Viva Las Vegas for Berry
Kawartha Gymnastics gymnast wins gold on beam, third place overall at Las Vegas gymnastics meet
Katie Berry exceeded all her expectations representing Team Ontario at a prestigious gymnastics meet in Las Vegas.
After qualifying sixth of 70 athletes trying out for Team Ontario in the Level VII girls 14 and over age division, Berry’s only goal at the Lady Luck Invitational was to enjoy herself and gain some experience. A gold medal on beam and a third place overall finish went beyond the Kawartha Gymnastics athlete’s expectations. An overall team title for Ontario was icing on the cake.
Berry, 13, also finished second on vault, fifth on floor and sixth on bars. Ironically, bars is usually her strongest event but she recovered nicely from a fall to still finish top six.
“My team did really well,” said Berry, a Grade 8 pupil at St. Paul School in Lakefield. “I was mostly there just to have fun. I tried really hard in every event to do really well.”
Kawartha Gymnastics coach Becky Ansell, who accompanied Berry on her trip, wasn’t surprised she did well.
“I knew as long as she did what she was capable of doing and what she’s done in the past she’d probably do pretty well,” said Ansell. “There are so many athletes at this competition, you never really know what you’re going to get.”
Winning beam was a little bit of a surprise, though, said Ansell.
“That was pretty exciting for her and for me as well, to come back a champion,” she said. “I think that certainly helped her team secure a first place finish.
“She had some of her highest scores of the season. Her vault score was her highest this season,” Ansell said. “I think she really bonded with her team. Most of the girls she had never really met before. Sharing a room with them for five days and spending all your time with them you become quite close. Hopefully she’s garnered some good friendships from her experience.”
The event was a development opportunity for some of Ontario’s top young gymnasts. The competition was one day of their five-day trip Jan. 11 to 15. They practiced together each day, received instruction from guest coaches and did a number of team building activities. The saw a Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio casino, rode a roller coaster at the New York, New York hotel and took in the Level X competition on the final day. It was her first time travelling outside of Ontario for a competition. She visited Las Vegas a couple of years earlier when her older sister Morgan competed at the same event.
“It was really fun. We did a lot of things with my team,” she said. “The best part was being with the team. The whole experience was really fun.”
Berry’s results have given her confidence as she returns to Ontario for the qualifying season for provincial championships. She’s hoping to improve on her 10th place finish at provincials last year.
“I know now that I can do really well in a lot of events. It’s given me more goals for stuff I know I can do,” she said.
Ansell said Berry’s consistency serves her well. She doesn’t really have a weak event.
“She’s pretty strong and pretty confident and knows how to perform well,” Ansell said. “When she gets to a competition she knows what she needs to do and can turn it on and bring that competitive fire out when she competes. She’s pretty confident in her abilities.”