Gymn.ca: 2013 News Achive

Available today! Features Sydney Townsend and her coaches Aaron and Angela Brokenshire.

DECEMBER 15 - MOORS A DOUBLE GOLD MEDALIST IN TOKYO

Victoria Moors unveiled a new floor routine this wekeend at the Tokyo Cup, and took gold on the event for her efforts! She also won silver on beam the same day, and gold on bars the day prior.

Canada fielded a large contingent of men:
Ken Ikeda placed 5th on pommels and 6th on high bar.
Robert Watson placed 6th on floor and 10th on rings and p-bars.
Zach Clay 12th on floor, 10th on pommels, 11th on vault and p-bars
Steve Chaplin placed 9th on high bar and 12th on rings.

DECEMBER 1 - TSANG FINISHES 8TH AT DTB CUP

Canada's Briannah Tsang finished 8th at the DTB Cup World Cup today. Elizabeth Price (USA) topped the 8-women field, with Larissa Iordache (ROM) taking silver. Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) took bronze, rounding out the podium.

NOVEMBER 30 - GILL AND STUART COMPETE AT MEXICAN OPEN

Sabrina Gill and Josh Stuart competed at the Mexican Open, placing 10th and 11th, respectively

Women's All-Around		Total
1.	Roxana Popa	57.350
--.	*Maggie Nichols	57.300
2.	Peyton Ernst	57.150
3.	Oksana Chusovitina	55.800
4.	Yevgenia Shelgunova	54.750
5.	Angelina Kysla	53.700
6.	Francesca Deagostini	52.700
7.	Amaranta Torres	51.400
8.	Zeng Siqi	50.750
9.	Mariana Valentin	50.700
10.	Sabrina Gill	50.200

Men's All-Around		Total
1.	Jossimar Calvo	90.500
2.	Nikita Ignatyev	87.950
3.	Koji Uematsu	87.050
4.	Zhang Yang	86.300
5.	Josh Dixon	85.250
6.	Ruben López	84.350
7.	Vlad Cotuna	84.300
8.	Francisco Barreto	83.250
8.	Yevgen Yudenkov	83.250
10.	Ludovico Edalli	81.900
11.	Joshua Stuart	79.400
12.	Kevin Cerda	77.850

NOVEMBER 29 - CANADA FINISHES

Team Canada finished fifth in qualifications at the DTB Cup today, one berth shy of advancing to the team final.

Women's Team Competition		VT	UB	BB	FX	Total
1.	China	27.850	30.000	27.400	26.650	111.900
2.	Germany	28.050	29.200	27.450	27.150	111.850
3.	Russia	27.700	28.300	27.300	25.100	108.400
4.	Switzerland	26.950	24.900	26.200	26.100	104.150
5.	Canada	27.650	24.050	26.150	25.550	103.400
	Casey Carvalho	13.600	12.000	12.950	12.750
	Stefanie Merkle	13.700	11.650	13.200	12.800
	Jordyn Pederson		12.050	11.650
	Briannah Tsang	13.950			111.800

Competition continues Sunday for Briannah Tsang, who competes in the World Cup portion of the competition.

NOVEMBER 16 - VK WOO MEDALS AT FINAL DAY OF MASSILIA

Victoria Kayen Woo brought home Canada's only medal in today's apparatus finals, at the Massilia competition in France. She earned bronze on bars, an event won by France's Louise Vanhille with Russia's Ekaterina Kramarenko taking bronze.

Natalie Vaculik placed fourth on beam and fifth on bars. Shallon Olsen placed fourth on vault.

Vault
1. Alla Sosnitskaya (RUS) 14.700 / D 5.6 & 5.8
2. Larisa Iordache (ROU) 14.650 / D 5.0 & 5.8
3. Ellie Downie (GBR) 14.600 / D 5.8 & 5.0
4. Shallon Olsen (CAN) 14.500 /D 5.0 & 5.8
5. Anamaria Ocolisan (ROU) 14.267 / D 5.0 & 5.8
6. Kelly Simm (GBR) 14.233 / D 5.8 & 5.0
7. Alicia Boren (USA All Star) 14.133 / 5.3 & 5.0

Bars
1. Louise Vanhille (FRA) 14.067 / D 5.6
2. Ekaterina Kramarenko (RUS) 14.067 / D 5.8
3. Victoria Kayen Woo (CAN) 13.533 / D 5.3
4. Ellie Downie (GBR) 13.000 / D 4.7
5. Natalie Vakulik (CAN) 12.533 / D 5.5
6. Anna Rodionova (RUS) 12.233 / D 5.7

Beam
1. Larisa Iordache (ROU) 15.633 / D 6.9
2. Andreea Munteanu (ROU) 15.000 /D 6.4
3. Evegeniya Shelgunova (RUS) 13.533 / D 6.0
4. Natalie Vakulik (CAN) 13.500 / D 5.5
5. Claire Martin (FRA) 13.400 / D 5.8
6. Ekaterina Kramarenko (RUS) 11.333 / D 5.2

Floor
1. Larisa Iordache (ROU) 15.000 / D ?
2. Andreea Munteanu (ROU) 14.267 / D 5.7
3. Ellie Downie (GBR) 13.700 / D 5.5
4. Alla Sosnitskaya (RUS) 13.267 / D 5.6
5. Claudia Fragapane (GBR) 13.067 / D 5.7
6. Valentine Sabatou (FRA) 12.567 / 4.9

NOVEMBER 16 - VACULIK LEADS CANADIANS AT MASTER MASSILIA

For the second day in a row, Natalie Vaculik led the Canadian entrants in France. In today's Masters Massilia, Vaculik placed sixth. The event was won by Romania's Larissa Iordache, with teammate Andreea Munteanu claiming silver and bronze going to Russia's Ekaterina Kramarenko.

Sabrina Gill placed 11th, followed by Shallon Olsen (14th) and Victoria Kayen Woo (15th).

Qualified to apparatus finals are Shallon Olsen (vault), Natalie Vaculik (Bars, Beam), and VK Woo (Bars). Gill is first reserve for bars and Woo is second reserve for beam.

NOVEMBER 15 - CANADA TAKES SILVER AT OPEN MASSILIA

Team Canada took silver at today's Open Massilia, with Natalie Vaculik leading the pack and finishing second all-around. Her teammates included Sabrina Gill (9th AA), Mariana Colussi-Pelaesz (14th AA), and Sydney Townsend (24th AA).

Team Canada - Gym Richeliu placed 12th, led by Kirsten Petermen who finished 6th individually.

