Four local gymnasts golden at the Capital

At a recent Gymnastics Ontario qualifier in Ottawa, Gregory Litster, Marc deLestard, Corey Gillies and Jesse Bydevaate of the Halton Hills Gymnastics Centre earned gold medals in "all-around" categories, vault and floor, respectively. The remaining members of the team put in a good showing with Derek Rauwerda placing second overall; Alex Bowmer scoring a fourth on rings; Daniel Stepner and Adam Griese tying on Pommel in eighth place; Gabriel Reitz earning a third on rings; Riley Dodds placing fifth on floor; Zachary Brautigan came in 10th on vault; Eric Shieh placed fifth overall; Eric Olsen and Wesley Smith performed well in their categories. This was the second of three qualifiers for the 2005-06 competitive season. The third qualifier takes place in Newmarket later this month. The competitors must place in the top six for the Central Region in two of the three qualifiers in order to compete in the provincials in April. Two Halton Hills' gymnasts, Alex Bowmer and Derek Rauwerda, qualified at the first meet in North Bay to compete at the Ontario Winter Games in Barrie. The local beginner boys' competitive gymnasts took part in a recent interclub meet at the Woodstock Gymnastics Club, with Andrew Pietras placing first "all around," with teammates Sean Doherty, Jeremy Meneses, Ryan Dehrlein and Dawson Early placing fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.