Pacific Alliance Championships Report
Honolulu, Hawaii
April 12-18th, 2004
Submitted by Adrienne Arnold
Team Members
Seniors: Alexandra
Orlando, Yana Tsikaridze, Pamela Jewell, Sefanie Carew
Juniors: Juliana Semenova,
Katia Zaitseva, Suzy Lendvay, Rosanna Tso
Senior Coach: Mimi Masleva
Junior Coach: Megan Arnold
Judges: Wanda Ladyman,
BB Ignatova, Adrienne Arnold
Personal Coaches: Svetlana
Joukova, Jennifer DiBennidetto
Arrival & Hotel
All athletes, coaches and judges arrived prior to
or on Monday, April 12th with the exception of Mimi
Masleva, Senior Coach, who’s flight had been booked
to arrive on April 13th. All the athletes and coaches
from Ontario arrived together (which was sound planning)
and were met at the hotel by Vancouver based team members
upon their arrival. The hotel was very large and of
a very basic standard and after some minor rooming adjustments
to accommodate the team everyone settled in. A brief
discussion was held about plans for training the next
day before the team parted to make meal arrangements
or rest. The Ohana Reef Towers chosen by the organizing
committee was an adequate hotel, but lacked certain
conveniences such as a restaurant that caused us some
initial concern. However, as we soon found out, once
the surrounding area was explored, this did not present
a huge problem. The hotel was on a busy side street
just off the main shopping and restaurant boulevard
and there was a proliferation of restaurants, cafes,
coffee shops and lots of shopping spots for the girls
to pick up souvenirs. Also, Waikiki Beach, it was soon
revealed, was just adjacent to us and could be easily
accessed by strolling through the lobby of the nearby
Competition VIP hotel, the Outrigger Reef. It was there
that the team enjoyed the little downtime and beach
time we were able to squeeze in and allow outside of
the hectic training and competition schedule of Tuesday
through Saturday.
Competition Venue and Training
The venue was located at the University of Hawaii
and we were all quite excited as we approached what
looked like the likely venue on campus. Unfortunately
we were soon deflated as we were marched through that
venue (reserved for artistic gymnastics) to an very
old, very run down much smaller and humbler gym next
to the artistic gym. Organizers were very apologetic
for the poor facility and have assured us that next
time (2006) they will provide a good facility for rhythmics.
Upon arrival we noticed that both the practice and competition
carpets were placed under low hanging basketball rigging
and the rest of the ceiling was dotted with low hanging
lighting fixtures. By day two, after teams registered
their concerns, the organizers reconfigured the carpets
that helped in removing at least some of the overhead
obstacles. The gym was not air conditioned and the weather
was hot and quite humid, so conditions were not the
ideal.
Tuesday morning Canada was the first team to practice,
meaning alarms needed to be set for 6am….a challenge
for both Ontario team members with a 6hr time difference
and Juliana and Wanda who did not fly in to Honolulu
until well after midnight. Needless to say, the girls
went through their paces with the best of intentions
but it wasn’t all that easy for any of them. I
called a team meeting in my room immediately following
the practice so coaches and athletes could confer on
the practice and make plans for the evening and next
day. The Wednesday practice (which took place mid afternoon
for Canada) turned out to be an excellent practice.
The Canadian team was observed by many judges that day
(including FIG Technical Committee Member, Michelle
Duncan) and judges were very complimentary of the team,
some even offering some direct feedback and suggestions
to our coaches. We also took the opportunity to take
in and assess the Russian team (a new and exciting addition
to Pacific Alliance Championships). The practice was
very successful on all fronts and coaches, athletes
and judges left feeling quite upbeat and ready for the
competition that was to begin the next day.
Technical Meeting
The Canadian Team was advised by Head Judge, Andrea
Schmidt, that she had requested to Jean Paul Caron that
Canada add another Judge to the roster due to last minute
cancellations by China and the Phillipines. Jean Paul
contacted Wanda Ladyman who in turn spoke to both Svetlana
Joukova and me regarding the possibility of Judging
during the event. Svetlana declined the invitation since
she felt she needed to be with her two athletes and
I agreed to Judge. The Canadian Team was also provided
with a clarification to the participation of the extra
H.C. athlete and was advised that she would be ranked
in the All Around (but not counted in the Team event
– as we’d already known). I also attended
a PANGF General Meeting and learned of some amendments
to this rule for 2006. Minutes of this meeting should
be scrutinized and recorded when received so that we
are aware of how the team will be configured in the
coming years. Canada should also make a motion to PANGF
to include Groups in upcoming Pacific Alliance Championships.
This recommendation has already been made by BB Ignatova
to JP Caron and has been discussed on an informal basis
with other participating countries.
Competition
Day One Juniors: Thursday
began with our Juniors and we had a great draw towards
the end of the rotation. The night before at the Technical
Meeting we had submitted our order of competition to
the organizers and we went with the traditional order
(which respected our internal domestic ranking). First
out for Canada was Rosanna, who did a clean ball routine,
followed by Suzy – clean, followed by Katia –
clean, and lastly Juliana - clean. The gymnasts received
16.70; 17.550; 17.250; 18.125 respectively…off
to a very good start. Next with rope – things
did not go quite so consistently. Rosanna got off again
to a good start with 15.175, but Katia and Suzy with
some rope troubles ended up receiving 14.725 and 13.950
respectively. Juliana managed well with rope and received
a 16.975 ranking 5th. Overall, by the end of the day
the Canadian Juniors were sitting as the 3rd ranked
team, and Juliana had made both finals. However with
Mexico and Malaysia nipping closely at our heels, we
had some cause for concern. We left, though, very pleased
with our young team members and with their 1st day.