Team
1. BEL 1 156.675
2. CAN Open 156.500
3. FRA Open 1 155.350

Full results http://elite-gym-massilia.com/massil...b18965429e8e4a

Open Massilia AA:
1. Fransolet BEL 53.525
2. Vaculik CAN 52.500
3. Larsson SWE 52.275

Full results http://elite-gym-massilia.com/massil...b18965429e8e4a

Sabrina Gill on bars (13.9):

More Videos: Mariana Colussi-Pelaez Bars | Victoria Kayen Woo V | Sabrina Gill V

NOVEMBER 14: IG INTERVIEWS SABRINA GILL

In today's interview with International Gymnast magazine, Gill hints to some new skills we'll see her compete at the upcoming Mexican Open!

NOVEMBER 11 - PODCAST FEATURING JESSICA TUDOS

Jessica Tudos, member of Canada's 1984 Olympic gymnastics team, appears on this week's Kwong Dore Podcast.

Jessica Tudos is an Olympic gymnast turned educator, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and Kika Creative Director. She has turned her experiences in gymnastics into the children's story Kika the Upside Down Girl. With a Kickstarter campaign just completed to publish the book, Jessica is ready to share this story with the world. The story revolves around the determined Kika, who seeks out others that embrace her passion for somersaults, vaults and flips. Kika’s passion leads her to The Gymnastics Emporium, a magical upside down place. For any child who has ever felt slightly “upside down” in a right side up world, Kika the Upside Down Girl will inspire them to find and cultivate their special talent in unique and adventurous ways, despite the pressure they may feel to conform. Paul spoke to Jessica about her experiences representing Canada at the 1984 Olympic Games, her life after gymnastics, the Kickstarter campaign behind the publishing of the book and what's next for Kika.

Listen to the Podcast | www.jessicatudos.com | Pre-Order the Book

NOVEMBER 4 - LEE MAINTAINS POSITIVE ATTITUDE DESPITE DEVASTATING NEWS

Peng Peng Lee undergoes ACL revision surgery tomorrow, so miss another NCAA season. She sat out her Freshman year of competition, last year, rehabbing the ACL torn leading up to the 2012 Canadian National Championships. The initial surgery apparently did not work properly, so she'll undergo another surgery tomorrow.

"I had my moment of being really upset because I was super-excited about the season. I sat out last season and, watching all the girls, I just wanted to get out there and compete," Lee told UCLA. "But stuff happens, and sometimes it's uncontrollable. People go through adversities, but I know I can come back, and I'm not worried about what is going to happen with my gymnastics."

"I'm still thinking about doing another four years and going to an Olympic Games, so I don't think people should lose hope because I'm not losing hope," she continued. "I still have faith in everything I do, and after this surgery, I'm going to be that much stronger and have that much more of an edge over those who aren't mentally as strong. When people go through tough times and they have to go through a lot they just come out a better person."

"It's just another bump in the road," she assured. "Injuries are unfortunately a part of gymnastics, but I wouldn't be doing it unless I loved it. And because I love it, I'm just going to come back as strong as ever. Don't underestimate the power of my mind!"

NOVEMBER 3 - REMEMBERING LAST MONTH'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Link: 2013 World Championships

NOVEMBER 3 - LYTWYN AND CHANT TEAM UP AT SWISS CUP

Mixed Pairs team of Kevin Lytwyn and Maegan Chant finish 5th at Swiss Cup.

1. Romania (Iordache & Muntean) 88.550 / 30.350
2. Germany (Seitz & Hambuchen) 87.850 / 29.900
3. Switzerland 1 (Steingruber & Capelli) 88.050 / 29.900
4. Ukraine (Kysla & Verniaeiv) 84.875 / 28.975
5. Canada (Chant & Lytwyn) 84.025
6. Italy (Gandolfi & Principi) 83.900
7. Great Britain (Theaker & Beckford) 82.050
8. Switzerland 2 (Kaeslin & Hegi) 82.050
9. China (Chungsong & Chenglong) 54.850
10. France (Cormoreche & Willig) 53.800

Watch Lytwyn on rings and Chant on floor, an event on which she won bronze earlier this week at the Arthur Gander Memorial.

More Videos: Lytwyn HB | Chant BB | Chant V

NOVEMBER 2 - PENG PENG LEE PRACTICES FOR NCAA FLOOR ROUTINE

A teaser for what's to come this upcoming NCAA season!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151978382309311&set=vb.94952494310&type=2&theater

NOVEMBER 1 - TEAM SET FOR MASSILIA TROPHEE

Representing Canada will be Kaitlyn Hofland, Victoria Kayen Woo, Brianna Clark, and Isabela Onyshko.

OCTOBER 30 - CHANT FINISHES 7TH AT ARTHUR GANDER MEMORIAL

Maegan Chant finished 7th all-around at this year's Arthur Gander Memorial, a Swiss competition where the women compete on their three best piece of apparatus. Chant competed vault, beam and floor choosing to sit out bars. The podium was dominated by Larissa Iordache (ROM), Giulia Steingruber (SWI), and Elisabeth Seitz (GER).

Kevin Lytwyn also competed, finishing 11th, having struggled on floor. In the men's competition, they compete four of six apparatus.

Both gymnasts compete this coming weekend, in the Swiss Cup, which is a Mixed Pairs event.

OCTOBER 26 - TAYLOR LINDSEY-NOEL TALKS ABOUT HER SPINAL INJURY

Coach Rick linked to this piece, where 2012 Olympic hopeful Taylor Lindsey-Noel talks about the injury in 2008 that left her partially paralyzed. He provides some colour, adding that she under-rotated a toe-on double front dismount from bars. It was a new skill for her, done without a pit.

OCTOBER 25 - MOORS TALKS ABOUT "THE MOORS" WITH CBC RADIO

Victoria Moors speaks with CBC Radio about her the new move, which was named after her after successfully performing it at the recent 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.

"It was just amazing! I was so happy, and so proud of myself for finally landing it," Moors told CBC. "The first day [qualification round] didn't go as planned, but the second day [all-around final] landing it made it more sweet."The Moors was evaluated with an "I" difficulty, the first "I" in the women's Code of Point!

Listen to the podcast: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/As+It+Happens/Episodes/ID/2414454632/

OCTOBER 20 - MONTREAL BIDDING FOR 2017 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

According to International Gymnast magazine, Montreal is among four hosts bidding for the 2017 World Championships. Others include Mexico, USA, and Qatar.

The 2014 World Championships will be held in Nanning, China with the 2015 World Championships slated for Glasgow, Scotland. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosts the 2016 Olympics.

OCTOBER 12 - TV ALERT: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Tune in today and tomorrow for NBC's broadcast of the 2013 World Championships from Antwerp, Belgium.

