Third-year gymnasts Hailey Dyck and Kyra Kolenosky are preparing for their biggest challenge yet.
The Battleford Gymnastics Club teammates will be competing in three meets this winter as they look to qualify for the provincial championships in Saskatoon next May.
“I’m really excited about it,” Dyck said. “It’s something that will be completely different for both of us and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“There’s a little bit of nerves that go along with it,” Kolenosky added. “We’re going to be the first two gymnasts from here that have competed at that level in quite awhile, but I’m looking forward to it.”
According to BGC head coach Danielle Clark, it has been over a decade since the club has had any gymnasts compete at a provincial level.
“It’s a huge deal for us and having them both move up at the same time is a big step for everyone here,” Clark said.
“For the younger gymnasts that are here, it really gives them something to look up towards. A year from now, when Hailey and Kyra will have the chance to have their own music and own routines, it will be a huge eye-opener for everyone.”
Dyck and Kolenosky are both all-around competitors and will be competing in the vault, floor exercise, balance beam and uneven bars events this year.
“I’m a huge fan of the fun, flipping competitions, so I love the balance beam and floor exercise,” Dyck said. “When I first started, my biggest fear was falling and hurting myself in those events, but I was able to work through that and I became a lot more confident in myself.”
“For me, the biggest challenge at first was getting used to going backwards on the balance beam and figuring out all of the things that go along with that,” Kolenosky added.
“The uneven bars and floor exercise events are the ones I like the most, but I really enjoy learning new things in all of the competitions and seeing what I’m capable of doing.”
The first provincial level event for the duo will take place on Feb. 11 and 12 at the Marain Gymnastics Invitational in Saskatoon.
They will also compete at the Can-Am Invitational in Saskatoon on March 25 and 26, and the Prince Albert Invitational on April 8 and 9.
The provincial championships will take place in Saskatoon from May 12 to 14.
“In the past, they’ve both competed in one or two major events a year, so this will be a step up for them when it comes to amount of competitions they’ve been in,” Clark said.
“They’ll also see all of the best gymnasts from around the province at these meets. Quite often, the northern cities like North Battleford would never see a club from the southern cities like Weyburn.”
When it comes to their overall goals, Dyck and Kolenosky are both hoping to make the podium, but they are also focused on doing well in a new setting.
“It’s really important to have your routines properly executed and to be as graceful as possible, which is something I’ve been working on here at the club,” Dyck said.
“It’ll be different than anything we’ve been to before and we’ll also be facing a higher level of judging,” Kolenosky added. “If we both keep a positive attitude the whole time, I think we’ll do well.”
