Flips, cartwheels and split jumps come naturally for a quartet of Flin Flon gymnasts heading to the upcoming Manitoba Winter Games.
Shanti Church, Grace Dubinak, Shayna Mucha and Nevaya Simard will head to Thompson for the games, which will be held at several athletic facilities from Mar. 4 through 10.
Dubinak will also serve as Team North’s official flagbearer for the games’ opening ceremonies.
Members of the group said they hope to achieve good finishes at the games, but the main goal isn’t to medal – it’s to compete at their highest level of ability.
“My hope is getting a ribbon in one of the events. If we don’t, hey, at least we know we tried,” said Church.
While the athletes are aiming high, medal finishes may or may not be in the cards. Gymnastics clubs in Winnipeg and other large centres have more resources than are available in Flin Flon. Flinty’s Gymnasts practise three times a week, and have to move and set up all their equipment, including large bars, every practice.
“We probably won’t get medals. The other teams practise almost every day of the week. They have more practise time and they have a gym that’s set up already,” she said.
Church added she feels that the group has improved over the past year.
“I feel like we’ve gotten way better. Last year we weren’t quite as advanced, but now most of us have gone up a little.”
“I hope they do their very best when they’re there. I know they’ve worked very hard and they’re excited and nervous,” said Sheena Reed, head coach for Flinty’s Gymnasts.
The four gymnasts are part of a total of 14 Flin Flon athletes who will represent Team North at the games, with locals representing in three sports.
Eight members of the Flin Flon Aqua Jets will take part in the swimming events at the Norplex Pool.
Connor Brown, Madison Campbell, Jordan Gorrell, Cory Lane, Dax Lawrence, Eli Plamondon, Brennen Sapergia Green and Savannah Thurstan will all hit the pool in a variety of disciplines.
On the ice, Flin Flonners Justin Lies and Joie Simon will play for Team North. Lies will join the boys’ side, while Simon will be a key part of the girls’ team. Both already serve as captains for regional bantam AAA teams.
Gymnastic coaches Casey Ranks and Tieryn Steele will join Team North, while Aqua Jets club president Fawn Brown will join as Team North’s
team manager.
For several members of the Flin Flon contingent, it’s not their first Manitoba Games. In fact, a few of them already have medals.
Church, Dubinak and Simon were part of the Team North soccer team that won a bronze medal in the 2016 Manitoba Summer Games in Steinbach. Lies also played for the boys’ team.
Church feels that going from a team sport to an individual part may be the biggest difference between the two experiences.
“It was not really scary, because I was with a team. Now it’ll be by myself,” she said.
