Lauren Pancoast and Tenley Aberle pose with their hardware from the Alberta Xcel and Compulsory Championships earlier this month at Twist and Flip Gymnastics in Redcliff -- NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Ten-year-old Lauren Pancoast and her teammate 11-year-old Tenley Aberle said they were both focused and prepared heading into the Alberta Compulsory and Xcel Championships held in St. Albert earlier this month.
Their preparation translated to success.
Pancoast received the highest score in her skill category and received a gold medal as first all-around gymnast after scoring first with her vault routine and third on her beam and floor routines.
“I was really excited because I felt ready,” said Pancoast during practice at Twist & Flip Gymnastics on Wednesday. “I felt confident but a little nervous at the same time.”
She draws her confidence from the hundreds of hours of practice she put in to prepare for large competitions.
“You do it about 1,000 or more times before you actually get it.” says Pancoast, who says it’s important to block out all distractions during a competition. “It’s exciting, but at the same time I try to ignore it because it makes you less nervous.”
Aberle took home gold for her floor routine, a personal goal, and placed third overall in her skill category. Like her teammate, Aberle says she is able to block out distractions during a competition.
“It’s just me and the event,” she says. “It’s me and the beam, or it’s me and the bars, or it’s me and the vault, or me and the floor. It’s just me at that moment. Nobody else.”
Womens’ competitive coach Eva Paniti-Meyer says both girls competed in the second highest compulsory skill level at the provincial championships, which featured more than 800 other gymnasts, and says they both exceeded her expectations.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for them,” she said. “I was going into this competition with no expectation at all, and for them to do so well, it was a great surprise.
“It was very nice for Twist & Flip as a small club to be up with the biggest clubs from Calgary and Edmonton.”
Teammates Carly Luscombe placed seventh all-around in her skill category, Myla Aberle placed seventh with her floor routine, and Sophia Calhoun placed sixth with her floor routine and 10th all-around in her skill category.
