36
yukon-news.com
YUKON NEWS
Friday, May 26, 2017
SPORTS AND RECREATION
Yukon gymnasts prevail in Juneau
Tom Patrick/Yukon News
Maya-Pearl Hudson placed second in her division in Juneau. “When we were in Skagway on the ferry, we were all doing gymnastics stuff on the deck and it was pretty fun because when the boat started to move we were doing handstands and we’d literally get blown over,” said Nelson. This wasn’t the first time the Polarettes have produced strong results at the Juneau competition. At last year’s event Polarettes won gold all-around in all five of the divisions they were entered in. “There were some big moments for the girls, for sure,” said Jones. “Kate Koepke competed her round of handspring-back handspring for the first time, which has been a struggle in the gym for her to learn. “Sasha Kozmen competed a brand new floor routine and the judges actually came up to me after the competition and complimented how well she did in her performance. She was second on floor, but they said, ‘Wow, that kid can really dance.’” Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com
All-around podium finishes
Junior Olympic 3 (group C) 1st
Mackenzie Tonner (Yukon) — 35.0 2nd Camille Belanger (Yukon) — 34.5 3rd Kara Strong (Juneau) — 32.55 Junior Olympic 3 (group D) 1st
Sascha Nelson (Yukon) — 31.9 2nd Kristie Kulbeth (Juneau) — 30.4 Junior Olympic 4 (group A) 1st
Helene Platt (Juneau) — 29.2 2nd Mariah Schauwecker (Juneau) — 27.2 3rd Reese Ayd (Juneau) — 27.15 Junior Olympic 4 (group B) 1st
Kate Koepke (Yukon) — 34.6 2nd Ava Gauthier (Juneau) — 28.7 3rd Eva Miller (Juneau) — 27.5 Junior Olympic 5 1st
Stella Moran (Juneau) — 27.5 2nd Kaelin Tibbles (Juneau) — 26.9
Junior Olympic 2 1st
Tom Patrick News Reporter
S
ome Yukon gymnasts made the podium at a Juneau meet last weekend. How many? All of them. A team of 11 from Whitehorse’s Polarettes Gymnastics Club all medalled in all-around categories at the
Gold Rush Invitational, hosted by Juneau Gymnastics in Alaska on May 20. “We’re pretty happy with the results,” said Polarettes head coach Kimberly Jones. “They haven’t had a lot of competition experience before, so it was a pretty good confidence boost for them.” Polarettes gymnasts competed in eight divisions and won gold all-around in seven
of them. In one of the Junior Olympic 3 groups, in which three Polarettes competed, they swept the podium. “It was fun. The gym is nice and small, so it’s not too big, and we got to cheer on our team during the first part where the older girls were competing,” said Polarette Sascha Nelson. “I did quite well, so I thought it was a really fun
competition.” Nelson won gold allaround in a Junior Olympic 3 division. The 11-year-old was at her first competition out of Yukon, just like teammates Adria Gallina and Talia Campbell, who also won gold all-around in their divisions. Not all the highlights for Nelson were from the competition.
Junior Olympic 6 1st
Junior Olympic 3 (group A)
Tom Patrick/Yukon News
Polarettes gymnast Olivia Vangel practices on the beam in Whitehorse on May 23. Vangel was one of 11 Polarettes to compete at the Gold Rush Invitational in Juneau, Alaska on May 20.
Adria Gallina (Yukon) — 34.5
1st
Olivia Vangel (Yukon) — 32.9 2nd Ava Severance (Juneau) — 31.5 3rd Jadyn Cook (Juneau) — 28.8
Junior Olympic 7 (group A) 1st
Sydney Strong (Juneau) — 35.45 2nd Sasha Kozmen (Yukon) — 34.0 3rd Abigail Booton (Juneau) — 29.0
Junior Olympic 3 (group B) 1st
Talia Campbell (Yukon) — 35.5 2nd Maya-Pearl Hudson (Yukon) — 35.15 3rd Amelie Guilbeaut (Yukon) — 35.05
Kalina Morrison (Yukon) — 34.65
Junior Olympic 7 (group B) 1st
Megan Lujan (Juneau) — 34.05 2nd Cadence Campbell (Juneau) — 32.875 3rd Kaidence Bernaldo (Juneau) — 32.55