President’s Report on Western Canadian Championships

 

 

Westerns were held in Regina from April 29th to May 2nd. Board member Kendra Fredricksen attended as Team Manager. As Chef de Mission, I found Team Manitoba to be focused and well disciplined throughout the meet. All went very well and our Women’s National Open team won gold (Please check MGA site for all the results) as well as many individual awards. Considering our small contingent of men gymnasts and with the current training facility complications, they fared well in their categories. In all we brought back 17 medals: 6 Gold, 8 Silver and 3 Bronze.

 

Congratulations to all gymnasts, coaches and judges for their hard work and resounding success at Westerns. I wish to take this opportunity to personally thank Ms. Fredricksen as manager for Westerns. Her first time in such a role, she maintained a steady hand over some 40 plus gymnasts as they traveled between the hotel, competitions and back home again by bus. She took her job seriously and exceeded expectations, notably by organizing a dinner for all gymnasts and their coaches.

 

I wish to thank Kathy Stoesz for staying in touch with Team Manitoba while we were in Regina.          

 

Lawrence Oystryk

President, MGA  

 

 

ROBERT PERSECHINO, CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE THREE FINALISTS FOR THE PETER WILLIAMSON AWARD - HIGH PERFORMANCE COACHING

CONGRATULATIONS ROBERT !

 

President Attends Governance and Policies & Procedures

Meeting for GCG

In 2007, I was given the opportunity to work on a committee to assess the Operational Policy and Procedures Manual for Gymnastics Canada. In 2008 the committee met at Merrickville, Ontario to examine the process and define the terms that were to be used by members in revising this manual. Our role was to revise and modify a 3-part operations manual for the GCG that would bring it into 21st century. A draft was prepared and presented at the 2009 AGM for consideration by the membership.

 

Last week, on March 26th to March 28th, we met again in Gatineau, Quebec to review and discuss the recommendations resulting from the 2008 Consultation Session. Our discussions centered on the most recent modifications of the Bylaws and Policies & Procedures. The committee is now looking forward to presenting the whole package at the June 2010 AGM.

A lot of hard work from all committee members across the provinces and territories went into revising the GCG manual. In closing, I am proud to say that I was honoured to have worked with so many talented people across Canada and had the opportunity to contribute into this document.

Lawrence Oystryk

President, MGA           

 

Gabrielle May

Senior High Performance Gymnast

Panthers Gymnastics Club

Gabrielle competed at the WOGA International Invitational February 13-14, 2010 in Frisco, Texas. Gabrielle won a Silver Medal on Vault placing second to the World Champion Kayla Williams. In the photo below Gabrielle is seen with Valerie Liukin, a former Olympic Champion, and coach and father of Nastia Liukin.

 

 

President’s Report on Beausejour Elites Regional Gymnastics Competition

 

 

On March 13th and 14th, 2010 the Beausejour Elites Club Hosted a successful gymnastics competition. My sources tell me it was a very busy weekend for the gym club. The club hosted over 200 girls at 4 different Regional Levels of gymnastics from several Manitoba clubs.

The Beausejour Elites would like to thank the Selkirk Selects for loaning them some of their equipment to make this event possible.

 Friday evening saw a small-organized contingent of parents, gymnasts and volunteers transform Edward Schreyer School into a gymnastics haven for thisevent. Spectators were able to enjoy a great view from every seat in the gym.  The place was jam packed with family, friends and casual spectators checking out all of the talented gymnasts. The events ran smoothly with plenty of tumbling, twists, turns and grace to keep those watching pleasantly enticed. A tremendous effort was on display by all the competitive girls. There were hugs and cheers, and for some hugs and tears.

The Beausejour Elites Club would like to wish all the girls who will be attending the 2010 Edmund Financial Regional Stream Provincial Championships in Morden, Manitoba, the very best of luck.

In closing, thank you to all clubs, coaches, athletes and judges, without you competitions like this are simply not possible. A huge bouquet and thank you goes out to all the parent volunteers whose dedication to the club makes a world of difference. Finally I wish to acknowledge my thanks to the Beausejour Elites Club for allowing me to be a part of their proceedings. I enjoyed the hospitality and conversation with everyone involved.  

