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Coach proud of former students |
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Written by JASON PETERS, Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 29 April 2008 |
Ashley Klippenstein knows all about the Western Canadian Gymnastics Championships.
Klippenstein, a coach at the Prince George Gymnastics Club, attended the championships three times as an athlete.
The latest edition of westerns starts Friday (9:50 a.m.) at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre.
And Klippenstein has a good idea of what the event will mean to the 180 gymnasts who will be here for it.
"It's a really big deal for the kids competing in it," said the 24-year-old Klippenstein, whose husband, Wade, is an assistant coach with the Prince George Cougars. "In a lot of cases, it's their first competition above and beyond provincials. It's really the first time that you get to compete against kids from the other provinces."
The championships will bring together athletes from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Klippenstein competed in westerns in 1996, 1997 and 1998 when she was a member of Prince Albert Aerials Gymnastics. Her top finish was a 13th overall placing.
Of all the events -- balance beam, uneven bars, floor exercise and vault -- Klippenstein was typically at her best on beam.
"That was my favourite. That's not most people's favourite -- I'm a little weird that way," she said with a laugh.
Klippenstein, who coached at the Prince George club from September to February, won't actually be in town for the western championships. She'll be at a hockey tournament with her husband instead. Wade, as it turns out, is coaching a peewee team that will skate in Edmonton this weekend.
"Originally the plan was to be there (for westerns) but it didn't work so well," said Klippenstein, who has also coached in Prince Albert and Lethbridge. "It is a little bit (disappointing). This is one of the first westerns where I've actually had kids I've coached, in it."
Kelsey Hurl, a member of Team Saskatchewan, is one of the westerns competitors who trained under Klippenstein's watchful eyes. Hurl is entered in the tyro category. And, Team Alberta's Katie Lowen -- who will test her talents in the open division -- was also coached by Klippenstein.
"(Hurl) is 11 now but when I coached her, she was five," Klippenstein said.
Three local gymnasts -- Lina Goto, Krystal Gregory and Brooke Unger -- will get their first-ever tastes of westerns this weekend. All three are part of the pre-novice aspire category.
"I'm excited for them," Klippenstein said. "For the most part, they haven't competed very much at all so it will be a good experience for them. I haven't coached Lina at all, and Brooke and Krystal I think once maybe when I was covering for their normal coach."
Goto, Gregory and Unger will compete between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. The meet is expected to end at about 6 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets for westerns will be available at the Sport Centre. Gymnastics fans, and others who are curious about the sport, won't get a better opportunity to watch some top-notch performers.
"It's a high-calibre level of athlete, and a lot of the kids you'll see there are kids with (future) Olympic potential, especially the younger ones," Klippenstein said.
Del-Tech Western Canadian Gymnastics Championships
Friday and Saturday at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre
The competitors
Women
National Novice
MB: Sydney McEachern; MB: Tegan Turner; MB: Madeleine Arbuckle; MB: Tristyn Sitarz; SK: Karisa Groff; SK: Cassie Thorvalsdson; AB: Samantha Ward; AB: Sammy Jo Johnson; AB: Brielle Wilchuck; AB: Katherine Girgulis; AB: Sarah Coveney; AB: Marina Parish; BC: Tiara Kong; BC: Taylor Ricci; BC: Briannah Tsang; BC: Nicole Chow; BC: Alysa Samaratunga; BC: Dayna Westestyn.
National Open
MB: Gabrielle May; MB: Aimee Harrison; MB: Amber Yaholkoski; SK: Danielle Reed; SK: Kim Genereux; SK: Alex Picton; SK: Amanda Code; SK: Ariel Crawford; AB: Lindsay Fraser; AB: Jaclyn Shelton; AB: Leanne Frank; AB : Meghan Louis; AB: Danielle Alexander; AB: Megan Farris; AB: Alyssa Krisa; BC: Nicole Pineau; BC: Melissa Mann; BC: Kerensa Mitchell; BC: Kaitlynn Urano BC: Katie Muir; BC: Lauren Vysolhid.
Pre-Novice Elite
AB: Brae Clowes; AB: Darby Hanson; AB: Marissa Dick; AB: Rachel Sherrigton; AB: Kiana Amiot; AB: Madison Copiak; BC: Adele Lefevre; BC: Ashley Mandur; BC: Emily Dunderdale; BC: Carli Illingworth; BC: Imogen Cosgrove.
