From no. 1 alternate to no. 1 period.
Okotoks’ Olivia Keegan booked her ticket to beautiful Brandon, Man. after finishing no. 1 for Team Alberta Junior Olympics Level 10 (12-15 years old) at the University of Calgary International Cup March 17.
“I was definitely more confident this year, more prepared and more consistent on my routines,” the 14-year-old Keegan said.
She will lead Team Alberta at the Western Canadian championships in Brandon in late April.
Last year, Keegan watched the Western Canadians from the sidelines as she was. No. 8 on a seven-person team (which included older sister Amanda.)
Being an alternate proved to be a motivator for 2017 at Alberta trials.
“It pushed me harder to get more skilled,” she said.
She hit all her routines and left a very loud exclamation point that she deserved to be on Team Alberta by winning the all-around. Keegan finished first in the floor and the vault and was third in both the beam and the uneven bars.
She got things started at the bars, walking away with a 7.900.
“I was pretty happy with my score, I felt I hit all my handstands and everything,” Keegan said.
Happy with her score, but she didn’t know her score until later. She doesn’t peek at the scoreboard until all is said and done.
“I don’t like to check my scores because I don’t want to be disappointed if it’s bad or something,” she said with a chuckle.
She turned in another bronze medal performance for her 1:30minute beam routine.
Consistency was the name of the game, she nailed all of her required Level 10 moves and was solid on her dismount.
“I had a little hop, but it was good,” she said.
Although she had no way of knowing what place she was in, she had put the worst of what was already a good day behind her.
Keegan practically cemented her spot on the team with her work on the floor — despite the fact it’s her least favourite event.
“I don’t particularly like it some days,” she said of the floors. “I think it’s just the dull flipping we have to do and I don’t run very fast.”
She liked the floor at trials.
“I had really good landings on each line (three lines),” she said.
Those lines featured, a double-back, a one-and-a-half front layout, and a front full layout.
“I was really happy because I have to work really hard at practice in order to do well at competitions in the floor,” she said.
She had a first-place score of 9.316 in the floor.
Keegan catapulted to the top of the podium with a first-place vault.
She twisted her way to the podium with a Yurchenko layout.
“That is the basic one you need for Level 10,” she said. “I am working on something harder, but I stepped back for trials.”
She landed both of her vaults, correcting a minor step backwards on her landing in the first one.
Her second vault, good for a 9.016, gave her not only first in the vault, but had her firmly planted as the no. 1 on Team Alberta.
However, she didn’t know that until they started the count back from, eight (that alternate again) to no. 1.
“I thought I was going to be on the team,” said Olivia, who trains with Pegasus Gymnastics in Calgary. “When they called no. 2 and no. 3 and I wasn’t named: ‘Is that a good thing or a bad thing?’
Her concerns were quickly alleviated when her name was called.
“I had this shock expression on my face — I was really surprised,” she said.
Now it’s off to Brandon for the Western Canadian championships on April 27-29.
She is working on a frontal aerial for the beam and a tougher vault for the championships.
