I started my day off by watching Canada’s “Alberta North Medley” team perform their routine “C’mon join the Movement”. It was a great combination of rhythmic gymnastics with ribbons, balls, and clubs as well as some really cool acrobatic moves set to the theme of people putting down their electronics and getting up and celebrating gymnastics! I was really impressed with the array of ages in the group – from pint-sized gymnasts that could be raised to the top of the various acrobatic moves, to women in their 30s and 40s who managed to hold the young ones on their shoulders, twirl, and bend like I wish I could!

If I thought the abilities of the older athletes in Alberta North Medley were impressive, then the next group I saw from Germany blew me completely away! Called “Best Agers” these seniors were performing back handsprings off a box, flips, somersaults – you name it! The crowd was absolutely loving it. Age really is just a number I tell you. I hope that I’m that nimble and strong when I’m in my 70s! Inspiring to say the least.

Next up was KGTC/Pirouette from Kamloops, BC and Ottawa, ON respectively. I live streamed their performance on Periscope which you can watch for the next 24 hours (you’ll need the app and a free account). They did a great job of taking the audience through the Canadian seasons. My favourite was the winter section with the athletes doing skiing-style jumps off of BOSU balls wearing toques and goggles!  Very creative choreography.

I streamed a couple of other performances on Periscope from the Netherlands Portugal, Germany, and Italy – definitely check them out if you can – they are all unique and exciting in their own way! The German one in particular was really cool due to their use of props including long bamboo sticks and a huge metal cube. I’ll let your imagination work through how that might have worked if you miss the video….

Beyond the performances, there are tons of other activities going on including pin trading, clothing exchanging, random acrobatic moves in the hallways, various chants from the different countries in the main exhibition hall and more. The energy at this event really is insane! I can’t wait for more excitement tomorrow. Apparently half the fun is finding out which are the “can’t miss” performances, so I’ll have to keep my ears to the wall so I don’t miss out. Stay tuned! I’ll tweet out when I’ll be live streaming, so make sure you follow @CDNgymnastics for alerts.

By Julie Forget, GCG Director of Communications & Marketing