Boost in confidence lifts gymnast
This season was a turning point for Jazmine Deveau.
The once introverted gymnast gained a belief in herself, and it paid off.
Deveau, 13, was crowned the champion for floor and vault when she won gold in the Women’s Artistic Level 7 novice at the Eastern Canadian Championships earlier this month in Oshawa.
“The area where Jazmine has improved the most is her confidence and her belief in herself, which has really shone through this season,” said Gymnastics Energy program manager Amy Cranch, Deveau’s coach for the past six years.
“She was a shy, timid athlete, but she had beautiful form, great attention to detail and was always eager to learn. She trusts her training and believes that she is able to compete with the best gymnasts in her category.”
As a member of Team Ontario, Deveau also finished fourth overall, and fourth on beam to help her squad finish first overall.
‘‘ “I like the feeling of perfecting my skills, I try to take a lot of turns during class until things are perfect in my mind.” JAZMINE DEVEAU Gold medal-winning gymnast
“It was a lot of fun participating in Easterns. I think I learned a lot about good sportsmanship,” said Deveau. “I got to work with girls from all over Ontario, who were previously my competitors from different clubs and were now my teammates.
“So getting to know them in a different way and working with them as a team was a great experience for me.”
Deveau qualified as a member of Team Ontario after placing fourth overall at the Ontario Championships in April.
Deveau, who is from Jordan, trains with Gymnastics Energy in St. Catharines 16 hours a week. The gym is her second home. “I always look forward to going to my gymnastics class at the end of the day,” she said.
“I know there are people there supporting me like my own family does and it is great to have such good friends.”
Deveau success also has a lot to do with her dedication to the craft.
Head coach Jason Lang said Deveau’s work ethic has taken her to the next level.
“She takes more turns than most of her classmates and focuses well on instructions and corrections to always improve herself,” he said.
Deveau competed in more than five competitions this season, and her abilities sharpened with each meet.
“I like the feeling of perfecting my skills, I try to take a lot of turns during class until things are perfect in my mind,” she said. “I always want to do well at competition, so I go to gym every day and don’t miss a lot of classes and try to always work very hard at improving myself.”