Going for the gold - and the fun
BILL BULEY/Press Gymnasts, from left, Karstin Harmon, Karly Harmon and Sophia Elwell on Wednesday pose near some of the awards for the Great West Gym Fest at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Convention Center.
BILL BULEY/Press Ethan Storm and Karen Traub bring in equipment for the Great West Gym Fest.
COEUR d’ALENE — Nine-year-old Karstin Harmon is both excited and nervous about participating in the Great West Gym Fest, which begins today.
Excited because she wants to have fun and perform in front of a crowd. Nervous because she’s uncertain how things will go.
“I’m looking forward to the floor and the beam,” she said Wednesday as she played with her sister, Karly, 7, and friend Sophia Elwell, both also gymnasts. “They’re not really my best events, but I like them.”
Elwell was feeling good about competing in the floor exercise and vault — but not because they’re her favorites.
“I don’t like them,” she said. “I just have to get a higher score.”
The Coeur d’Alene girls are among an estimated 1,500 young female gymnasts, ages 6 to 19, who will be in the 19th Great West Gym Fest that runs through Sunday at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Convention Center.
About 80 will be from North Idaho.
Meet director Dave Adlard said this year’s is the largest turnout yet with athletes from 20 states and Canada. They’ll compete in individual and team events — balance beam, vault, floor exercise and uneven bars — in search of that winning score.
A crowd of about 5,000 is expected to watch all four days.
“We run a very fun meet,” Adlard said as he joined crew members and volunteers setting up on Wednesday. “We’re pretty proud of it. It just keeps growing.”
Parent volunteer Karen Traub of Rathdrum was unloading equipment from trucks and taking it inside. She has two children, 10 and 6, who will be involved in all four events.
She said Gym Fest is good for the kids.
“The older one is a little more serious than the younger one, but they both have fun,” Traub said.
A highlight is “The Big Show” on Saturday night. It spotlights the invitational’s top gymnasts.
Several former gymnasts and Olympians will be on hand for meet and greets, to present awards and offer encouragement, including Jonathan Horton, Jake Dalton, Betty Okino, and Daniela Silivas from Romania.
Adlard and wife Lisa own Avant Coeur Gymnastics in Coeur d’Alene and are longtime coaches. They started the Great West Gym Fest in 2002 and had about 700 athletes. While it’s serious competition, they add ice cream socials, dance parties and a time to meet Olympians to provide a light atmosphere, too.
“We’ve got some good momentum,” Adlard said. “It’s a nice event for Coeur d’Alene and our kids.”
Tickets for single days or all-access passes are available at the door and at: bit.ly/2vMuO0L