Rule No. 1 of hosting events during the pandemic has been when the going gets tough, the tough go online.
Statistically, there should be a future Olympian or two among the 765 gymnasts from across the country taking part in the 38th annual Garden City Invitational meet this weekend, hosted by Falcons Gymnastics Academy of Saanich.
Relax, the ferries will not be overflowing with legions of vaulters, split-leapers, somersaulters, cartwheelers and hand-springers making their way to the Island to the usual Pearkes Arena venue.
This year鈥檚 event is, of course, being conducted virtually. Each club鈥檚 athletes are performing their routines in their home gyms and uploading those performances to YouTube and Google platforms where they will be scored remotely by a panel of judges sitting at their dens or kitchen or dining room tables.
It follows the similarly virtual 91原创 championships, which were also the national trials for the Tokyo Olympics, held this month. Competition performances for the nationals were taped in home clubs between May 14 and 16, and uploaded online. Remote judging took place on May 18. The Olympic team will be announced on June 17.
Virtual or not, the gymnasts are simply pleased to be competing. 鈥淥ur gymnasts are just happy to be doing normal, competitive stuff,鈥� said Garden City Invitational chair Tracy Ngyuen.
鈥淎nd they were happy to be in training in the lead-up to the competition.鈥�
It hasn鈥檛 been easy, considering current provincial restrictions don鈥檛 even allow coaches to spot the athletes during drills.
鈥淚t was one step back when the current [provincial youth sports] guidelines went into effect in December,鈥� said Ngyuen. 鈥淏ut our athletes coped and have adjusted and have managed to figure everything out.鈥�
Even managing to compete in a judged sport such as gymnastics.
鈥淭he coaches and clubs have agreed the scores have been very accurate,鈥� Ngyuen said of the four previous virtual club meets held across Canada.
The Olympic team coaches seem to concur.
鈥淚鈥檓 also super-glad that this all worked out doing these competitions virtually because we鈥檝e never done anything like this before,鈥� said David Kikuchi, co-coach of the 91原创 Olympic team with Lorie Henderson.
鈥淚t was a lot of work to set it up and to create the rules around it and how the judging was going to work, but it鈥檚 all worked really well,鈥� Kikuchi added in a statement.
B.C. Premier John Horgan strongly hinted late last week that youth sports will begin its reopening 鈥渋n a few weeks.鈥� That is encouraging for young athletes across all sports in the province.
鈥淓veryone in sports is hoping the next step is to be allowed to do more things,鈥� said 颅Ngyuen, who has three daughters involved in gymnastics.