Elk Valley Gymnastics Club to host Rocky Mountain Tumble

Contributed by Alisha Rella

Elk Valley Gymnastics Club

After two years of uncertainty due to the pandemic, the Elk Valley Gymnastics Club (EVGC) is proud to announce their first EVER home competition, The Rocky Mountain Tumble (RMT) in mid-May.

The idea of the club hosting their own home competition has been a dream ever since Office Manager/Gymnastics Coach/RMT Meet Manager, Cristina Gillrie, started with the club back in 2017.

“I am incredibly excited to host EVGC’s first ever home competition! I have been coaching gymnastics for 20 years and being able to create an event to celebrate the sport has been something I’ve dreamed about for so many years. The Rocky Mountain Tumble is not only a celebration of our gymnasts achievements, but a celebration of making it through the last two years of uncertainty with our wonderful team of coaches, passionate board members, dedicated parent volunteers and of course, our hard working athletes. I hope that our recreational and parkour gym members will attend the event and see it as an inspiration for what they can achieve.

“I also look forward to seeing members of our amazing community come out and support our local athletes” said Gillrie.

Gymnastics is a foundation sport that helps develop physical abilities such as balance, coordination, strength, spatial awareness and flexibility - all of which can be translated to other sports. The sport also helps develop character traits such as resiliency, bravery, discipline and perseverance.

The Rocky Mountain Tumble will showcase many levels of both men’s and women’s gymnastics. There are currently 160 Athletes (33 EVGC Athletes) competing in CCP Levels 1-7, Xcel - Bronze, Silver and Gold, WAG and MAG Performance and High School. Teams from Lethbridge, Nelson, Cranbrook, Golden, Kimberley, Invermere, Castlegar, and tentatively Calgary, will be attending the event.

The team and coaches are excited about the coming event.

“We are looking forward to other teams being able to experience Fernie, as well as showcasing our competitive team in their first ever home event,” said EVGC coach Moa Linde.

EVGC invites all community members to come out and support their hard working, local athletes. The event includes a concession, ice cream and candy tables, multiple raffle baskets, as well as a 50/50 cash raffle.

The Rocky Mountain Tumble will take place on May 14 and 15 at the Fernie Memorial Arena, with details on times, ages and categories available at elkvalleygymnastics.com.

Gillrie and EVGC’s coaching staff would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the EVGC Board of Directors, all of our parent volunteers and sponsors, including Fernie Chrysler, Rayco, Fernie Home Hardware and Eldo’s Independant. The Rocky Mountain Tumble would not be possible without each and every one of you.

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