Master of the pommel, king of the rings; Luke Fricker is Alberta’s new Level 1 provincial gymnastics champ.
Fricker presented a truly dominant performance on April 21 in Edmonton to win the overall title, capturing five medals in the process. Fricker won gold in the pommel and rings, silver on the floor and high bar and bronze on the vault.
“I was just having a good day,” said Fricker, 10. “After warm-up I was feeling pretty good.”
With his father keeping track of his score, Fricker wasn’t too concerned about where he sat in the standings.
“My scores were all in the nines, so I knew I had to do pretty good,” Fricker said.
The result is the best of his young career, and Fricker said he’s worked hard to improve his skills, specifically on the pommel. His unrelenting effort impressed coach Kelly Mock.
“He’s very focused and works very hard. He’s always trying to improve himself and make corrections,” Mock said.
At the meet, everything came together for the team and Fricker had his best performance to date.
“It was the best routine on each apparatus he’s done all year,” Mock said.
Fricker will move up to Level 2 next year and shows no signs of slowing down.
“I don’t really want to stop,” Fricker said, noting his coach has really helped him.
“He’s great. He has a very watchful eye. He sees all your habits and tells you how to fix your problems.”
The entire team impressed Mock, as Fricker wasn’t the only Canmore gymnast to win. Josh Ellis won a provincial championship on the parallel bars and bronze in the overall. Dallas Funk brought home three bronze medals in the pommel, rings and high bar, while Lance Holland won silver in the Level 1 12-and-under pommel.
At Level 2, Cole Richardson earned the provincial title in rings or vault, which was good enough for an overall bronze in his age category.
“The team did an outstanding job. It was definitely their best meet of the year. They had their best routines of the year, their best execution and best performances,” Mock said. “I knew they were well prepared, but I was pleasantly surprised they surpassed my expectations.”
The club will host its final meet of the season this weekend at the Canmore Rec Centre. The fun meet will attract 360 gymnasts from across the province and give the local team a chance to show their skills in front of a home crowd. The competition begins Friday at 1 p.m. and continues until Sunday.
