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Two athletes from Wayland Trampoline in Maple Ridge reached the national score at the first competition of the season.
In total, Wayland’s competitive team brought home 13 medals and numerous top-10 awards this past weekend from the Aaron Johnson Memorial Cup in Burnaby.
Every member of the team made Top 10 in at least one event.
Makayla Tabb and Summer Novakowski, however, achieved scores to attend the 2018 TG Canadian Championships.
Tabb is a long-time Wayland Trampoline athlete. Last season, it was her goal to reach score, but suffered a concussion and missed the rest of the season.
Last weekend was her first time competing since and performed four exceptional routines, earning her a ticket to this year’s Canadian championships.
Tabb said that after completing her passes, she felt proud and relieved that she could come back and hit them all on her first try.
She said it gave her the confidence that “this is my year, I can actually do this.”
Novakowski is new to Wayland Trampoline, but not to the sport.
Since she started in trampoline, her goal has been to make the national score by the time she was 11. She did so at the Burnaby event and is proud that her hard work has paid off and that she gets to attend Canadians this year.
Other notable Wayland medalists include Starr Novakowski, who came first in Level 1, 11 and under trampoline.
Starr Novakowski also won on double mini.
Jordyn Schmidt, a first-time competitor, was second in Level 1, 11 and under trampoline.
In Level 1, 12 and up, Taegan McAleese, another first-time competitor, earned a first-place medal.
In Level 4 trampoline, Summer Novakowski brought home silver. She also came third in double-mini, along with her score for Canadians.
In Level 1 double mini, 12 and up, Alexis Piso placed third.
Sahara Backeland, competing Level 2 double mini, 14 and up, came first.
Danielle Swanson came second in Level 3 double mini, 15 and up.
In tumbling, Emma Johnston and Danielle Swanson brought home third-place medals in Level 1, 12 and under, and Level 2, respectively.
Monika Gulyas, Chelsey Herman, and Lilla Gulyas, coaches for Wayland Trampoline, are pleased with how the competition went and excited to see how the rest of the competitive season plays out. They will be taking the athletes to the Kamloops Invitational for the second competition of the season in March.