Ottawa trio to represent Team Ontario in acrobatic gymnastics competition
To be the best you have to train like the best, and that’s exactly what one acrobatic gymnastics trio is doing in Ottawa.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"We have to make sure everything is perfect, neat and tidy and you have to have the facial expressions," said 9-year-old gymnast Lila Lawson.
Lila and her trio are getting ready to head to Kelowna, B.C. next weekend to represent Team Ontario at a national gymnastics competition.
It’s been an exciting season for the 9-year-old, who is among the youngest in the province to compete at her level.
"It’s really fun because even though you know you’re one of the younger ones, it doesn’t mean that you can’t beat them," she said.
For Lila, it’s all about hard work and determination. She’s a two-time provincial champion and it’s only her second season competing in acrobatic gymnastics.
"Lila, Gabby and Chelsea compete at level 7 of the USDP program. That level is the first level that has eligibility to the Canadian Championships," said head coach Stephanie Dovigi.
It’s a sport slowing gaining momentum in Ontario and across the country.
"In some respects, acro is the oldest discipline of gymnastics and yet in many cases it’s also one of the newest competitive disciplines," said Dovigi.
Dovigi says acrobatic gymnastics is unique as it brings traditional artistic gymnastics on a floor with tumbling elements with a twist.
"There's also elements that people associate with things like Cirque du Soleil with balance elements and handstands and also elements of what people can associate with cheerleading," Dovigi said.
Even though it’s their first season competing together, the trio is already bringing home top medals.
"[Provincials] was really fun. We had our highest score and it was just so exciting to watch us perform," said Lila.
While acrobatic gymnastics is not an Olympic sport, there are 19 athletes who compete at Stittsville’s Olympia Gymnastics, up from seven in 2019.
"A few more clubs in the GTA and Niagara Falls, mostly Fort Erie, started a club recently and they’ve been growing their programs trying to get a bigger presence for acro in Ontario and Canada," said gymnast, Baylee Christink.
With all their recent success, there is no telling how far they will go.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.
With DNA break, police ID victim in decades-old Newfoundland case
A skull was found along a backroad near St. John's more than 20 years ago. Now, police have finally identified the victim of the homicide.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
McDonald's says $18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's housing plan defeated in House of Commons
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's housing bill has been defeated in the House of Commons with the Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois voting against the legislation.
B.C. man to be extradited to U.S. on charges of sexually assaulting stepdaughter
A British Columbia man will be extradited to the United States, where he faces a possible life sentence if convicted of charges that he repeatedly sexually assaulted his stepdaughter, after losing his appeal of the extradition order Tuesday.