LITTLE VALLEY: REFLECTIONS FROM A YOUNGER RESIDENT
My name is Jolene Hansen. I’m in the third grade at Huband Park Elementary and my favourite sport is gymnastics. I started going to the gym when I was two years old. I’ve been in the competitive program for three years at Chimo Gymnastics in Comox.
What training looks like
Gymnastics takes a lot of practice and hard work—I train twelve hours a week. There are four events: bars, beam, vault, and floor. My favourite event is vault, because I feel strong when I’m doing my run. I run fast and then bounce off a springboard, put my hands on a vaulting table, do a front handspring, and land on my feet.
“My teammates help me when I am down by cheering me on and making me laugh.”
Gymnastics helps in unexpected ways
One time when I was riding my dad’s horse, Ocho, and he stopped really fast, I used my vaulting skills so I wouldn’t get hurt. When Ocho stopped, I put my hands on his neck and jumped down to the ground, landing on my feet. My dad was so surprised and talks about it all the time. Gymnastics really does help with other sports.
When skills don’t come easy
I love gymnastics because of the friendships with my teammates. I find it difficult when I really, really want to get a skill, but I just can’t get it yet. My teammates help me when I am down by cheering me on and making me laugh.
One of the skills that I worked on for a very long time was my kip. A kip is a skill on the uneven bars where you do a long swing, bring your ankles up towards the bar with straight legs, and then press yourself up above the bar onto your hands. The kip leads into other skills like free hips, jump to high bar, and giants. I worked on my kip for a year and a half. Sometimes I would get annoyed and sad because I would get so close and still not get it, but I didn’t give up. My coaches used side stations or drills to help me get stronger. Things like rubber bands and floor bars helped me finally get my kip. The day I finally got my kip, I was really happy.
Competition season ahead
I am excited for this season’s competitions. Last year, I got third on vault at the Orca Invitational meet in Duncan and I felt happy. The first one is in Calgary in January and then I will compete in Nanaimo and Mill Bay in the spring. I hope all my training pays off!
