Sask. gymnasts preparing for international performance this summer

A Saskatchewan gymnastics team is Amsterdam-bound in a month’s time to compete as a group on a global stage.

But, the gymnasts noted, the team is all about performance over competition results. With more than 50 people on Team Saskatchewan Gymstraeda of varying ages and skills, gymnast Breanna Schultz said the team is focused on bringing the strengths of each teammate to the stage.

Schultz said the group has been getting together once or twice a month for eight-hour practices, which take a lot of mental and physical work. The group has done some bigger runs with many of their teammates at once, but also works in smaller groups for more detailed refinements to their routine.

Schultz and her teammates Adisyn Helfrick and Devyn Cole said the 15-minute performance encompasses a lot of rhythmic gymnastics — which includes tricks with balls and hoops — as well as a tumbling section with flips and handsprings.

Their routine has evolved as the team welcomed new teammates and embraced new opportunities. The team works alongside an Indigenous gymnastic group that will be travelling to the competition from Peepeekisis Cree Nation, and they’ve also been incorporated into the routine.

The team will perform its routine for an international audience and the other groups present at the competition. It’s the first time the team will be attending the competition, as it only happens once every four years.

All three girls said they’ve been practising gymnastics since they were very young. To get a spot on the team, Cole said each athlete had to submit videos showcasing their skills and conditioning rather than competing in a traditional audition process.

Helfrick said the competition is something she’s wanted to do since hearing her coaches share their own experiences at Gymnaestrada in Europe.

“They talked about how much they loved it, and that was something that I wanted to do as well,” she said.

All three girls said they’re excited for the chance to travel and perform, with Cole highlighting the chance to meet new people and see their routines up close.
Helfrick is enthusiastic about all their hard work coming together for this experience.

“I’m so excited to travel the world with some of my best friends and to watch all the other countries and to perform in front of thousands and thousands of people,” she said.
 
— With files from 650 CKOM’s Mia Holowaychuk