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P.A. gymnastics set the standard for Sask. provincials

May 11, 2018 | 5:00 PM

The 2018 Canadian Tire Gymnastics Championships provincials happening from Friday to Sunday at the Alfred Jenkins Field House are an anniversary of sorts.

Back in 2011 when the last time the Prince Albert Aerials Gymnastics Club hosted the event, they did something no other club in the province had previously done — run a provincial championship that includes all four disciplines: women’s artistic, men’s artistic, rhythmic and trampoline & tumbling.

“We were actually the very first club to host the four-discipline provincials, we started this whole thing and it’s been the standard ever since,” Mike Amouri, Aerials head coach and program director said. “Now it sort of feels like a full circle eight years later to do it again. It’s a lot of work, but it’s for the kids. The kids are really excited, so we’re excited too.”

Amouri moved to Prince Albert in 2010 and joined on with the Aerials shortly afterwards. At the time, the Aerials expanded their space in the High Noon Optimist Centre after the local indoor soccer club moved. That gave the club enough room to hold all the disciplines in.

“I was approached by the technical director at the time to ask if we would do provincials and I said ‘yes.’ At the time, we were running four disciplines in the club because we just amalgamated with the now-defunct club Aurora, the rhythmic club here. I suggested this crazy thing and they said ‘yes, go for it’ and we actually ran it within the Prince Albert club at the High Noon Optimist Centre there back then.”

For Klara Miller, the CEO of Gymnastics Saskatchewan, that was a trend-setting moment.

“That was the first time we got our whole community together,” Miller said. “We’ve been doing that since then. We’re happy to come back here and be able to fit everything into this great space.”

“P.A.’s hosted lots of wonder invitational and provincials.”

As far as this year goes, Amouri has high hopes for a number of his athletes, especially during the marquee sessions.

Jai-Li Harvey is the current reigning Western Canadian champion in the Junior Olympic 8 category. Serra Gillis and Samantha Caisse are also poised to have big events. On the men’s side, Brent Ertman, Jesse Georget and Billy Georget are names Amouri said to look out for.

 

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW