Local gymnasts to represent Team B.C.

KELOWNA – Two ten-year-olds from Kelowna will represent Team B.C. at a National gymnastics competition in Montreal next month.

Gabriela Beselt and Lucia Jakab are both artistic gymnasts who qualified for the 2014 National Stream Cup this past weekend in the Pre-Novice Elite division. Artistic gymnasts train up to 25 hours a week in bars, beam, floor and vault.

Gabriela’s mother, Nancy Beselt, says that since the girls will be competing as Team B.C. members and not Okanagan Gymnastics members, they do not qualify for funding. If they want to go, they have to pay their own way.

“Not only do we have to pay for the two girls, we have to pay for the coach as well,” she says. “I’m sure (the gymnastics club) would give some money if they could but there’s just no money.”

Aside from a small amount of funding from B.C. Gymnastics, the athletes pay all expenses themselves. To try to offset the cost, which Beselt estimates will be several thousand dollars, a gofundme.com account has been set up.

“If anyone wants to come take a look they’d be pretty surprised at what these little peanuts can do. I think most people don’t know that we have that calibre of gymnasts here.”

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca, call (250) 718-0428 or tweet @AdamProskiw.