Lawrence Oystryk

President, MGA 

 

 

AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Walvis Bay, Namibia

February 27 - March 8, 2010

Kathy Stoesz attended the African Championships, invited by the F.I.G. to attend as a Neutral Judge.  South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Namibia and Egypt competed at the competition. The competition went very well. The site seeing was amazing. Kathy experienced holding a wild seal on her lap and driving a quad through the sand dunes. The desert meets the ocean in Walvis Bay. This was a wonderul opportunity.

Wild seal following the boat.

Sitting on Kathy's lap !

Quad riding!

President’s Report on 2010 Power Smart Manitoba Games

 

Sunday March 7th, 2010 was an exciting day as hundreds of gymnasts began to board buses throughout Manitoba and headed out to the Manitoba Power Smart Games in Portage la Prairie.

Gymnasts were separated by gender and placed into two different buildings at Portage Collegiate. Buses ran every 20 minutes to various sport venues, while others were directed to the Canad-Inn for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food was plentiful, nutritious and very good with a lot of variety. Buses began their routes at 5:00 a.m. and continued until 10:30 p.m. No one was ever left behind or not on time.  

Gymnastics was one of the first sports to begin the week of activities in phase 1 of the games. As in any first time event, there were some glitches that needed to be ironed out, but by midmorning Monday all was resolved and everyone was on schedule. At the coaches’ meeting, I was introduced to all the other Manitoba coaching staff by Karin Thiessen, Head Coach from Portage Southport. Karin Thiessen along with Lorie Henderson, Regional Stream Program Coordinator, did everything in their power to ensure the competitions ran smoothly. In fact the one-day training session and two days of competition went off without a hitch. Thank you, to Karin and Lorie, for all their hard work. 

The provincial medal haul was some 238 medals of which 92 were Gold. The bus ride home on Wednesday was very quiet as everyone caught up on much needed rest from the night before!         

 I also wish to thank Sport Manitoba, the city of Portage la Prairie, its gymnastics coaches and volunteers for a very successful competition. 

Lawrence Oystryk

President, MGA  

President’s Report on Keystone Kips Invitational

 

The Keystone Kips Invitational Competition was held on February 27th and 28th, 2010. This two-day meet provided other regional clubs an opportunity to compete within the province.

In speaking with head coach Jerry Seadon, he stated that this was Keystone Kips first ever-invitational competition totalling 235 gymnasts. The clubs in attendance were: Beausejour, Crescentwood, Brandon, Morden, Panthers, Selkirk, Silhouettes, Springers, St Andrews and the host club, Keystone Kips.  

The organization Committee was comprised of Jane Turkula, Jerry Seadon and was supported by the help of Karly Miller, Tara Turkula and Tracy Hildebrand. Assisting in different capacities were: Panthers, Springers and the Brandon Eagles clubs. Keystone Kips wishes to thank these clubs for their help and especially the Panther’s Club for loaning their spring floor. It was much appreciated by all competing gymnasts. 

Medals and ribbons were done up in Kips colours, Pink and Black and gymnasts absolutely loved them. In speaking with parents, volunteers and different clubs, they had nothing but praise for the organization. Jane and Jerry along with the coaching staff and volunteers did an incredible job of running this very successful meet. This was my second visit to the Keystone kips Club.

The club has been in existence since 1998, under the direction of Jane Turkula and Jerry Seadon. The Kips train in a regular-sized school gymnasium and also need to set-up and take down their equipment each time. Jerry and Jane are very proud of the athletes who call Kips their home. The club boasts a total of 9 coaches, which have mostly come through the ranks within the club. In closing I would like to thank Keystone Kips Gym Club, all the coaches, judges, gymnasts, volunteers and parent spectators for an incredible day. It was my pleasure to attend.     

Lawrence Oystryk

MGA President

 

President’s Report on Manitoba Power Smart Games Gold Pep Rally

 

I apologize for not being able to attend the Blue Team Pep Rally, which was held on Wednesday February 17th. However on Thursday February 18th, I attended the Gold Team Pep Rally, which was at Red River College.

