Yavitu wins a second consecutive provincial title

By Lethbridge Herald on April 11, 2024.

Herald Photo by Justin Seward Amalia Yavitu swings from the bar during practice at West Wind Gymnastics Club on Thursday.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

Young West Wind gymnasts, Amalia Yavitu, was crowned a provincial champion again this past weekend at the Alberta Provincial Championship.

The local gymnasts won the Level 6 provincial title in Calgary after an accumulation of placing first in the vault and bars, fourth in beams and eighth on the floor.

The win comes after winning the Level 5 category at provincials last year to break a 10- year

drought of the West Wind Gymnastics Club not having a provincial champion.

The difference in levels is Level 5 are where all the competitors are performing the same compulsory routines and Level 6 gets into the optional levels where gymnasts pick their own routine within a certain criteria they have to achieve through  their skills.

“I did well on bars but I just worked hard this year,  (and) so (I)did my best,” said Yavitu.

Yavitu thought the beam was more challenging because she had to do a flight skill, which is where the athlete is completely in the air doing skills without touching the beam.

She will now trying and  reach Level 7.

“ It shows all of the other athletes that it wasn’t a fluke last year, that, you know, you work hard and you can level up and still kind of have those expectations,” said Katrina Brandt, West Wind Gymnastics women’s head coach.

 “Or those goals of just because you move up to a harder level, (it) doesn’t mean that you’re going to be starting out at the bottom again and Amalia proved just that.”

Brandt said it was a little bit easier for her this year just because there are four of them that are all closer in the same level.

“She was able go with her teammates and they’re all very close in skill level,” said Brandt.

“ So I think it was easier for her from the social side of things because she got to compete with her teammates throughout the whole season, whereas last year she was our only Level 5 athlete, so she was always by herself.”

Other West Wind participants included Charley Evans placing third in Level 6, Rylee Wigand won a medal as she got second place in floor routine at Level 7 and Ryleigh Evans won bronze in vault in level 8.