CBC's coverage airs next weekend, October 19, featuring commentary from Kyle Shewfelt and Lori Strong.

OCTOBER 6 - BLACK 8TH ON FLOOR

Ellie Black in competed in the floor final today in Antwerp, at the 2013 World Championships. She finished 8th. It was her second final at this level of competition, having competed in the Olympic vault final last year.

Black's plan is to home now and work on new skills!

Results: Floor final
Interviews: Ellie Black | Coach David Kikuchi

OCTOBER 5 - MORGAN 8TH ON FLOOR

Scott Morgan placed 8th today in the floor final, at the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. "It felt amazing, I couldn't keep the smile from my face," Morgan told Gymnastics Canada.

Results: Floor final

OCTOBER 4 - MOORS 10TH, BLACK 13TH AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Fantastic results from Antwerp today, at the 2013 World Championships. rong>Victoria Moors placed tenth all-around, the best finish in that event for any woman at World or Olympic competition. Moreover, Moors successfully landed the layout double-double on floor. It will now be included in the Code of Points (COP) as the Moors.

Ellie Black also had a successful outing today, placing 13th. She'd placed 10th in qualifications, two days prior.

Competition comes tomorrow with Scott Morgan in floor finals and Sunday with Black on floor finals.

Results: AA final
Interviews: Ellie Black | Victoria Moors

OCTOBER 2 - BLACK AND MOORS QUALIFY TO FINALS

Qualifications came to a close today in Antwerp, at the 2013 World Championships. Veteran Olympians Ellie Black and Victoria Moors both qualified to the all-around final, Black finishing 10th and Moors 15th. Black also qualified to the floor final, and is the first reserve on vault. Moors debuted the much anticipated layout double-double, but landed it to her knees. Heartache for Moors, who not only failed in the attempt to get the skill named after her but also kept her qualifying to the floor finals. The all-around competition affords Moors a second chance to successfully land the flloor skill, which will then be entered into the FIG Code of Points as The Moors.

Also competing were Maegan Chant and Kaitlyn Hofland. Hofland competed bars (41st) and beam (20th), with Chant competing vault (71st) and floor (22nd)

OCTOBER 2 - CBC TO AIR 2013 WORLDS OCTOBER 19

Always check your local listings to confirm!

OCTOBER 1 - SCOTT MORGAN QUALIFIES TO FLOOR FINAL

With the last men competing their qualification exercises this morning, today Scott Morgan learned that his score from yesterday session withstood the competition; Morgan is on his way to the floor finals at the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium! He qualified in 7th position. This is the first time that a Canadian male has qualified to a final at World Championship or Olympic competition since 2006, when Kyle Shewfelt advanced to the final on the same apparatus and won bronze.

Morgan also competed on Rings (50th) and vault (30th or 19th based on 2-vault qualification attempt). Also representing Canada at these Worlds were:

Ken Ikeda - PH (40th), PB (140th - dislocated finger)
Anderson Loren - HB (26th)
Kevin Lytwyn - FX (17th), R (29th), HB (105th)

Only Morgan advances to a final, floor on Sunday.

Stay tuned to your local listings for tape delayed coverage of these World Championships on CBC. October air date TBD!

SEPTEMBER 29 - CANADIANS AT PODIUM TRAINING

Victoria Moors has reverted back to her previous floor routine, as it allows her to compete more tumbling passes:


	Ellie Black on beam:

SEPTEMBER 29 -BLACK READY FOR ANTWERP WORLDS

"I am feeling good," Ellie Black told the Herald Chronicle from London earlier this week, where team Canada had been acclimatizing to local time prior to arriving in Antwerp.

"As always my main goal is to approach the competition with a positive attitude, do my best and enjoy the fantastic experience. I would like to compete for Canada in the all-around competition and land my vaults successfully."

SEPTEMBER 27 - UPDATED WORLDS ROSTER

The FIG released an updated roster today, for the upcoming World Championships.

Women's:
Ellie Black - All-around
Maegan Chant - V, FX
Kaitlyn Hofland - UB, BB
Victoria Moors - UB, BB, FX. (Update: Moors now to compete vault, too!)

Men's:
Ken Ikeda - PB, PH
Anderson Loren - All-around
Kevin Lytwyn - FX, R, HB
Scott Morgan - FX, R, V

Link: WAG Roster | MAG Roster

SEPTEMBER 26 - MOORS SUBMITS DOUBLE-DOUBLE LAYOUT

Exciting news coming out of Antwerp today, site of the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Victoria Moors has submitted the Double-double layout to the FIG. If performed satisfactory, the skill will be named the Moors in the Code of Points. At the Pan Am Championships held earlier this year, it received a provisional "I" rating (0.9 points). The high skill valuation affords Moors an extra 90 seconds of one-touch warm-up, to boot!

Grace Chiu provided a video of Moors training the skill in Antwerp. Gymnastike, too:

SEPTEMBER 25 - GETTING TO KNOW CANADA'S TEAMS FOR WORLDS

SEPTEMBER 23 - INT'L JAPAN JUNIOR WRAPS UP

Competition finished today in Yokohama, Japan with the apparatus finals. Aleeza Yu competed in three of four apparatus, finishing seventh on vault and eighth on both beam and floor. In the junior men's competition, Rene Cournoyer placed eighth on vault.

Results: http://www.jpn-gym.or.jp/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/13a_ij_f.pdf

SEPTEMBER 22 - YU FINISHES FOURTH AT INT'L JAPAN JUNIOR

Aleeza Yu finished fourth at today's International Japan Junior, the most prestigious junior competition. The USA's Bailie Key finished first, posting a 58.400. Second went to China's Wang Yan, well behind with 56.900. Laurie Hernandez rounded out the podium, bringing home a second medal for the USA (56.750). Yu's fourth place score was 55.800. Yu is coached by Elena Davydova.