Pre-Novice Aspire
AB: Haley Brannon; AB: Brittany Morin; AB: Laura Luca; AB: Kate Clark; AB: Mackenzie Parker; AB: Kendra Larson; AB: Hannah Radomski; BC: Tianna Stratton; BC: Makinli Handley; BC: Lina Goto, Prince George Gymnastics Club; BC: Talia Goodyear; BC: Alyssa Balovnev; BC: Coral Strugnell; BC: Christina Sgourakis; BC: Kiara Kallio; BC: Erin England; BC: Taylor Gagnon; BC: Lauren Taylor; BC: Krystal Gregory, Prince George Gymnastics Club; BC: Brooke Unger, Prince George Gymnastics Club; BC: Odessa Rojen.
Provincial Open
MB: Alex Holt; MB: Abbey Lacoste; MB: Melissa Richards; MB: Cristelle Buisse; MB: Vanessa Keith; SK: Courtney Dunbar;
SK: Shaylyn DeJong; SK: Alex Philibert; SK: Samantha Anderson; AB: Katie Lowen; AB: Camille Rigazio; AB: Riley Schilf; AB: Brittany Crowe; AB: Alix Sutherland; YK: Anna Rivard; BC: Amy Macklin; BC: Anne Simpson; BC: Kylie Macklin; BC: Ali Janssen; BC: Kelsey Jensen.
Provincial Novice
MB: Samantha Allegro; MB: Brighton Douglas; MB: Sydney Deighton; MB: Alex Empey; MB: Madelynn Perry; SK: Miranda Lissel; SK: Jordyn Mackie; SK: Samantha Solie; AB: Aislinn McVittie; AB: Sheehan Desjardins; AB: Devon Earl; AB: Ria Meston; AB: Kayla Jepson; BC: Stephanie Sidwell; BC: Jennifer Lam; BC: Janine Mereniuk; BC: Mia Angus; BC: Karleena Hatch.
Provincial Tyro
MB: Ryann Lewis; MB: Brenley Toffan; SK: Mikayla Pinay; SK: Kelsey Hurl; SK: Kamila Wyszomirski; AB: Ruby Cole; AB: Amanda Belcastro; AB: Erika Pearson; AB: Taylor Davis; BC: Gillian Hanemayer; BC: Tamara O’Brien; BC: Taylor Oakley; McKaylie Taverner.
Men
HP Argo
AB: Sean Mickelson; AB: Keiran Fagan; AB: Sasha Semenuik; AB: Brett Golka; AB: Jacob Kroon; AB: Noah Stretch; AB: Ethan Marsden; AB: Teagan Marsden; AB: Aiden Marsden; BC: Joshua Stuart; BC: Julian Geisler; BC: Gordie Kordas; BC: Nicholas Garfias; BC: Arman Sadhra; BC: Aaron Mah; BC: Zachary Clay; BC: Alexandra Bratty.
Level 4
MB: Cedric Berard; MB: Nicholas Bertram; MB: Taran Barrett; MB: Daniel Keding; SK: Ian Keilly; SK: Joel Gagnon; AB: Damien Cachia; AB: Luke Stretch; AB: Scott Dorland; AB: Kristian Neal; AB: Brayden Houde; AB: Graham Plomp; NWT: Zachary Sullivan; NWT: Gabriel Darku; BC: Alexandre Farquharson; BC: Scott Nabata; BC: Aaron Chan; BC: Matthew Coons; BC: Jaz Clapham; BC: Malcolm Herbert.
Level 5
MB: Justin Engen; MB: Tyler Franklin; MB: Christopher Keding; MB: Jason Marks; SK: Trevor McArthur; SK: Zachary Lang; SK: Curtis Graves; AB: Joel Kroetsch; AB: Harland Hastings; AB: Jacob Struzik; AB: Tyler Henschel; AB: Carl Hall; AB: Ken Ritchie; BC: Drew Weafer; BC: Vladimir Djuric.
Level 6
MB: Riley Vandermeulen; MB: Ivan Oresnik; MB: Colin Gaspar; SK: Ross Turner; AB: Loic Fujinaga; BC: Kal Nemier; BC: Scott Morgan; BC: Jason Scott; BC: Jonathan Osers.
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