Club looking for more space   

Jasper Gymnastics Club will mark the end of its year with a final show at Activity Centre at 6.30 p.m. Thursday.

“We’ve had a good year,” said coach Nadia Wassef, pointing to results of spring competitions in St. Albert where Jasper gymnasts carried off an arm load of medals.

In provincial 1 competitions, Caitlin Zaniol (9 yrs) was 10th on bars, 12th on beam, 8th on floor, 12th all around; Kiersten Polard (8 yrs) was 17th on vault, 14th on floor, 18th all around; Casey Salanski (10 yrs) was 10th on floor, 7th on vault, 4th on beam, 12th all around; Rachel Merilovitch (13 yrs) was 7th on beam, 3rd on vault and floor, 8th all around; Emily Lombard (12 yrs) was 9th on vault, 8th on floor and beam, 10th all around.

In provincial 2 competitions, Leah Kennedy (12 yrs) was 4th on beam and bars, 1st on floor and vault; 2nd all around; Katy Quackenbush (14 yrs) was 5th on floor and vault, 2nd on beam; 4th all around; Tannis Potter (10 yrs) was 6th on beam, 2nd on vault and bars, 9th on floor; and 1st all around.

The club hopes to open the next season in new space on the south half of the Activity Centre curling rink.

“Our equipment weighs almost 2,000 pounds and it takes a lot of time and work to tear it down and put it up again,” said Wassef, outlining the problems with using the multi-purpose hall.

In a presentation to Jasper Council earlier this month, Rich Potter said the gym club wants to erect a removable dividing wall in the curling rink and buy a spring floor system. Estimated cost of the wall is  $38,000 and the price of a new spring floor is $36,383.  

The additions will allow Jasper gymnasts to learn floor routines to compete at the level of other provincial teams, Potter said, and proposed that the dividing wall could be paid for with legacy funds from the 2006 Alberta Winter Games.

The Club is applying to the Community Initiatives Program for funding for the spring floor, Potter told council.