Junior AA
1 Bailie Key (USA) 58.400 (VT 15.050, UB 14.350, BB 14.000, FX 15.000)
2 Wang Yan (CHN) 56.900 (14.950, 13.700, 14.700, 13.550)
3 Lauren Hernandez (USA) 56.750 (14.700, 12.900, 14.550, 14.600)
4 Aleeza Yu (CAN) 55.800 (14.400, 13.400, 14.050, 13.950)
5 Andreea Munteanu (ROM) 55.250 (14.100, 12.600, 14.450. 14.100)
6 Maria Bondareva (RUS) 55.200 (13.950, 13.950, 13.450, 13.850)
7 Maria Kharenkova (RUS) 54.900 (14.200, 13.600, 13.350, 13.750)
8 Catherine Lyons (GBR) 54.800 (14.050, 13.150, 13.750, 13.850)
9 Kim Janas 54.650 (GER) (14.450, 12.950, 13.350, 13.900)
10 Minami Honda (JPN) 53.200 (13.900, 11.650, 13.950, 13.700)
10 Wakana Yasui (JPN) 53.200 (14.00, 12.850, 13.250, 13.100)
- Aiko Sugihara (JPN) 53.050 (14.400, 12.450, 12.150, 14.050)
- Sae Myiagawa (JPN) 52.750 (14.500, 11.250, 12.850, 14.150)
11 Andreea Iridon (ROM) 52.450 (12.750, 13.250, 13.050, 13.400)
12 Pauline Tratz (GER) 50.00 (12.550, 13.050, 11.500, 12.900)
13 Tsz Sum Chan (HKG) 41.750 (12.900, 8.300, 10.000, 10.550)
14 Sau Chung Kwang (HKG) 41.600 (12.550, 7.900, 9.850, 11.300)
15. Georgia-Mae Fenton (GBR) 26.150 (UB 13.400, BB 12.750)

SEPTEMBER 16 - PEDERSEN TO COMPETE FOR UGA

SEPTEMBER 15 - SMITH FINISHES 7TH IN OSIJEK

Hugh Smith finished seventh on vault today at the final day of competition in Osijek, Croatia.

SEPTEMBER 13 - SMITH QUALIFIES AT VAULT FINAL AT OSIJEK WORLD CUP

Hugh Smith qualified to the vault final at today's Osijek World Cup, in Croatia. Although he only qualified in 7th position, he has his sights set on a medal, telling Gymnastics Canada, "I was first up on the second vault and I wanted to be strategic to make sure I qualified for the final so I did an easier vault, but on Sunday in the final I'll be using the harder vault to go for a medal."

Smith also competed on floor, finishing 22nd. He was joined in competition with club teammate Evan Cruz, who finished 22nd on pommels.

SEPTEMBER 10 - IG INTERVIEW: KEVIN LYTWYN

Lytwyn is aiming for at least one top-16 finish at the upcoming Worlds in Antwerp, Belgium.

SEPTEMBER 7 - 2020 OLYMPICS TO BE HELD IN TOKYO, JAPAN

The IOC today elected Tokyo, Japan as the host city for the 2020 Olympics. Running opposite Tokyo were Istanbul, Turkey and Madrid, Spain.

1991 World AA Champion turned coach Kim Zmeskal said it well, "It may be 7 years away but knowing the host makes it that much more real for all those dreaming of & working for it!"

Good luck to the gymnasts already preparing for their Games! Here's the proposed Olympics Gymnastics Centre for 2020, courtesy of the 2020 Tokyo bid website:

SEPTEMBER 1 - REMEMBERING 2012 LONDON TEST EVENT

AUGUST 31 - REMEMBERING 2012 PACIFIC RIM

AUGUST 30 - TEAMS CONFIRMED FOR 2013 WORLDS

Gymnastics Canada today confirmed the earlier, nominative teams to the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Competition kicks off September 30!

WAG - Ellie Black, Victoria Moors, Kaitlyn Hofland and Maegan Chant
MAG - Kevin Lytwyn, Ken Ikeda, Anderson Loran, and Scott Morgan (Reserves: Hugh Smith, Evan Cruz)

AUGUST 29 - LYDIA WILLIAMS JOINS BLUEWATER GYMNASTICS

2003 Worlds team member Lydia Williams has joined the staff at Bluewater Gymnastics. She will be coaching in their recreational program.

A member of the Canadian National Team for five years, Lydia went on to compete NCAA at UC Berkeley where she studied Child Development and Education.

AUGUST 27 - NOMINATIVE TEAM FOR WORLDS

The women's team for the 2013 World Championships has been selected. Slated to represent Canada on the women's side are Ellie Black, Victoria Moors, Kaitlyn Hofland and Maegan Chant!

In the post-Olympic year, Worlds is individual competitions only, including menï¿½s and womenï¿½s prelims, AA, and EF. Each federation is entitled to register a maximum of six menï¿½s and four womenï¿½s gymnasts, with no more than three gymnasts competing per apparatus.

The gymnastsï¿½ drawing of lots to decides the starting order of the qualification competitions and the apparatus finals will take place on August 29, 2013 at the FIG headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

AUGUST 25 - GABRIELLA DOUGLAS TRAINS A QUINTUPLE TWIST ON BEAM!

AUGUST 24 - GABBY DOUGLAS TV MOVIE TO FILM IN WINNIPEG

Casting is underway for two actors to play Gabby Douglas, in a made-for-TV movie. Douglas won Olympic gold in the women's AA at last year's London Olympics, becoming the third American in a row to win the event.

AUGUST 11 - HOFLAND WINS GOLD AT PAN AM CHAMPS

Kaitlyn Hofland may have been the lone Canadian entry to today's apparatus finals, but she made sure to put Canada on top. The top qualifier on bars, she hit her routine to take gold in the finals.

"Kaitlyn really did her job," said Canadian women's National Team Director Kyna Fletcher. "We knew going in that it was going to be all things considered, and with the difficulty levels it would be between her and Jessica Lopez. We're really pleased for her. We would have been happy either way, but based on where we are, it builds her confidence like nobody's business."

Next up are the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. The world team will be announced August 25, following a training/selection camp.

AUGUST 10 - MOORS MEDALS AT PAN AM CHAMPS

Victoria Moors managed to hit her much talked about double double layout in today's apparatus finals, at the 2013 Pan Am Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She won silver on the apparatus, scoring 13.400, with Daniele Hypolito of Brazil taking gold.

Competition was more challenging elsewhere, for the Canadians. On beam, both Moors and Gabriella Douglas counted falls and balance checks. On floor, Briannah Tsang badly over rotated her double Arabian front, almost diving into the judges table.

Competition continues tomorrow, with Canada's lone entrant being Kaitlyn Hofland, who qualified to the bars final in the lead. Tune into Puerto Rican TV for live coverage, starting at 7pm EST.

AUGUST 9 - CANADIANS ADVANCE TO FINALS AT PAN AM CHAMPIONSHIPS

San Juan, Puerto Rico plays host to the 2013 Pan Am Championships this week. The Roberto Clemente arena was also the site of the 1996 World Championships!

Qualifications saw some great routines from the Canadians. Gabriella Douglas, a last minute replacement for Ellie Black, made the most of her entry; She qualified to the beam final in first place. Be sure to check out her triple turn!

Kaitlyn Hofland also earned a top finish. She heads into bar finals as the leader.

