Young gymnast prepares for dismount from balance beam at PG Invitational

Prince George, BC – The Prince George Gymnastics Club is holding its largest annual event this weekend – the Zone 8 Championships and Prince George Invitational.

Club President, Lucia Fendelet, says there are 140 gymnasts from the city, Williams Lake, Quesnel, Fort St. John, Smithers, Terrace and Kitimat competing in everything from the balance beam, to parallel bars, to floor routines.

But Fendelet says this weekend’s meet is just a warm up in terms of what’s to come for the local club, as it gets set to participate in the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

"We will be hosting the Provincial Championships next year," says Fendelet.  "(The Host Committee) wants us to have a big meet priot to the games, so this is part of the preparation."

The last time the club hosted the Provincials was in 2004.  In 2013, between 600 and 700 gymnasts will converge on Prince George to compete in the event which will be held at UNBC.

Fendelet says that’s comparable to the number of athletes expected in 2015 and UNBC will once again be the venue for gymnastics, so she expects it to be a good ‘run-through’ for 2015.