Sitting in first place was the Russian Team and 2nd
place the USA team.
Day One Seniors: For
Seniors our draw was first in the rotation, and again
respecting the internal domestic ranking, first out
in Hoop was Stefanie, followed by Pam, Yana and then
Alex. The Canadian Senior team looked strong with Stefanie
scoring 17.5 hoop and 17.1 ball, (16th AA –2 events),
Pam 17.850 hoop and 18.650 ball (13th AA-2events), Yana
18.9hoop and 17.10 (10th AA-2 events) and Alex 22.650hoop
and 21.10ball (3rd AA-2 event). In this event Alex’s
hoop bounced off one of the light fixtures and yet with
her quick reflexes she still caught it – very
exciting for the crowd! Pam’s ball routine was
strong and won her a finals spot along with Alex, of
course, in finals in both events. Noteworthy from this
Senior event was the fact that our Alex looked like
a credible challenge for any one of the top 3 spots,
proving again to everyone present that she is every
bit the Olympic quality athlete we know her to be.
Day Two Juniors: Friday
was a challenging day for the Juniors…but their
efforts did not go unrewarded. They all performed to
the best of their abilities and made us feel very proud.
With the number one spot in the Draw, it was not the
most favourable position to be in especially since we
had to wait until the very last score from the last
gymnast on the last team in the competition (Malaysia)
came up before we knew whether the 3rd place Team Bronze
was ours….it was that close! The Canadian parents
in the audience were rapidly doing the calculations
(thank you Mrs. Carew) and informed us that indeed we
had been successful. But when some of the officials
came to tell us they were sorry that we’d missed
the bronze by “just a hair”, our hearts
first sank and then quickly resurfaced as we saw the
organizers transporting the Canadian flag to the back
for march-out. The girls and their coaches were ecstatic
and we were all very proud of their success.
Day Two Seniors: The
Canadian Senior Team on the other hand were the clear
contenders for the 3rd Place Bronze Team Award (and
in some opinions could have been ranked even higher).
The Seniors did not let down and at the end of the day
after an incredible ribbon routines by Alex (first place)
and Yana (4th place) they had the Bronze Team Award
wrapped up. All 4 Seniors made us very proud and it
was a pleasure to watch their performances. The Canadian
Team left happy and ready to do a little celebrating.
Finals Saturday
Seniors: Alex Orlando
(all 4 finals), Pam Jewell (ball final), Yana Tzikaridze
(ribbon final)
Juniors: Juliana Semonova
(all 4 finals)
Heading into finals we knew based upon the two previous
days’ performances that our Canadian girls had
a very good chance for some medals and they were not
disappointed.
We knew Alex was hunting for gold and we also knew
she was up for it in all ways…but in the end we
all had to settle for 4 Silvers, but we didn’t
have to settle for anything less than spectacular performances
and Alex delivered….congratulations to our top
Senior, you were wonderful and we were all very proud.
So too, our top Junior, Juliana did not disappoint and
came away with a Silver in Clubs and a Bronze in Ribbon!
Congratulations girls, we were all very proud and pleased
for you.
Celebration - Saturday night and Sunday
The Party: Saturday
night 10pm –2am, just around the corner from our
hotel USA Gymnastics held dinner/dancing for all teams.
It was a fun time for all to mingle with the other countries
and athletes from men’s and women’s artistic
disciplines. Lots of fun for all involved.
The Beach: Sunday started
out with the official Canadian Team Photo by Gymnastics
Canada photographer on Waikiki Beach and then followed
by serious down time. Unfortunately this was the only
beach day for most of our team members, but what a day
and what a great way to relax and have a lot of fun
together - Judges, Coaches, Athletes and Parents after
a very successful competition for all.
Closing
I would like to extend my congratulations to all the
gymnasts, of course, because you all worked so hard
and were successful. But I would also like to say, on
a personal note, what a great group of girls this was….the
Seniors watched over and looked out for the young ones
with great caring and all the girls themselves were
kind and supportive of one another, exactly what one
would hope for in a Canadian Team. So too, thanks to
the adults involved. Kudos to Mimi Masleva and Megan
Arnold for all your work with the Senior and Junior
Team – you were great with the girls and very
well organized. In addition, Svetlana Joukova and Jennifer
DiBennedetto (who traveled as personal coaches) never
missed an opportunity to help out the other coaches
and athletes and assist in every way towards the overall
success of the team. Thanks to Jean Paul Caron for dividing
himself in two and attending all the events in rhythmics
and for being such a good support (and for transporting
the new uniforms for our team). And last but not least
our Judges Wanda Ladyman and BB Ignatova who worked
tirelessly both in the gym and at the judging table
to ensure that our girls knew what they needed to correct
and that the other judges knew that the Canadian Team
was one to be reckoned with. And finally to the Carews,
Mrs. Orlando, Mrs. Tso, and the Lendvays – thank
you for providing moral support, cheers, flag waving
and smiling faces throughout the event….and thank
you for supporting all the girls, it was much appreciated.
Respectfully Submitted,
Adrienne Arnold, Team Leader & Judge
April 25, 2004
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