Spartans athletes travel to Florida to compete
A pair of Cobequid Spartans recently returned from the most intense competition of their careers. At the 26th Gasparilla Classic Gymnastics Invitational, held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., more than 2,900 athletes competed from 18 states and 12 countries. Jordyn Henderson, a 12- year- old Grade 6 student at Truro Junior High, placed ninth overall, while Erin McCavour, a 13- year- old Grade 8 student also at Truro, placed fourth overall. Cobequid Spartans competitive coach Kim Bernard said she was “incredibly impressed” with how Erin and Jordyn performed under pressure. “They were in a brand- new situation, and they handled themselves with maturity and did what they needed to do. That was the whole point of going,” Bernard said. The girls flew down early to spend few days at Disney World, and Bernard met them in time for Friday’s practice. They competed Saturday, and returned home late Sunday. The three Truro residents were awed by the palm trees, sunshine, and beaches, especially since they were leaving behind our frigid temperatures in Nova Scotia. “It was amazing. I kept saying to the girls ‘ Can you believe we’re here in Florida because of gymnastics?’” Bernard said. “Normally at a meet, there are four pieces of equipment. But in Florida, there were 24 pieces.” “It was like nothing we’d ever experienced before.” Jordyn said she’s returned home with a renewed determination for the sport. “I worked really hard to get there, and now I still want to work even harder,” she said. “I feel like the trip helped me a lot, because it’s made me want to try more advanced skills.” Erin admits the huge competition was a bit overwhelming at first, but it was really exciting once they adjusted to their new surroundings. “Watching the higher- level athletes was inspiring, and it’s made me want to work on my skills - to neaten them up and do them exactly right.” Because both girls are in the top 10 on the Canada Games core team, they received funding to attend the Florida competition. Erin was ranked sixtgh out of 20 for the 2015 core team back in September, while Jordyn ranked first for the 2019 Core team during her testing in November. Because of their ages, they are both eligible for the 2015 and 2019 Games. There will be more testing in the fall and the top six athletes from the core team will go to the 2015 Canada Games in British Columbia. “It was 20 years ago the last time we had a female athlete compete at the Canada Games, so we’re all so proud and excited,” Bernard said. “They’ve really been holding their own against the athletes from larger gyms with better equipment. We’re limited with our older facility, so we have to try different things to make the skills work.” “But we’re so proud of how hard they’re working to stay on top.”