It’s time to shine for Reese Glawson at the Artistic Gymnastics Provincial Championships.
“I want to place first all-around and break 50 as my score,” said the bright light in P2 open. “I have a good shot at it.”
The competition starts 9 a.m. Friday and wraps up 4 p.m. Sunday at Servus Credit Union Place.
“I’m pretty excited. I’ve been to provincials before and it’s lots of fun,” said Glawson, a perennial all-around medal contender. “I still get really nervous for competitions but I have no need to because I know I will do fine if I stay tight and I do my skills properly.”
Her plan of attack is to start strong and ride the wave of momentum to the end.
“You want to do your first event really good. If you have bars first and you fall, you’re down and depressed about it and it might carry on throughout the whole event and you will just be bad,” she said. “I like to start out on floor and beam because then I know I will do good on those two because they’re my best events and I know that the next two events will be fine if I do good on them.”
Glawson, 16, was on top of her game at last month’s northern zone provincial qualifier at her home club with a score of 49.867 for first all-around. She also swept the bars, beam and floor events and placed fourth on vault.
“I was pretty happy I won four events out of five,” said the St. Albert Gymnastics Club member. “There were some things I wasn’t happy about, like my vault. It was pretty bad.”
It was a typical performance by the Grade 11 Sturgeon Composite High School student.
“I’m very happy overall because I’ve done really good throughout the whole season. I’ve won all the other events, except for Alberta Winter Games and the Jurassic [Classic in Calgary], which I went level three,” said Glawson, who broke scores of 50 four times this season.
At the winter games in February she placed sixth all-around in the 10 to 17 age category and last month scored 47.700 for third all-around in P3 open at the Jurassic meet.
“Because I’ve broke arms and legs, I’ve always had to go back down a level for high competitions like provincials and Alberta Winter Games,” she said. “I’m level three now but because I didn’t think I was going to be ready for provincials I went back down to level two. I’ve been competing at level two for a good five years and I know all the skills. I’ve been doing them for so long and I’m consistent at it. I guess that’s why I’m consistent throughout all four events.”
Her strength is the beam.
“I’m tight and clean and I seem to flow my skills together.”
This is Glawson’s 11th year as a gymnast and she doesn’t plan on stopping.
“I started in recreation classes and I kind of stuck with it. It’s part of my life now.”
She will be joined at provincials by St. Albert club members Robyn Gilmore in P2 argo, Renee Hall and Sara Holmes in P2 tyro, Alison Lenfesty in P2 open, Katia Hammond, Amelie Gautier and Aly Findling in P3 tyro, Shayla Sklaruk in P3 novice and Amanda Johnson, Ereinne Hall, Leah Brown, Emily Traquair and Katie Allen in P3 open.
The provincial schedule is online at
http://www.abgym.ab.ca/programs_pages/wag_registrations/2010ProvincialsSchedule.pdf
