On March 26th, a variety of gymnasts from institutions under the umbrella of the Sudbury District Secondary Schools' Athletic Association (SDSSAA) along with a handful of competitors from Manitoulin Secondary School will gather at Sudbury GymZone to contest the 2024 NOSSA Gymnastics Championship.
Given that this occurence is repeated in a whole slew of sports right across the range of the high-school spectrum, the event itself might not, ordinarily, be deemed particularly special - EXCEPT for the fact that the meet now stands as the sole remaining secondary schools gymnastics showdown in the entire province of Ontario.
For as much as those involved locally have been disappointed to see interest dissipate most everywhere else for something that was once a staple of the high-school physical education curriculum, there is also a great sense of pride in the fact that Sudbury and area have been able to somehow buck the trend.
"Gymnastics is one of the most accessible sports - as easy or as difficult as you want to make it," noted Alexandra Larocque, GymZone Club Director. "Even doing something simple can build confidence."
"We have to always make that a priority," she stressed.
At a very basic level, the fundamentals of gymnastics, those core abilities that transfer so readily to countless other sports and life activities, are seemingly quasi programmed in children from birth, according to Jack Miller, long-time gymnastics coach and arguably the single person who is most responsible for the fact that NOSSA Gymnastics remains a fixture on the SDSSAA schedule.
"Kids, by nature, like to roll in the grass, to try and do cartwheels," suggested Miller, whose involvement with high-school gymnastics dates back to 1981. "It's inherent in us to try and make some use of our bodies."
"Gymnastics gives us the opportunity to do it more than any other sport," he continued. "You go to a family event and the youngest ones are in the backyard, trying to do something."
And so they forge forward, in northern Ontario, bringing together so many like-minded folks more than willing to lend a helping hand.
"You need judges, coaches, volunteers, timers, scorers, someone to play music - so many people to run a meet, so much equipment to be able to practice," said Larocque. "The fact that we all make this a priority, that's a big thing for us, something that we can all be proud of."
The numbers here are slanted largely towards the more recreational / part-time gymnasts, those natural athletes who have seldom meandered towards gymnastics previously, or those who were involved many years ago but now challenged with the reality that muscle memory doesn't last forever.
"The lower level competitors are performing the skills that we would teach here to beginners - where they don't get to actually compete it," said Miller.
And for the upper level teenagers who are still quite actively involved in the Gymnastics Ontario circuit, there are benefits that lie beyond simply taking center stage at an event where they truly are the stars in the field.
"They will go out and help and demonstrate things to their teammates that the coach might not have the time to do - or be able to do," noted Miller. "And they can compete for their school. That might be the only sport they do for their school for their high-school careers, given the hours they need to commit to training (for club events)."
Truth be told, NOSSA Gymnastics flies in the face of a glut of studies pointing to the alarming rate of departure from sports and athletics for teenage girls. A little over 100 participants competed at the regional qualifier, with a large percentage of those athletes moving on to NOSSA (March 26th) at the GymZone.
In Sudbury and the surrounding region, this still means something to a whole lot of good folks - even if the remainder of the province is not yet convinced.
