Squamish gymnast Laura Galloway can be called a champ after last Saturday's (April 3) BC Provincial Four Gymnastics Championships in Nanaimo.
Galloway beat out 20 other gymnasts to take the gold, making her the 2005 BC Provincial Four Champion. Provincial Four is the highest provincial level of competition, and is one step away from competing nationally.
"She hopes to do well at this and continue to learn new skills and qualify to compete at the national level," said mother Gerri Galloway. "She's not far; that is the next level to go to."
The late blooming gymnast is showing great potential. Although Galloway took up gymnastics relatively late in life, a good showing at the Twister Invitational in Abbotsford March 24 to 26 qualified her to join Team BC at the 2005 Western Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Winnipeg April 21 to 23.
"I learned that most of these girls start when they're really, really young, about three and four years old," said Gerri. "She didn't get into it until about nine years old, which is a little old."
Galloway's success is in no small part due to her gymnastics club Flicka, the largest gymnastics club in western Canada. Since 1962, Flicka has coached top-level gymnasts, and the club has grown to include 1,900 athletes. Galloway trains 25 hours a week to perfect intricate acrobatic routines in four events: vault, uneven bars, beam and floor.
The Western Canadian Championships are designed to identify future high performance athletes and prepare them for competitions such as the upcoming Canadian Championships in Vancouver, Western Canada Summer Games and Canada Winter Games.
"She hopes to do really well," said Gerri.
"A gold medal would be great, always."
