Gymnast aims for provincial championships
Juliette Abrioux is aiming for a third consecutive trip to the Ontario gymnastics championships since suffering a broken arm. The 13-year-old Kawartha Gymnastics Level 7 competitor was one of 500 gymnasts from 20 Ontario clubs competing at the Swingin’ Safari Invitational Saturday and Sunday at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre. It was the final provincial qualifier for Levels 6-10 prior to next month’s Ontario championships in Windsor. Level 1-5 athletes, who were to compete on Sunday, are vying for a spot in provincials in London in May. Abrioux, a Grade 8 pupil at Monsignor Jamot, started gymnastics in Grade 2 and began competing in Grade 3. While in Grade 4 she broke her arm in a gym accident and was sidelined an entire summer. It forced her to repeat her Level 4 season. “I hadn’t been training all summer and it was really tough to know I wasn’t going to be able to move up a level,” Abrioux said. “I went and competed in Level 4 again and did really well so it paid off.” At first, she was concerned whether she’d be able to return to all her gymnastics events. “I was really worried I wasn’t going to be able to do bars anymore because it puts a lot of strain on my elbows when I’m swinging,” she said. “Bars was one of the last things I could do but once I got back into the motion of things it got a lot better. I did a lot of physio and chiropractic care and it hasn’t bothered me since.” Abrioux responded well by qualifying for her first provincials in Level 5 in 2016 and finishes sixth overall. Last year she returned to provincials in Level 6 and placed 13th overall. Entering the weekend she was in good position to be among the 32 to advance to Windsor. “To be able to say I went to provincials and competed against the best of the province is really cool,” said Abrioux. Kawartha Gymnastics head coach Becky Ansell said Abrioux has put a lot of work into raising her level each year. “She gets lots of great compliments on having really great form and straight legs and pointed toes,” said Ansell. “She started in Level 3 and right away had some talent and a really good work ethic. She wanted to improve her skills. She is strong and has clean form and has moved up year after year.” The third annual meet, which included 33 Kawartha competitors, doubled in size this year with the introduction of Levels 6-10. To accommodate the size the club moved the meet from its own gym to the Wellness Centre. “We’ve had a lot of great comments from the coaches and judges about how bright it is,” said meet co-convener Sue Connelly. “It’s simply better. We have more room to move and a lot more space in the bleachers for people to sit. We can distribute the awards in a completely different place where before we had to do it right on the floor and wait for them to finish before the next competition started. The Level 6 to 10s are really excited because they are competing for the first time on home turf. Now they can have friends and family come and see them who normally wouldn’t travel hours away to watch them compete.”