Victoria Moors qualified to two apparatus finals, placing 4th on beam and 6th on floor. She pulled out two great double doubles in laid out position during warm-up (watch 1, watch 2), but fell in competition.

The competition concludes this weekend, with finals taking place Saturday and Sunday. Puerto Rican TV promises live coverage (+internet streaming) both nights, starting at 7pm EST.

AUGUST 7 - SHEWFELT REALIZING ANOTHER DREAM WITH OWN CLUB

3-time Olympian and gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt recently took the keys to the space that will transform into Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics:

"We feel that gymnastics is a sport that gives people an edge in other sports," Shewfelt told reporters at his sneak-a-peak. "You work on strength, flexibility, co-ordination, air awareness, agility, which are all things gymnastics provides. We're not going to be a high-performance centre. We'e not going to have a competitive offering. We're going to be focused on the foundation of the sport."

AUGUST 1 - NATIONAL TEAM LISTS UPDATED

Seniors:
Ellie Black
Casey Carvalho
Maegan Chant
Gabriella Douglas
Sabrina Gill
Kaitlyn Hofland
Stefanie Merkle
Victoria Moors
Jordyn Pedersen
Briannah Tsang
VK Woo

Juniors:
Brianna Clark
Heaven Latimer
Shallon Olsen
Sydney Townsend
RK Woo
Aleeza Yu
Isabella Onyshko

Novice:
Andreanne Belley
Jade Chrobok
Haley de Jong
Megan Roberts
Meaghan Ruttan

Eldest is 2012 Olympian Ellie Black and youngest is Jade Chrobok. Thirteen of the 23 girls are from Ontario.

JULY 16 - MOORS NAMED TSN POWERADE 24 ATHLETE

TSN and Powerade has teamed up to showcase 24 of Canada's future stars, today. This week the spotlight is on Victoria Moors.

JULY 14 - ELLIE BLACK NAMED CANADIAN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Ellie Black is Canada's first multi-medalist of the ongoing World University Games in Kazan, Russia. The Canadian Olympic Committee has recognized this accomplishment, naming her the Canadian Athlete of the Week.

JULY 10 - ELLIE BLACK MEDALS AT WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES

Today, the competition in Kazan, Russia saw apparatus champions crowned and Canada's Ellie Black claimed two medals!

Black was Canada's sole competitor in today's competition, men's field included. She qualified to three of four apparatus, sitting out just bars. Vault saw Black finish another unlikely fourth, having also just missed the podium in yesterday's all-around competition. While she excelled on her new Tsuk double full, she struggled on the Rudi (low landing, step back). Russia's Ksenia Afanasyeva shocked, debuting her first Amanar to tie for gold with North Korea's Hong Un Jong. The pair beat out Russia's Maria Paseka, who won bronze on vault at last summer's Olympic in London.

Black qualified to beam despite a fall in prelims, but today performed well. A few small checks and balances couldn't keep her off the podium, and she earned Canada's first medal in artistic gymnastics at these Games; Bronze. The event was won by China's Zhang Yelinzi, with Aliya Mustafina claiming silver. Black did even better on floor, tying for silver with Elsa Garcia. The event was won by Russia's Ksenia Afanasyeva.

Black leaves the World University Games as Canada's lone medalist in artistic gymnastics. Next on her radar are the 2013 World Championships in Ghent, Belgium.

JULY 9 - BLACK JUST MISSES PODIUM AT WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES

Ellie Black finished fourth in today's all-around competition, just missing a medal by two-tenths of a point. A fall on floor (double back) kept her off the podium. As expected, Russia's Aliya Mustafina won the event. Silver went to teammate Ksenia Afanasyeva with Germany's Kim Bui finishing third.

JULY 8 - CANADIAN MEN 17th AT UNIVERSIADE

The Canadian men's team finished 17th today at the World University Games, in Kazan, Russia. The team consisted of Cory Paterson, Josh Stuart, Evan Cruz, Aiden Marsden, and Tariq Dowers. Russia won the team competition, followed by Ukraine and Japan.

JULY 7 - CANADA 7th AT UNIVERSIADE

Led by 2012 Olympian Ellie Black, team Canada finished seventh at the conclusion of team competition at the World University Games. The event was won by Russia, with Japan taking silver and Germany bronze.

Team Canada also consisted of Mackenzie Itcush, Sarah Flett, Natalie Gervais, and Erica Devereaux.

Black sits fourth, going into the all-aorund competition. In this qualifying round, Black counted a fall on beam. With clean routines, she can post a much higher score in the all-around competition. Black's highest scores today came on vault: 14.850 (DTY) and 14.450 (Rudi).

Mackenzie Itcush also advances to the all-around final. She finished in 27th position, but advances due to the 2-per-country rule.

Black will also advance to the vault final (where she currently sits 2nd behind Russia's Maria Paseka), beam (sits 6th, with a fall), and floor (6th).

The men's competition gets underway tomorrow. Apparently it took over 50 hours for Canada's men's team to travel from Canada to Kazan!

JULY 7 - CANADA THIRD AFTER TWO SUBDIVISIONS AT UNIVERSIADE

Led by 2012 Olympian Ellie Black, team Canada sits third after two of four subdivisions at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia. Leading the field is Mexico, followed by North Korea.

Many top teams are yet to compete, including Russia, Japan, Great Britain, Germany, and Ukraine.

Individually, Black sits 2nd AA with a 52.200. Leading the field at the midway mark is Elsa Garcia, with 52.250. In this qualifying round, Black counted a fall on beam. With clean routines, she can post a much higher score in the all-around competition. Black's highest scores today came on vault: 14.850 (DTY) and 14.450 (Rudi).

JULY 4 - LIVE STREAMING OF WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES

JULY 3 - GYMCASTIC PODCAST: VICTORIA MOORS

JUNE 29 - BUILDING FOR SUCCESS

New video from Gymnastics Canada featuring Olympic gold medalists Kyle Shewfelt, Rosie MacLennan, and more:

JUNE 27 - LAWSON COO AND LISA COWAN MOVE TO EAST YORK

Coaches Lawson Hamer and Lisa Cowan have left Futures, accepting positions at East York Gymnastics. The pair will will partner with Olena Yermolchuk in the National and High Performance program and will oversee the technical portion of the entire womenï¿½s competitive program at the club.

Following the coaching duo are most of their flock of HP athletes, including Kaitlyn Hofland, Gabriela Douglas, Jordyn Pedersen, and Peng Peng Lee when on summmer break from UCLA. Instant teammates for Novice HP Megan Roberts!

Sabrina Gill has stayed at Futures and Casey Carvalho and Kirsten Pedermen have switched to Revolutions Gymnastics.

