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Local gymnast wins gold at Eastern Canadian Championship

May 22, 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

 

Local gymnast Brooke Rutledge, a member of the Twisters Gymnastics Club in Orangeville, returned home with two gold medals after competing in the Eastern Canadian Championships in Sackville, New Brunswick from May 6 – 7.

Brooke, along with Victoria Burgess, also a member of the Twisters, were members of Team Ontario who competed against teams from Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

Victoria competed in the Novice 7 category and won a gold medal in team competition. She finished sixth in overall competition.

Brooke is a member of the Novice 8 team which finished in the top spot to claim the gold medal.

Brooke also finished with top marks overall and was awarded the gold medal for her individual performance.

During the event, competitors vie in the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor routine.

To qualify for the Ontario championships the girls had to enter three qualifying events and place in the top four in their age group in the Province.

Both girls are 14 years old.

Brooke’s team competed in the Championships on Sunday, May 7.

The team scores are a combined total of all gymnasts’ scored on a team. Each gymnast’s personal score during their routines are tallied for the individual scores at the end of competition.

This was Brooke’s second trip to the Eastern Canadian Championships.

“I went to the Championship in 2015. It was a little nerve wracking because I had never travelled with a team before. But it was exciting,” she said of her first trip to the competition.

The Centennial Hylands Elementary School student has been involved in gymnastics since age six and started competing when she was just seven years old.

Her second trip to the Championships meant she had a little more experience when it was her turn to compete.

“It wasn’t necessarily easier, but I knew what was coming. I knew what to expect,” Brooke said of entering the 2017 event. “The goal is to hit four for four. I didn’t fall and was doing my best so I knew I was doing well.”

Hitting “four for four” means making it through each of the four events without a mistake, such as falling off the beam.

Once the competition was over, Brooke said she had to wait for the final results.

“I wasn’t sure if I was first, second, or third. Then they announced the names and I realized I was first when they said the names for third and second.”

Brooke enjoys the sport and is looking to get even better in the coming years.

“I love how it’s challenging. You keep trying to beat your last year.”

         

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