OGC To Send 11 Athletes To 2016 Winter Games In Penticton

Seven female athletes from the host Okanagan Gymnastics Centre qualified for the 2016 B.C. Winter Games at the annual Cobweb Invitational recently.

Jillian Beaudreau, Grace Driver, Grace Akurienne, Camille Phillips, Kenedi Woodcox, Kayleigh Nicolson and Mackenzie Carroll earned the right to represent the Thompson-Okanagan (Zone 2) at the Winter Games being held in Penticton Feb. 25-28. OGC coaches, Heather Ivanitz and Jesse Jankins, will accompany them.

Meanwhile, four male athletes — Oliver Eisele, Brady Clegg, Willis Plant and Jack Nyrose coached by Jon Mason — earned their berth on the Zone 2 team at a meet in December.

Woodcox took the top spot overall in the Junior Olympic 7 (2003-2005) category with a score of 37.35. She claimed the gold on vault, silver medals on the uneven bars and balance beam, and a bronze medal on floor.

Second place all around went to Nicolson, who won the uneven bars competition, while she placed third on both the vault and balance beam.

Carroll finished third overall on the strength of a gold-medal performance on the vault (tied with Woodcox) and a first-place finish on the beam.

In JO 8 competition, Beaudreau finished with the gold overall after winning the uneven bars and balance beam. She also finished in second place on vault and third place on floor.

With a win on the vault and silver medals on the uneven bars and floor exercise, Driver finished second overall after winning the vault and finishing with silver medals on the uneven bars and floor exercise.

Akurienne finished third overall, the highlight being a win on the floor exercise. She placed second on the balance been and third on the vault.

The JO 9 category saw Jenna Mick of the OGC sweep all four events for the all around gold. Vanessa Bulcock finished second overall with silver medals on the vault and uneven bars and bronze on the balance beam and floor exercise. Third place went to Kamryn Greenhalgh, who took second on the beam and floor, and bronze on the vault and uneven bars.

In the Aspire 2 category, Amanda Jaggard finished first overall by winning the balance beam and floor and finishing second on the vault and uneven bars.

Kyleigh Crawford took the gold on vault and uneven bars and second on balance beam and floor. Samantha Pelletier finished third on vault and uneven bars.

In the JO 3, 2008 category, Olive Fenske finished first overall after winning the vault and floor exercise and finishing third on the beam. Junelle Sabang finished third overall, earning a bronze on vault and floor, and a silver on the balance beam.

Izabelle Coetzee finished with a silver on the uneven bars, while Elisa Shoen claimed the bronze on the uneven bars. Talia Westwood won the balance beam event.

JO 3, 2007 category — Haylee VanSteinburg earned second overall after earning a silver medal on the beam and a bronze medal on the floor.

Eva Solano earned a silver medal on the uneven bars. Summer Houston won the bronze medal on the balance beam.

JO 4, 2006-2007 category — Teagan Murray finished first overall. She earned gold medals on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and a silver medal on the floor exercise. Ava Gray earned a gold medal on the floor and silver medals on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and overall.

Taylor Morrison took the bronze medal overall after finishing third on the uneven bars and floor exercise. Piper Campo finished fourth overall. Jaelyn Spavor finished third on vault.

JO 4, 2005 category — Kate Levinsen finished with a silver overall after winning the vault and floor exercise and finishing second on the balance beam.

Kahlia Kadziolka finished third overall with the help of a second-place finish on both the vault and floor exercise.

JO 5 category — Miah Denis finished with a silver medal overall by earning a gold on the balance beam, silver on floor and bronze on vault and uneven bars.

Silver-medal efforts on the vault and uneven bars led to a third place overall finish for Natalia Simeunovic. She added bronze for her performance on the floor.

Thea Elma finished with a gold medal on the floor and a silver medal on the balance beam. Sydney Ortynski took the bronze medal on the balance beam.

JO 6, 2005 — Naomi Schraeder finished second place on vault and floor and third place on balance beam. Hailey Pritchard finished with a gold medal on the bars and a bronze medal on the vault.

JO 6, 2002 — Hayley Zandee finished with a bronze medal on the uneven bars.

A record 175 athletes took part in the Cobweb Invitational. It’s the first time more than 100 competed in the OGC event.