The Oakville Beaver W eekend, Sunday N o vem b er 11, 2001 - 17 Sports An Oakville Beaver Feature Editor: NORM NELSON Phone:845-3824, ext 255 Fax:337-5567 E-mail:nnelson@haltonsearch.com Caitlin Iten-Scott is U-18 provincial champ and recently returned from her first international competition in Berlin where she was not only the sole North American representative, but placed fifth out of 14 European competitors. Photos Special to the Beaver Provincial champion in a new gymnastics discipline Story by Kathy V^nchus SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER S ports Aerobics is the new `kid' on the block, a vibrant athletic pursuit com bining gymnastics and dance, and it's right up Caitlin Iten-Scott's alley. As a national level gymnast, Caitlin was dedicating up to 30 hours per week to her discipline, a schedule which became a bur den for the teen. Like many other gymnasts between the ages o f 11 and 16, Caitlin bailed from the grind, but her love o f the elements, as well as her talent, never diminished. "There was a void in her life because that's all she had ever done," says Caitlin's mom, Yvonne, recalling her daughter's quick ascent up the national ranks beginning at the age o f six. As her family moved around the world, Caitlin joined the Heathrow Gymnastics Club in England and trained with Singapore's national team, being coached totally in Chinese, before landing at Burlington's Gymnastic Club. Her switch to Sports Aerobics, a budding new sport in Canada but huge in European countries, has been an easy transition. She has a strong gymnastics background and excels at dance, the two prime compo nents in this fast-growing sport which organizers hope to eventually have included in the Olympics. Already Caitlin, an Appleby College stu dent, is provincial champion in the under 18 category and recently returned from her first international competition in Berlin where she was not only the sole North American repre sentative, but placed fifth out o f 14 European competitors. "I was really nervous," said Caitlin, who performed solo in Berlin, however, with fel low competitors, Teri Gibson and Rhiannon Banda Scott o f the Burlington Gymnastics Club, boast the provincial trio championship crown and hope to take their routine to Europe next year. Her commitment has been whittled down to four hours per week but her enthusiasm has skyrocketed. "You can express yourself a lot better and I love the dancing aspect of it," says Caitlin. Twice a week, she practices her elements which include combinations of lunges, side leaps, spins, turns, knee lifts and jogging. New to Gymnastics Canada and under the jurisdiction of Federation International de Gymnastique (FIG), it is anticipated that Sports Aerobics will experience tremendous growth in Canada over the next few years, not only because of its fun, artistic mandate, but because it's less risky and time consum ing than gymnastics, and the opportunity to ascend to world level status is quicker. Athletes are judged on the artistic quality, difficulty, intensity and execution o f their two-minute high intensity floor routine. They, must demonstrate strength, flexibility, power and variety. Sports Aerobics, once known as competi tive aerobics; has been around since 1984 but was only adopted by FIG in 1995 as the fourth discipline of gymnastics. The first World Sports Aerobics Championships were in Paris in `95 and six years later, 50 coun tries participated in the world's hosted by Germany. For Caitlin, regular competition is next to impossible because most events are held in Europe. For now, she is training for the provincials next May in Brantford and hopes to take in, perhaps, two European competi tions next season. Caitlin and fellow sports aerobists are hoping to hold demonstrations during local and surrounding gymnastic competitions to spread the word about a viable alternative to gymnastics for dancers, fitness buffs and gymnasts, says Yvonne, who became a rec ognized international Sports Aerobics judge to help support the growing sport in Canada. Thanks to our volunteer contributors! By Norm Nelson BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Okay folks, time for our annual refresher course on coverage for our youth sports teams (and adult teams, for that matter). In case you didn't know, the Beaver is able to bring you the constant updates on our town's sports teams, thanks usually to a volunteer parent who agrees to add the job of 'team reporter' to their already busy plate. How teams choose these lucky scribes is up to the teams them selves -- but we suspect it's usually the short end o f the straw. If your team is not in the paper -- don't blame us. We've had a ton o f rep reports submitted so far this year, and as of Sunday's issue, all but a couple had been published. So if you want your team in the paper, talk it over with the coach and parents -- and elect a team reporter. If you want to elect someone that couldn't happen to come out that night, that's your business. The preferred way to get the reports to us is by e-mail. As for writing the report, it's toUgh to give blanket advice because there is leeway. But generally the more important you feel the game was to your team and to your season, then the more ink you can give it. For uneventful exhibition, regular season or tournament games just go with a basic game summary. And we do stress summary. Tell us the score, scorers (with assists) and, by all means, any interesting anecdotes (including player or team accomplishments) that arise out o f it. If you've won a prestigious tournament, a playoff series, or perhaps just knocked off a first place team -- or have done some thing out of the ordinary -- then go more in depth. What we almost never want to publish in the paper, however, is a long chronological recount of any game. You know the kind that starts ... Well in the beginning, there was the face-off ... We will list every goal and assist your team scores -- but please save the play-by-play account for the ones that are out of (S ee 'Please' page 19)