21st Arctic Winter Games begin Sunday in Grande Prairie

After months of preparation, the Yukon’s top youth athletes are heading to the Arctic Winter Games in Grande Prairie, Alta. this weekend.

After months of preparation, the Yukon’s top youth athletes are heading to the Arctic Winter Games in Grande Prairie, Alta. this weekend.

The week kicks off tonight at F.H. Collins Secondary School with a pep rally which will gather the entire Yukon team together before they depart.

Polarettes and Polar Tumblers coach Catherine O’Donovan, who will be accompanying her team of four girls to the Arctic Winter Games, says the gymnasts are looking forward to the trip.

“The girls are pretty young and unfamiliar with the whole AWG thing, so they are very excited and curious about the whole adventure,” said O’Donovan.

Representing the Yukon for gymnastics are Lilyanne Gale, 11, Caitlyn Venasse, 12, Mackenzie Davy, 12, and Fayne O’Donovan, 10.

The girls are competing as Level 3 gymnasts for their first time at the Arctic Winter Games meet.

The lead up to the Games has been an exciting time for the girls. Catherine O’Donovan said they were “ecstatic” upon receiving their team outfits.

Another reason for the girl’s jubilation is that they will be competing in two meets at the Games, instead of just one as they usually do.

“They are all excited about having two competitions over four days as we usually just have one,” O’Donovan said.

The girls will compete in a team competition on Tuesday and the individual competition on Thursday.

This is the first time the girls have competed together as a team, and have set a goal of medaling together.

“Gymnastics is generally an individual sport and this is their first time competing in a team competition, so we have been focusing our practices on making them a team, cheering each other on, and working on sticking a routine each as a group,” the coach said. “This has really helped them understand the concept.”

Shifting to a team mentality hasn’t been too difficult for the girls, who have been training in a tight knit group for four and a half years.

Some have even been training for eight years. O’Donovan has been the girls’ coach for four and a half years as well.

“I have been their coach for the past four and a half (years) so we all know each other well,” she said.

Besides the team meet, the girls have been training hard to meet their own expectations as well.

“They all have personal goals for routines and skills they want to perform well,” O’Donovan said.

“We have been talking about setting personal goals over medal goals, such as performing clean routines with no falls, or connecting their bar routine without stops, or landing their new vaults.”

In the final week before the Arctic Winter Games, the Polarettes and Polar Tumblers club held a practice meet with the entire group of gymnasts to help the four Games-bound girls prepare.

“Tonight we will do a practice meet with them and the other girls that are not attending Arctics, just to help with the nerves and the mental side of competition,” O’Donovan said Thursday.

With the competition set to begin Tuesday, O’Donovan is happy with the progress her girls have made as they prepared for the Games, and is confident that they could be bringing home medals this year.

“I feel they are a really solid team, and have been working incredibly hard to be ready for AWG and they are ready,” she said.

“I am already so proud of them, and as long as they give it their best and enjoy the experience then the competition will be a success.

See next week’s issues of the Whitehorse Star for updates and photos from the Arctic Winter Games in Grande Prairie that kick off Sunday.