From left, Piper Fontaine, Serra Gillis, Jai Li Harvey, and Billy Georget are all set to compete next weekend in the annual Western Canadian Championships. (submitted photo/Michael Amouri)

By Brady Bateman

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Several Prince Albert-based athletes will soon represent the city, as four young competitors from the Prince Albert Aerials Gymnastics club are set to compete in the Western Canadian Championships in Saskatoon next weekend.

The athletes range from first-timers to the event, to seasoned-veterans, according to Michael Amouri, executive director and head coach of the P.A. Gymnastics Club.

“We’ve been participating in the Western Canadian Championships since 2011, and it’s a very high level event. To be able to compete there you have to qualify for your provincial team,” Amouri said.

“It means a lot. The kids and coaches both work very hard to get to this level. It’s a huge accomplishment. Gymnastics is probably the hardest sport on Earth. Having so many kids able to go means that the work we do is worth it.”

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The athletes set to compete are: Serra Gillis, Jai Li Harvey, Piper Fontaine and Billy Georget. A fifth athlete, Jessie Georget, was also set to compete in the event but had to back out due to injury.

“I want people to know that the girls and boys train 20 hours a week to do this,” Amouri said. “A lot of them miss things like birthday parties, or ski trips at school because they are so committed to this. I think people should applaud their work ethic and their commitment, they got here not by chance but because of their hard work.”

Being the only male to compete from Prince Albert, Billy Georget explained his excitement.

“I’m excited to be attending such a high level of competition. I’ve put in the hours, I’ve worked hard for this and I’m excited to show what I can do and see how well I can compete under the pressure,” Georget said. “The commitment for gym, and balancing the work in school…it’s a lot, but it’s also pretty cool I’d say.”

Piper Fontaine will be competing at the Western Canadian Championships this year, and told paNOW she is excited for the opportunity.

“I had to work very hard for this. I went through a lot of routines and honestly didn’t think I was going to make it, but when I found out I did I was very happy,” Fontaine said. “Trying to make it on such a hard team is challenging because I had a lot of mental blocks in my head. I had so many routines to go through.”

Jai Li Harvey will be competing in the championship for the third time this year.

“I’m really excited to be a part of the Saskatchewan team,” Harvey said. “I had a challenging meet at trials but I’m proud to have made it through.”

Serra Gillis will be competing as the team veteran this year, she told paNOW what advice she would give to other young women looking to become involved in sports.

“I would say if your whole heart is in it, go for it. There is nothing satisfying about going half way into something and succeeding,” Gillis said. “If you give all your effort into one thing, even if you don’t succeed, you will feel satisfied with your efforts.”

Gillis added she remains excited to be competing after competing at championships, even going into her seventh year attending.

“It doesn’t really faze me as much as it used to. Now it’s about making the other girls more relaxed to be there,” Gillis said. “Yes I want to win, and yes I want to do my best, but really it’s more about my teammates now than it is about me.”

The Western Canadian Championships will be held at the U of S Field House starting Thursday, with events leading to finals taking place on Saturday.

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brady.bateman@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TheDigitalBirdy