JUNE 26 - CATCHING UP WITH EMILIE LIVINGSTON

A reader in the UK sent an article from the Daily Mirror about former Olympian Emilie Livingston. Livingston represented Canada in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Livingston now lives in Los Angeles, where she is pursuing a career in actor leveraging her skills as a rhythmic gymnast. She has performed with Taylor Swift at the Grammy's, Justin Bieber's Beauty and the Beat music video, Jennifer Lopez at the 2011 AMA's, Christina Aguilera at the 2012 AMA's and performed stunts for actress Beth Riesgraf on TNT's Leverage.

Livingston has also been dating actor Jeff Goldblum of Jurassic Park fame for about 15 months. When the pair first started dating, Livingston insisted he take an introductory flying trapeze class.

JUNE 23 - MORGAN FINISHES 4TH AT ANADIA

Scott Morgan earned Canada's best finish at this weekend's Portugal World Cup in Anadia, vaulting to fourth with a combined 14.675. The medals were won by veteran Olympians: Tomas Gonzalez (CHI) won gold, with Igor Radivilov (UKR) placing second and Diego Hypolito (BRA) taking bronze.

Evan Cruz also competed in Portugal, making his World Cup debut. Although he did not qualify to any apparatus final, he came close on pommel horse.

Also making a World Cup debut was Stefanie Merkle, who finished sixth on floor. Briannah Tsang finished seventh on the same apparatus, and also notched sixth on vault in Saturday's competition.

JUNE 15 - IG: GARDINER GEARS FOR NEW PHASE OF GYMNASTICS CAREER

In an interview with IG magazine, Maddie Gardiner discusses her return to competition after breaking both wrists late 2012, her experience at the Olympics as one of two alternates, her impending move to Oregon to compete NCAA, and being crowned Prom Queen.

JUNE 11 - KYLE SHEWFELT GYMNASTICS OPENING SOON!

Add yet another accomplishment to Kyle Shewfelt's list: Gym owner! Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics will be opening soon. The 11,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Calgary will offer gymnastic programming to students of all ages.

JUNE 11 - SAMANTHA HAGHIGHAT-JOO MOVES TO FLICKA

Samantha Haghighat-Joo has followed several former teammates, switching to Flicka Gymnastics.

JUNE 11 - ITCUSH UNIVERSITY GAMES INTERVIEW

JUNE 9 - FLETT AND GERVAIS UNIVERSITY GAMES INTERVIEW

JUNE 1 - DICK TO REPRESENT TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AT WORLDS

Marisa Dick has claimed a spot to the 2013 World Championships, representing Trinidad and Tobago. Dick recently competed at the 2013 Canadian National Championships, winning gold on floor and finishing fourth all-around in the National Open 16+ category. Marisa is a dual citizen with Trinidad and Tobago, by virtue of her mother being born in the Carribean country. Two years ago, as a junior, she represented the country at the 2011 Pan Am Championships in Columbia, placing 15th all-around in preliminary competition and 7th on both vault and floor apparatus finals.

MAY 30 - IG: MASELA MOTIVATED BY RECENT TRIP TO CANADA

International Gymnast magazine spoke with Wyomi Masela about a recent 3-week stint at Bluewater Gymnastics training with Dominique Pegg under coaches Dave and Liz Brubaker.

MAY 26 - INTERVIEW WITH BRITTANY ROGERS

Arabian Punch Front has posted an interview with 2012 Olympian Brittany Rogers. She discusses feeling like a "kid in a candy store" at the London 2012 Olympics, the post-Olympic burnout, getting inked, her Freshman year as a Georgia Gym Dawg, and her hopes for a comeback for Rio 2016.

MAY 25 - WHAT'S NEXT FOR OUR NEW NATIONAL CHAMPIONS?

Hugh Smith is looking for a ticket to World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. There is no team competition at Worlds this year, just all-around and apparatus finals. Smith feels his best chances for a spot are with his vaults and floor. He'll be looking to perfect his new vault over the summer, a Tsukhara Triple Twist (SV: 6.0). On floor he's hoping to up his start value.

Ellie Black has her eyes on the Universiade (World University Games), set for Kazan, Russia. After that, World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.

Canada's women's team for the Universiade includes:

Ellie Black
Sarah Flett
Mackenzie Itcush
Natalie Gervais
Erica Devereaux

A young Canadian men's team will also compete in Kazan.

Update! (May 31) Men's roster has now been announced:

Tariq Dowers
Evan Cruz
Aiden Marsden
Cory Paterson
Josh Stuart

MAY 25 - MEET YOUR CHAMPIONS: CHANT, HOFLAND, BLACK AND DOUGLAS

Today's apparatus finals saw four champions crowned in the senior women's category. Maegan Chant vaulted to gold, capitalizing on a fall by Ellie Black. Kaitlyn Hofland was the class of the field on bars, retaining her lead from preliminaries. Hofland's bar work aside, bars looks to be an event that could plague Canada for awhile. Black took topped the field on beam, and Gabriella Douglas was golden on floor. Douglas was also runner-up on beam.

VK Woo suffered a fall on vault, and was forced to withdraw from the bars final. Victoria Moors also withdrew from bars, saving her strength for floor. Unfortunately, the move did not pay off, and she fell on her laid out double-double. These withdrawls opened the door for Nicole Chow and Mariana Colussi-Pelaesz, with the latter capitalizing on the berth to take bronze.

In the junior category, Shallon Olsen emerged the only double gold medalist of the day; She won vault and floor. Sydney Soloski took gold on beam and Brianna Clark swung her way to gold. Clark finishes the day as the most decorated gymnast, with a medal on every event. In addition to gold on bars, she took silvers on vault and beam and bronze on floor.

Junior Aleeza Yu medalled on three apparatus, winning two silvers and a bronze. Senior Ellie Black also took three medals, a medal on every event she competed. In addition to Olsen and Douglas, Stefanie Merkle was a double medalist today. She claimed a silver on bars and a bronze on floor.

MAY 24 - SO YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD BRONZE?

Yesterday's podium ceremony saw VK Woo take bronze in the women's all-around. Today's press release cites Maegan Chant as the bronze medalist. What happened?!?!

Update: The explanation? The announcer got it wrong, apparently....

Revised Senior Women's AA
1. Ellie Black
2. Natalie Vaculik
3. Maegan Chant
4. VK Woo
5. Kaitlyn Hofland
6. Stefanie Merkle
7. Marianne Colussi-Paleasz
8. Casey Carvalo

MAY 24 - SMITH TAKES NATIONAL TITLE

Hugh Smith topped the field in the men's competition at today's Canadian National Gymnastics Championships. In the process, he also qualified to four apparatus finals (floor, pommels, rings, and p-bars).

