meet other participants from all across the globe.
"Because it was actually held at the Atlantis Resort, virtually everyone in the competition was staying there, so our kids got to make friends with all these other gymnasts from different clubs and countries," said Kresky.
The event featured a huge opening ceremony that offered the opportunity for Rankin gymnasts Dora Tatty and Katauyak Everard to throat sing in front of the large international gathering.
Kresky said the Rankin gymnasts might have been a little in awe of everything going on around them at the beginning of the competition, adding that while they knew they would only be competing against kids at their own level, it took them awhile to get comfortable and focus on the task at hand.
"Of course we drew a fair share of attention, too, once everyone start realizing we were the club from the North," said Kresky. "After awhile we stopped trying to explain exactly where we're located and just told everyone we lived close to Santa Claus. That seemed to do the trick."
Kresky said competing at the Nassau event left the Rankin group of competitive gymnasts super excited to start focusing on their skills and learning new moves.
"It was a great learning experience for our girls. They saw a lot of moves being performed that they can't wait to start working on themselves," she said. "The parents who were with us on the trip seemed to really enjoy the competition. They were cheering for the girls all the time."
She said most of them wanted to start trying some of the moves they saw immediately after the competition.
"It's really great to see how motivated they are right now and what taking part in this competition has done for them," she said.