It was an opportunity to hear several sports speakers, pick up an information package, watch the athlete chants, banner waving, and enjoy a meal put on by Red River College.

Mr. Jeff Hnatiuk, President and CEO of Sport Manitoba thanked the groups involved in the Power Smart Games and gave a short speech on commitment. He wished everyone all the best at the games and stated athletes and coaches had earned the right to represent their respective regions.  

Our guest speaker was former Volley Ball Olympian Michelle Sawatsky from Steinbach. She was the athletes’ motivational inspiration and did a wonderful job of expressing what needed to be done and overcome to be an Olympic contender.  

Next on the agenda was an informational meeting headed by Linda Clark, Chef de Mission. Linda reviewed all the policies, procedures and rules that needed to be followed and an informational package was given to the participants. There was a brief question and answer period. This was followed by a pep rally where the different sport areas did their chant and held their banners high to the cheers of everyone present. Prizes were given out for the best banner.  

At the conclusion, a flag bearer was chosen for the opening ceremonies and upon leaving athletes and coaches received a blue Manitoba Power Smart Sport jacket.     

        

 

ST.ANDREWS INVITATIONAL

February 13, 2010

President's Report

  

The St. Andrews Invitational Competition was held at St. Andrews School on February 13th, 2010. The one-day meet provided an opportunity for Regional girls’ gymnasts to compete with 10 clubs throughout the province.

In total 105 gymnasts competed for various awards. The clubs in attendance were: Beausejour Elites, Gimli Flyers, Gymkyds, Keystone Kips, Neepawa Novas, Silhouettes, Swan Valley Cheetahs, Turtle Mountain Twisters, Winnipeg Gymnastics Centre and the host club, St. Andrews Gymnastics.  

At the end of the competition the 3 best overall team scores were: 3rd place Gymkyds (5 competitors) 10.8654 – average score2nd place Silhouettes (10 competitors) 11.4090 – average score1st place Winnipeg Gymnastics Centre (11 competitors) 11.6251 – average score. Gymnasts’ individual scores have been posted on the MGA website under Results:   

This was my first visit to St. Andrews Gym Club at St. Andrews School. The club trains in a regular-sized school gymnasium and needs to set-up and take down their equipment each time. Their program consists of 103 recreational gymnasts (Kindergym ages 2-4 and Cangym 5 and up), 15 Regional Stream competitors, and 5 coaches. Linda McPherson and her coaching staff and volunteers have done an incredible job of running the club. In speaking with parent volunteers, they had nothing but praise for Linda and her coaching staff.  

In closing I would like to thank St. Andrews Gym Club, Linda McPherson, all the coaches, judges, gymnasts, volunteers and parent spectators for an enjoyable day. It was a pleasure to take photos, watch the competition and be part of the proceedings.     

Lawrence Oystryk

MGA President

 

SPRINGERS SUPER MEET

February 5-7, 2010

President's Report

On Sunday, February 7th 2010, I attended the Springers Gymnastics Super meet. This event was held over a period of three days and hosted T&T along with Regional and Provincial/National gymnasts.  This competition accommodated 22 T&T gymnasts, 172 Regional and 88 Provincial/National gymnasts competing for the highest scores in their respective levels.

The following clubs were in attendance: Aerials, Brandon Eagles, Keystone Kips, Panthers, Red Lake Mat Dogs, Springers, Steinbach Flippers and Winnettes.

 Along with individual awards, the top 5 all around scores from each club, regardless of the category were added together and the highest club score received a Team Award.  

The 3-day event ran very smoothly as all the gymnasts, judges, coaches and volunteers did a phenomenal job in making certain that this meet would not disappoint. Many man/woman hours went into the planning of this event.       

 On behalf of the MGA, I wish to thank Springers Gymnastics for hosting the Super Meet. Once again thank you to all the judges, coaches and dedicated volunteers for a job well done. Finally thank you to Kendra Fredrickson and Deb Taylor for their contribution.  

