By Jeff D'Andrea

Aerials ready for provincials, eyes on another team title

Apr 19, 2013 | 6:23 AM

The Prince Albert Aerials Gymnastics Club hope to keep up their recent success at this year’s provincial Artistic Gymnastics Championships Friday to Sunday in Lloydminster.

Over the last two years, the club has been in contention for the overall team award and they hope they can win it again this year.

“The first year that I was here (two years ago), we won the provincial team award which is the first time in history that we won it,” said Mike Amouri, Aerials head coach and program director. “Last year, we were .3 (points) away from winning it again.

“This year, we’ve put together a really solid team all from the Provincial Level 1, the beginning provincial level, to Provincial Level 5, the most advanced level. They’re a strong team, they should contend.”

The club has 15 competitors taking to competition this season, a number Amouri is happy with.

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“It is a good number. In comparison with other centres in Saskatoon, Regina, Lloydminster, Yorkton, I would say we’re above average,” said Amouri. “We have more kids that generally qualify to the provincial championships.”

One of those is 12-year-old Laura Placsko, who was named provincial champion last year in the overall and floor categories in the Provincial 3 division. This weekend, Placsko is making a leap up to the Provincial 4 category and said she’s ready for the challenge.

“I hope so, I’ve been training all year for it,” said Placsko. “I’m really excited.”

Placsko and the rest of the club came in to practice on a rare Thursday at the Aerials’ facility, but with provincials just a day away, Amouri wanted to give his athletes one last chance to perfect their routines.

“They don’t really generally train on Thursdays but we brought them in to do some routines that they may have had some issues with or a couple snags in those programs,” said Amouri. “Just to get some numbers in before Friday or Saturday when they compete for a provincial title.”

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea