Seven Polarettes gymnasts from Whitehorse were in Langley, B.C., for the first B.C. Junior Olympic Compulsory Championships on April 6 and 7.
The championship was the first of its kind in B.C. to focus on gymnasts from Junior Olympic 1 to Junior Olympic 5 level.
Featuring gymnasts from clubs all across B.C., the total turnout of gymnasts was in the hundreds.
Megan Banks, developmental coordinator and competitive coach for the Polarettes Gymnastics Club, said excitement and enthusiasm permeated the event.
“I think the weekend went really well,” said Banks. “It was the first B.C. compulsory championships ever, so I was really excited the girls did so well at the first one ever and just had a good time and showed their best gymnastics.”
All seven of the Yukon gymnasts earned at least one top 10, including two first-place finishes, a second-place finish and two thirds.
Leading the way were the two JO 3 gymnasts, Layla Hombert and Wylloh Dinn. Hombert finished first on vault with a 9.8 out of 10 and 10th in floor, while Dinn was third on vault, third on beam and eighth all-around.
Banks said Hombert’s performance was all the more impressive since it was her first time competing outside of the Yukon.
“It was her first time competing at an Outside competition and her first time competing at (JO 3) and she actually won vault,” said Banks. “That was a really big highlight for us.”
At the JO 4 level, Sabrina Hartland, Amelie Guilbeaut, Cydney Williams and Sascha Nelson all had a number of top 10s.
Guilbeaut picked up the other gold for the Polarettes — first on bars — and was eighth on beam and fourth all-around. Williams was sixth on vault, second on beam, ninth on floor and sixth all-around. Hartland was eighth on beam and 10th on floor, and Nelson was 10th on vault and eighth on beam.
Rounding out the Yukon results was Camille Belanger at the JO 5 level. Belanger finished ninth on both bars and beam.
Banks said the good results made the trip that extra bit better.
“Everybody came home with something,” she said. “We had a couple stand out — a couple of them placed on the podium — which was exciting.”
Impressively, the seven gymnasts are all between nine and 13 years old, meaning the future of competitive gymnastics in the territory looks very healthy.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com