Canmore gymnasts are famous for massive medal hauls.
The four bubbly, bouncy young women in the Alberta Winter Games must have bursting closets full of medals and ribbons from their weekend conquests from around the province, as most have been in the sport since they were four years old.
They kept up that tradition at the Games, as they claimed nine medals over the two-day event at Lawrence Grassi Middle School on Feb. 7-8.
The competition was divided into team and individual events, where the Canmore athletes cleaned up. Krista Scurfield and Anna Parent helped the P2 team win the overall gold medal, while Lindsay Bischoff earned bronze in the individual Level 3 division.
Competing against girls six years her senior, Scurfield won bronze in the uneven bars, while Parent won two gold medals on the bars and floor, and silver on the vault. Bischoff won gold on the vault and bronze on the bars, while Skylar Belczyk earned bronze on the floor.
“This competition was different and awesome because they don’t get any other experience like this,” said coach Jordana Drukarsh. “Usually it’s totally individual, so here, it’s a totally new aspect to their sport.”
On top of strong competitions, the girls loved the social aspect of the games – from sleeping in school to making new friends.
“We got to stay in classrooms with our gymnastics friends and everybody from everywhere was competing,” Scurfield said.
“We have a home crowd advantage, but it feels different for many reasons. It’s our hometown, but it’s Alberta Winter Games, so we get more nervous,” Bischoff said.
Parent said she loved how all of her friends and family could come and watch the girls compete, while Belczyk loved the team aspect of the games.
The team felt they had a local advantage while in Canmore, as the packed crowd gave them a boost.
“I thought they performed fabulously,” said Drukarsh. “They had a big cheering crowd and they all had personal bests at the competition.”
She noted this was the first two-day competition for her athletes, and they performed extremely well.
But the team, which trains extensively through the week, call it a labour of love.
“It gives you lots of skills, not just gymnastic skills, but life skills too: balance, strength, flexibility, focus,” Scurfield said.