Lawrence Oystryk,

President, Manitoba Gymnastics  

2010 POWER SMART MANITOBA GAMES

WINNIPEG REGION QUALIFIER - GIRLS

President's Report

Last Saturday, December 19th 2009, I attended the Manitoba Winter Games Trials that was hosted at Springers Gymnastics. The competition had a total of 69 gymnasts competing from the Winnipeg region. Clubs that comprised the meet were: Aerials, Crescentwood, Fantastic, Keystone Kips, Panthers, Silhouettes, Springers and Winnettes. 

 

The morning session had 33 Regional Advanced girls trying out for 12 available spots. The second session held in the afternoon, had 36 Provincial 2 girls, also trying out for only 12 available spots.

The Winnipeg Region gets to send 2 teams to the MB Winter Games in Portage La Prairie from March 7-10.  The competition was well attended and once the awards sessions were completed, the 2 teams were announced:

Blue Team                                                                     Gold Team

Regional Advanced                                                      Regional Advanced

Nerisse Martinuk – Springers                                    Madison Conway – Winnettes

Marissa Friesen – Springers                                      Kayla Sterling – Fantastic

Nicole Balzer – Winnettes                                           Melissa Reinisch – Panthers

Kennedy Irvine – Panthers                                          Rebecca Howgate – Fantastic

Abbey Olinyk – Springers                                            Kristy Watling – Silhouettes

Dana Cartlidge – Panthers                                         Yelena Riazanski – Panthers

Provincial 2                                                                     Provincial 2

Brooke Bouchard – Panthers                                     Nicole Main – Aerials

Julia Tays – Panthers                                                  Sydney Kraut – Aerials

Ashley Jolicoeur – Springers                                      Lexi Laurence – Springers

Jasmine Yakabowich – Aerials                                  Nikki Sass – Aerials

Charlotte MacDougall – Springers                            Kate Menzies – Springers

Ashley Vinsky – Silhouettes                                        Alanna Gray – Springers

Both sessions went smoothly and it was obvious that the gymnasts and coaches put in a lot of hard work and preparation.  The clubs are hoping to have more Winnipeg Gymnasts going to the Games by fitting in with the new “Fill Policy” which enables gymnasts to compete for a different region that may need more gymnasts to complete their team roster. Coaches for the teams will be announced at a later date.

On behalf of the MGA, I wish to thank Springers Gymnastics for hosting the competition. The judges need to be assured that we appreciate their time and dedication to the sport and thank them for a job well done. Finally I wish to thank Kendra Fredrickson, Deb Taylor and Lorie Henderson, for their great organization.

Lawrence Oystryk,

President of Manitoba Gymnastics  

 

 

Flairs Winter Warm Up November 22, 2009

 

President’s Report on Flairs Winter Warmup

This was my third time attending the Flairs Winter Warm Up, which coincided with the 2010 Power Smart MB Games Winnipeg Regional Qualifier. The competition was held at Flairs Gymnastics at the Frank Kennedy Center.

During the course of the day I had the opportunity to chat with several coaches and gymnasts.  Everyone was optimistic about the coming gymnastics year and the Power Smart Manitoba Games. This year, our very own Kathy Stoesz, Executive Director of Manitoba Gymnastics was asked to hand out the awards. She let it be known that it was an honour to do so.  

The day’s events went smoothly and ended on time. The awards ceremony is always a big event especially for the parents of the young competitors. They wait patiently to see where their son or sons have placed within their categories.  

The 2009 Flairs coaching staff is made up of Murat Kanakaev (head coach), Nicholas Lees, and Patrick Oystryk. Whenever I get a chance to speak with head coach Kanakaev, he lets it be known that the club prides itself on its high standards of programming.  

This year’s attendees were from the following clubs:  

Flairs Gymnastics

Fantastic Gymnastics 

PineFalls

Selkirk Selects            

Steinbach Flippers      

In closing I would like to thank Flairs and everyone involved in making my day enjoyable.      

Lawrence Oystryk

President of the MGA   

 

 

Click below to look-up the "I love gym week" handbook: ilovegymweekhandbook.pdf

 

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