OTTAWA – Canmore gymnast Olivia Pfister moved up the Canadian ranks after an all-star outing at the 2019 Canadian Artistic Gymnastics National Championships.
Pfister, 12, had her best results on the national stage, finishing seventh overall in girls High Performance novice from May 23-25 in Ottawa.
“I was really happy with it,” Pfister said. “I was trying to have fun and trying to place well in the competition.”
The Canmore Illusions Gymnastics Club (CIGC) product finished in the top 10 in three of four events with accumulated points over two days, placing fourth in vault, fifth on the floor, 10th on uneven bars and 13th on the beam.
On the final day of competitions, her solid showings in floor and vault, tied for first and second.
“I liked doing the floor routine on the second day, I never competed with my routine before at a higher difficulty,” Pfister said.
The strong second day results helped Pfister move up three spots in the national standings. In February, Pfister ranked 10th overall among novice girls and vaulted to seventh overall, a “significant improvement,” said Pfister’s CIGC coach Jordana Drukarsh.
“It’s due to the increased difficulty of her floor routine and being consistent with her routines since getting high performance designation,” Drukarsh said. “This result is the highest we’ve ever had from a female at national championships from our club. For Olivia, this was one of her best performances as well.”
Pfister had a bit of nerves in her system during the first day of events, making a few mistakes, and being affected by the time zone change.
The competition started at 7:30 a.m. eastern time, or 5:30 a.m. for Canmorites. In contests where precision and timing are essential it was a tough adjustment for Pfister. She finished 11th overall in points after day one.
“It’s very demanding and tiring it takes some time to get into the groove of competition,” Drukarsh said. “When she settled into things, she was excellent.”
On day two of novice, Pfister brought it to the field, earning her best points at nationals. She bumped up to fifth in points after two days.
“Olivia always handles herself well, she has a great head on her shoulders and prioritizes having fun at competitions,” Drukarsh said.
Finishing first overall in novice girls was Ontario’s Alicia Wendland. In second was Saskatchewan’s Amy Jorgensen and Quebec’s Victorianne Charron was third.
The end of nationals marks the season for Pfister, who’ll now focus on the CIGC’s high performance program over the summer.
