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Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2007 47 Oakville Gymnastics Club sending largest-ever contingent to provincials Twenty-four locals to compete in all-Ontario meet this weekend at Glen Abbey Rec Centre By Herb Garbutt One of Albrecht's rivals for top spot will be teammate Sean Lord, who won the all-around bronze last Hosting the provincial champi- year. onships last year paid unexpected Grinter also won a provincial title dividends for the Oakville last year in the national Level 6 diviGymnastics Club. sion. This year he moves into the The club heads into this year's senior division. provincials, which it is again host"It's an extreme jump," Jackson ing Friday through Sunday at the said. "Last year in national Level 6, Glen Abbey Recreation Centre, with he would have needed eight eleits largest contingent of competi- ments; now he'll need 10 elements tors. All 25 of its competitive gym- to build a routine." nasts have qualified for the provinThe level of difficulty will also cial championships. rise, with the addition The 25 qualifiers is the "We had a pretty of release moves. Like most of any of the 30 good turnout (last Albrecht, Grinter is competing clubs. year) and a lot of nursing a shoulder Newmarket has the the pre-competitive injury after a snownext most with 19 gymboarding fall. kids... came out. nasts taking part while While all three have East York and Once they saw already qualified for Mississauga each have what these guys nationals for the second 16. year in a row, the could do, they got "It was great hosting bitten by (the provincial meet is still last year," said men's an important competibug)." program director and tion as it will have head coach Greg implications for the Oakville Gymnastics Jackson. "We had a funding they will pretty good turnout and Club head coach receive in the coming a lot of the pre-compet- Greg Jackson year. itive kids like Sam In the the argo divi(Tziougras) and Mike (Buczkowski) sion, Cory Paterson will be looking came out. Once they saw what these to match or better last year's secguys could do, they got bitten by ond-place finish at provincials. (the bug)." Paterson went on to finish fourth at Tziougras and Buczkowski will be nationals and has turned in another competing in their first provincial strong season to this point. meet at Level 1. And while they repAlex Danahy will also be making resent the club's future, there is a an important move from Level 3, strong contingent for the present. where he was an all-around silver Matthew Albrecht, Sean Lord and medalist at last year's provincials, to Matthew Grinter will all compete in Level 4. While Levels 1 through 3 the senior level. Albrecht is the are where competitors focus on perdefending Ontario champion after a fecting the basics, Jackson said, nearsweep last year when he won "Level 4 is where they are starting to five of the six events. A repeat may build routines and you really start be tough, due to a shoulder injury, recognizing the different skills like but not impossible. flips and tumbling." "He'll have to modify his rouCamden Palkovic and Brad tines," Jackson said. "What would Schnurr have shown promise in the probably have been an easy first, Level 3, 10-12-year-old division and now he'll have to be near-perfect Chris Hazineh and Chris Rome have See Provincials page 48 (because of lower difficulty levels)." OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER TOP FORM: Cory Paterson, pictured competing in floor exercise at last year's men's artistic provincial gymnastics championships, is one of the Oakville Gymnastics Club's top medal hopes at this weekend's all-Ontario meet. Paterson won silver at the 2006 provincials and was fourth in his age division at nationals. Canlan Ice Sports - Oakville Season begins April 29th 905-845-6989 www.icesports.com