CALGARY – Some healthy competition is a good thing, just ask the newest provincial champion at the local gymnastics club.
Canmore Illusions Gymnastics Club’s Kaija Puurunen and Paige Reiben are provincial champs following stellar performances at the WAG Artistic Provincials on April 19 at the Calgary Olympic Oval.
Puurunen, 12, who is in her first year of Level 7, is provincial champion for bars after defeating rival and friend Phetlunda Praseutsith of the North Edmonton Gymnastics Club.
Last year, roles were reversed when Praseutsith topped Puurunen in bars at provincials. For 365 days, it had haunted the Canmorite.
However, Puurunen took the crown this season and “finally beat my friend” in bars, scoring a 9.5, while Praseutsith had a 9.4.
“It’s literally been my goal the entire year,” Puurunen said. “I was being more positive with myself instead of thinking she sucks, I gotta beat her, I was thinking I’ve improved a lot from last year and I’m going to be better than I was last year this year.”
The Canmore gymnast finished third in vault and fourth overall – an improvement from 10th overall in 2022.
Coming into the competition with the right mindset, even through some adversity, helped her throughout, she said.
“I was coming off an ankle injury and needed six months to get over it, so I was super happy to get third on vault because I haven’t medalled on that since last year because of my injury,” Puurunen said.
Reiben, 14, competing in a different age category for Level 7, “got into her zone” and became provincial champion in both vault and floor, and finished third overall in the competition.
“She has a job and she gets it done,” said Carley Evans, Illusions WAG coach.
Even after a slow start, where Reiben finished 12th in beam and 10th in bars after some falls, she hit the comeback button and came roaring back into contention.
“I had a bad start to the competition, so I had to try really hard to have a chance of doing well, so I just did my best performance,” she said.
Reiben is from Cochrane, but makes the trip to Canmore five days a week to train at Canmore Illusions.
“I really liked training out here and everyone with the club. My [old] club couldn’t take me past Level 7, so when I switched clubs, I just wanted to come here,” she said.
Although becoming provincial champions, the two gymnasts are still unable to advance to the WAG Western Canadian Championships, for now.
Illusions' Leona Gentien from Banff is the club’s lone athlete competing at Westerns this week (April 27-29) in Spruce Grove after finishing third on beam and fifth overall in Level 10 at provincials.
Canmore Illusions sent 15 athletes to provincials. Coach Evans said there were a lot of nerves at the competition because almost every athlete was competing in a new level from last year.
“Usually it’s about two to three years per level before moving up, and in one year, every kid was moving up,” said Evans.
In other club results, Kanako Okuma finished third on floor and eighth overall; Iris Porter was seventh on bars; Nisha Krause finished sixth on bars; Abby Luka was fifth on floor and sixth in vault; Mirabelle Trinidad was sixth in floor and eighth in beam; Allison Pelletier was seventh in vault; Madeline Wickins was fifth in vault and sixth on bars; Zara Ridgely was 10th on bars; Makayla Breu was 10th in vault; and Lydia Ridgely was 12th in beam.
