Article by: Joelle Paris

Congratulations to Gabrielle Nunez and Janine Gong who are January’s Athletes of the Month! Gabrielle, or Gabby as she is known to all in the gym, has been with Oakville Gymnastics Club for 4 years, while Janine has trained at OGC over the past three years. Gabrielle and Janine are a new partnership for whom the 2018-2019 season is their first together. According to Senior Coaching staff,

“They have both been working so hard this year. Their Coach has challenged them both in their skills and their individuals and they have really taken it on board and shown great determination. They have been very focused since they have been put together and work very hard every session.” 

Indeed, their hard work is already paying off, as during the first Ontario Acro Cup in December, Gabby and Janine finished an impressive 1st place in the Level 6 Women’s Pair category. Of their first place finish, 8 year old Janine could feel their success even before the scores came up. “I knew it because I felt that Gabby was very stable and I was really tight.”

Of watching Gabby and Janine, Gabby’s mom says “I love watching the sport and it’s such a joy to watch them – they are so much fun and they work so hard.” For Gabby and Janine, their strong work ethic is an active choice that they make every time that they walk into the gym to train. According to Gabby, “I work really hard to win and to achieve my goals. I like to win because winning is succeeding.” Janine too, shares Gabby’s drive to achieve lofty goals in the sport – her gymnastics goal is to compete at the Junior and Senior elite levels, the highest levels of Acro gymnastics. Janine’s mother thinks that it is great that she has found something that she is so passionate about at such an early age. “For us it’s more joy than anything else,” she says.

Coach Erin, Gabby and Janine’s Coach, believes that the biggest determinants of long term success in Acrobatic gymnastics are an individuals’ ability to continually strive to do better and adopt corrections quickly, along with an inherent passion for the sport. Coach Erin thinks that Gabby and Janine exemplify these qualities. Indeed, as individuals and a partnership they are full of potential. Janine is hardworking, sweet, a great listener and she follows the rules while Gabby is very knowledgeable and talented. Their partnership really works as these young athletes have a lot of love and faith in one another. According to Coach Erin, their first Ontario Acro Cup win together was just the beginning for them. “Hard work and intelligence pays off. I think that they are going to continue to excel.”

Author: Oakville Gym