Illusions gymnasts bring home hardware

Canmore Illusions gymnasts brought home eight medals including three gold from the Exelta cup in Red Deer on Feb. 4-5.

Nine-year-old Erika Lepper captured gold in the bars and all-around category and added a silver on the vault to lead the team.

“It’s always interesting to see how the girls do,” said head coach Marilou Gariepy. “The results are not a surprise, but I’m pleased for sure.”

For most of the girls, this was their second time competing at this level of competition, as they faced tough competition from across the entire province.

Skylar Belczyk, who is also nine-years old, won two medals, a silver on the bars and a third in the all around category.

In the P1 Tyro category for ages 10 and 11, Lindsay Bischoff posted three top ten results, including a sixth on bars and on floor, which placed her seventh overall in her age category. Mia Landi won a bronze on the vault and a fourth on bars, while Jazlyn Evans grabbed bronze on the floor.

In the P2 Tyro category (ages 10-11), Abby Houck grabbed the gold medal on beams and a ninth-place finish overall.

The athletes have been working on their routines since September in preparation for competition season, which kicked off with the Red Deer meet. The gymnasts have been training for 11 hours a week

“It’s hard to train for the pressure of the meet, and the girls had a lot of new skills they tried for the first time. Many are pushing their skills to move up a level for next year,” Gariepy said. “They were able to demonstrate focus and consistency, two qualities required to be successful in competitive gymnastics.

The club has two more meets to attend this month.