passion

BY RHEA L NATH

For even the uninitiated, observing a rhythmic gymnastics performance can be a fascinating experience, watching on as the performers combine their athletic prowess with dance and calisthenics.

According to 20-year-old Ashari Gill, the fascination began for her from watching the 2006 Commonwealth Games as a child.

“It was being held in Melbourne at the time and I was around four years old. Shortly after, my mum took me to my first gymnastics class and I never looked back,” she told Indian Link with a grin.

Her own Commonwealth gymnastics journey came full circle last month when short of gold medallists Canada (272.950).

“It was one of the most enjoyable competitions that I’ve been to and it was reall different rom an o m re ious experiences,” Ashari recalled. “The stadium was larger, the music was much louder, but it only added to the excitement. Most of all, the crowd was wonderful in cheering for

A shari Gill

steps and body expression, exchanges and collaborations of the group, and technical handling of the chosen apparatus. (Ashari says her strongest apparatus is probably the clubs - “it's also my favourite one,” she notes.)

Interestingly, she isn’t the only one in her family to enjoy the spotlight in the field of sports. Her grandfather Dhansiri Weerasinghe was once part of Sri Lanka’s national cricket team, playing between 1958 and 1969.

What are some of the major lessons she's learned over the years as an athlete?

“I remember getting jittery when I started to do my hair. To calm myself, I put on my AirPods and just tried to gather my thoughts,” she added.

Although “very nervous” during her first routine, the gymnast eventually settled in. As the day drew to a close, she was the last of her team to finish up their Commonwealth Games outing, performing her ribbon routine to Sonny Bono's 'Bang Bang' to receive a score of 25.200.

“The whole competition was quite fun! After a point, it felt like I was performing rather than competing,” Ashari smiled.

To those unfamiliar with the rules of rhythmic gymnastics, the competition requires athletes to perform on a floor with an apparatus: ribbon, clubs, hoop, or ball. he di cult o each routine looks at bod di culties like jum s or rotations, the choreography of the dance

“The first takeaway has definitely been sacrifice, learning to give up other commitments to be able to train and practice. I know I missed a fair bit of high school social events,” she admitted. “I've found that sports also inculcates a great work ethic. You've got to be disciplined and learn to manage your time wisely.”

Ashari now finds herself at cross-roads as one of the older competitors in the field, since becoming eligible to compete in senior-level competitions when she turned 16 years old.

She’s currently pursuing university fulltime after 1.5 years of part-time study to be able to train for the Games and views this period as “an interesting time.”

“I’m definitely taking my time to decide what I’d like to do now and what I’d like to achieve from here. It’s pretty exciting, though she signed off.