Second place went to Robert Watson, with Rene Cournoyer taking third. Bobby Kriangkum actually finished ahead of Cournoyer, but the Calgary trained gymnast competes for Thailand (not Canada).

Last year's lone representative for Canada in men's artistic gymnastics at the 2012 Olympics competed only four apparatus, sitting out pommels and rings. Nathan Gafuik qualified to only one final (p-bars) but goes into Saturday's competition ranked first. Olympic alternate Kevin Lytwyn qualified to finals on four of the five apparatus he competed.

Senior Men's AA
1. Hugh Smith
2. Robert Watson
- Bobby Kriangkum (hors de concours)
3. Rene Cournoyer
4. Tariq Dowers
5. Evan Cruz
6. Kal Neimer
7. Aiden Marsden
8. Taylor Mitchell

MAY 23 - BLACK WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Senior Women's AA
1. Ellie Black
2. Natalie Vaculik
3. VK Woo
4. Maegan Chant
5. Kaitlyn Hofland
6. Stefanie Merkle
7. Marianne Colussi-Paleasz
8. Casey Carvalo

Junior Women's AA
1. Shallon Olsen
2. Aleeza Yu
3. Brianna Clark
4. Isabela Onyshenko
5. Sydney Townsend
6. RK Woo
7. Kirsten Peterman
8. Jayce Roberge

That's TWO silver medallists for Gemini coach Elena Davydova!

Victoria Moors withdrew from competition, not feeling well.

Maddie Gardiner won the Sherri Hawko award, for best Choreography. Sydney Townsend won for best junior floor choreography.

Full results: Women's AA
Video: Black talks about her sensational 2012-2013 seasons

MAY 21 - HOFLAND LEADS CANADIAN NATIONALS

Canada's top gymnasts are in Ottawa this week, for the 2013 National Championships. Artistic gymnasts took to the floor today, for their first day of competition. Kaitlyn Hofland posted the top all-around total (53.425) in today's preliminary competition, ahead of Ellie Black (53.150) and Maegan Chant (52.525). Hofland was absent from Elite Canada last February, where Black and Chant finished 1-2.

Hofland also posted the highest score on bars (14.075), an apparatus that caused struggles for many in both junior and senior competition. Top scorers for the other apparatus include Victoria Moors (vault; 14.400), Ellie Black (beam; 14.150) and Gabrielle Douglas (floor; 13.575).

Today's competition saw the return of Olympic alternate Maddie Gardiner, who debuted a new floor routine. Were it not for a 0.1 deduction, she would've won the event. Gardiner's only other event was beam, where she placed second.

The big talk of the town, however, was the debut of Moors' monstrous layout double double on floor. Moors is the second to compete the skill, with American MyKayla Skinner debuting hers earlier this year. Whichever girl successfully competes the skill first at a World Championships or Olympics will have the skill named after her. Moors stands a greater chance of being named to Canada's World team for the upcoming World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium than Skinner with the USA sporting such depth.

In the junior category, Shallon Olsen vaulted to the lead thanks largely to the strength of her double twisting yurchenko. Aleeza Yu placed second, and Brianna Clark third. Absent from the field was Heaven Latimer, the runner-up at February's Elite Canada.

Tomorrow sees the men's first day of competition. Competition for the women continues Thursday, with the all-around finals. Finals will be contested Saturday, with live web commentary from Kyle Shewfelt.

MAY 15 - CHONG AND GAFUIK COMPETE IN USA VS WORLD

ESPN 2 is airing coverage of last weekend's USA vs The World, an event held last weekend in Pennsylvania. The International cast included two Canadians, Laura-Ann Chong and Nathan Gafuik.

The event is expected to be available online after June 30.

After the competition, Chong received a contract with Cirque du Soleil. She'll be traveling to Edmonton at the end of the month to perform in Amaluna, and then onto Denver.

MAY 10 - GYMNASTICS IS A WAY OF LIFE!

MAY 3 - GYMNASTICS STAMPS BY CANADA POST

Bluewater Gymnastics coach Dave Brubaker unveiled some of the best stamps ever produced by Canada Post!

MAY 3 - DE JONG SISTERS MOVE TO FLICKA

Two weeks before the BC provincial championships, Jordan de Jong (HP Novice) and Haley de Jong (Junior HP) switched to Flicka gymnastics. Previously, they trained at Omega Gymnastics.

APRIL 30 - GERBER SIGNS WITH UCLA

Following in the footsteps of older sister Aisha Gerber, 2011 Worlds team member Mikaela Gerber will soon be off to UCLA! Today, Head Coach Valerie Kondos-Field announced that Gerber has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete for the UCLA Bruins next season.

"We are excited to add Mikaela Gerber to our team this next season," Kondos Field. "Mikaela brings the same level of powerful gymnastics and artistry that her sister Aisha did, only with a style uniquely her own."

Gerber plans to close out her Elite career at the upcoming Canadian National Championships in Ottawa. One of the most elegant floor workers that Canadian has ever produced, she plans to treat fans to a new routine in her farewell competition.

APRIL 28 - BLACK LEAVES SLOVENIA AS MOST DECORATED GYMNAST

Ellie Black dominated World Cup competition today in Slovenia, winning gold on both beam and floor.

Long considered just for her vaulting, Black has consistantly been proving her all-around prowess in competition this year. Today she hit a beam routine that many have long known her capable of doing. “I’ve never really hit my beam routine exactly the way I want to in competition and it was great to go out in the final and do it the way I planned."

Black's final medal of the meet came on floor, where she's re-introduced the triple twist mount that had been part of her 2012 Olympic program. “It feels incredible,” Black told Gymnastics Canada. “I came here to get more experience and try out some new skills and it turned into a really great trip for me.

Canada had two other entrants in today's competition: Victoria-Kayen Woo finished 6th on beam, in her World Cup debut and Mathieu Csukassy placed eighth on vault. Both Woo and Csukassy hail from Quebec.

APRIL 27 - BLACK AND MORGAN MEDAL IN SLOVENIA

Scott Morgan and Ellie Black put Canada on the map in both the men's and women's fields, in the first apparatus contested at this weekend's Salamunov Memorial World Cup in Llubjana, Slovenia.

Scott Morgan earned a bronze on vault, while Black took the title on her speciality, the vault.

I couldn’t have asked for much more,” Morgan told Gymnastics Canada. “It’s still a new routine and to do that well in a such a strong field was pretty cool, it really gives me a big boost.”

Morgan also finished fifth on rings, with Black capping off her day with fifth on bars. Victoria-Kayen Woo placed seventh on bars, in her only event of the day.

Black burst onto the scene a year earlier, in neighbouring Croatia. Winning gold on vault and floor, Black announced herself as a contender for Canada's Olympic team. She went on to make the team, and compete in the vault final at the Olympics.

Competition concludes tomorrow, with Black competing both beam and floor, Woo on beam, and Mathieu Csukassy on vault.

APRIL 23 - MACEACHERN AND GERVAIS TO EMU

Winnipeg gymnasts Sydney McEachern and Natalie Gervais have signed with Eastern Michigan University.

APRIL 20 - FLORIDA GATORS WIN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

The favourite amongst many for the NCAA title the past few years, the University of Florida always came up short at Nationals. Not any more! Today the Gators rallied, after counting a fall rom beam, to finish ahead of Oklahoma and two-time defending champs Alabama.

The team has a token Canadian in 2006 World team member Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto, who competed in the bars line-up.

APRIL 18 - SAMARATUNGA RECEIVES CORNEA TRANSPLANT

Former gymnast Alyssa Samaratunga recently spoke to CTV, promoting organ donation. Ravaged by a fast-acting infection, Alyssa lost her sight within 24 hours. Now, thanks to a cornea transplant, she is living the life of a normal teen. Her days with gymnastics may be done, but she's transferred her talents to cheerleading.

Watch the full story on CTV

APRIL 7 - BLACK TAKES BRONZE IN ALL-AROUND AT TOKYO WORLD CUP

Asuka Teramoto of Japan took the gold with 56.825 points, overtaking first-day leader Peyton Ernst of the U.S. who settled for silver with a score of 56.550.

“It was different this time because it was an all around event, so I was very excited to see what it was all about,” said Black.

“Vault is my favourite event and it went really well but I was also very pleased with my uneven bars performance because it’s been a difficult event for me,” added Black. “I’ve been working really hard to bring up the level and I think I did a pretty good job.”

MARCH 22 - FUTURES GYMNASTS HAVE THEIR EYES ON THE NCAA

Head coaches Lawson Hamer and Lisa Cowan have a crop of future NCAA-ers at their gym, Futures Gymnastics:

Silvia Colussi-Pelaez - September 2013 - University of Florida (Signed letter of intent Nov 2012)
Bianca Jordaan - September 2013 - Eastern Michigan (Signed Letter of intent Nov 2012)
Gabriella Douglas - September 2014 - Michigan State University
Hailee Westney - September 2014 - Michigan State University
Kaitlyn Hoffland - Deferring to 2016 - University of Utah

As well, former Futures gymnast Nicola Deans started at Michigan State University in September 2012.

MARCH 29 - DOHA WORLD CUP

Jordyn Pedersen finished 8th on vault in her World Cup debut. The event was won by Vietnam's Phan Thi Ha Thanh, who vaulted to fame winning bronze on vault at the 2011 World Championships. Silver went to Larissa Iordache (Romania), with Giulia Steingruber (Switzerland) rounding out the podium.

MARCH 24 - CHANT PICKS UP TWO MEDALS AT DTB CUP

Maeghan Chant proved golden on floor today, winning the event over 2011 European Champion Anna Dementyeva from Russia and Noel Van Klaveren of the Netherlands.

The competition concludes a busy month for Chant, who began her season early February at Elite Canada, found herself a late entrant to the American Cup, vaulted to silver at last wekeend's World Cup in France, and is now competing in Germany. “It’s tougher mentally than physically to compete so much and to be away from home for so long,” Chant told Gymnastics Canada. “It’s been a real journey and I’ve learned a lot going up against so many more experienced gymnasts. I’m looking forward to working hard to keep on improving.”

MARCH 17 - HOFLAND AND CHANT CLAIM SILVERS AT FRENCH INTERNATIONAL

A new venue for this year's French International, and two new medallists! Maegan Chant vaulted her way to a silver medal, and Kaitlyn Hofland scored a silver on bars. Chant also finished fourth on floor.

Also competing in La Roche-Sur-Yon was Sabrina Gill, who finished fourth on bars. This meet saw a peculiar format of only four gymnasts qualifying to each apparatus final. Gill placed fifth on beam in preliminaries, so missed the opportunity to compete in finals.

MARCH 3 - BURLINGTON LOOKING FOR COACH

Burlington Gymnastics Club is looking for enthusiastic and professional coaches to join our coaching team, working in the OCP 5-6 and Pre Competitive Programs.

MARCH 2 - MOORS TAKES BRONZE AT AMERICAN CUP

Second time proves a charm for 2012 Olympian Victoria Moors! Moors competed at last year's American, just missing a medal with a fourth place finish. This year she claims bronze in the all-around!

Canada enjoyed a second entry at this year's Cup, with Maeghan Chant receiving a last minute ticket after Koko Tsurumi's withdrawal. The nerves showed for young Chant, who counted falls on beam and floor. She finished 8th all-around. The experience competing on podium is invaluable, however, and Canada should expect to see Chant factor into future World teams.

Fun fact! Chant is coached by 1992 Olympian Cristina Bontas and her husband Gabi Tantaru at World Class Gymnastics in Hamilton, Ont.

FEBRUARY 16 - MOORS WINS 2013 NADIA COMANECI INT'L

Canadians dominated the competition in Oklahoma today, at the 2013 Nadia Comaneci International. Gemini Gymnastics (Jade Chrobok, Aleeza Yu, Natalie Vaculik) topped the team standings, with spots 2-5 also going to Canadian clubs: Dynamo, Futures (A team), Futures (B team), and Gym Richelieu.

Victoria Moors (Dynamo) competed on beam and floor last weekend in Edmonton, but this weekend stepped up her game with four routines to win the senior all-around. Jessica Lopez of Venezuela finished second, and Sabrina Gill (Futures) rounded the podium with a third place finish.

The junior all-around was won by Brazil's Rebeca Andrade with Canadians Aleeza Yu and RK Woo finishing second and third, respectively.

Next up for Moors is the American Cup, which airs live on NBC on March 2. Check your local listings for details.

FEBRUARY 15 - THOMPSON NAMED CTV ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Calgary Gymnastics Center's Elijah Thompson is this week's CTV Athlete of the Week.

"I have high hopes for him, I see Olympics," says coach and former gymnast Scott Rayment. "The way he works, trains, his attitude, his motivation and his skills, he has the potential to make 2020 or 2024."

The 11-year-old is set to receive the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for his contributions to his community and support of Right To Play, a program he was inspired to support seeing mentor's Kyle Shewfelt's involvement with the group.

Archive: 2013

DECEMBER 18 - PERFECT BALANCE EPISODE 1