Gymnast succeeds despite split focus
McKenna Stefels is not your typical gymnast.
The Gymnastics Energy member trains and competes at Level 4 in both the artistic and rhythmic disciplines of the sport.
“It is quite rare for a gymnast to do both and to excel in both because they are worlds apart when it comes to the sport,” coach Becky Bridges said.
The 12-year-old St. Catharines resident trains 12 hours a week for artistic and six hours a week for rhythmic.
“I am home schooled so I have a lot of spare time on my hands and it is quite easy,” she said.
She has yet to decide which discipline she prefers.
“I like different parts of both,” McKenna said. “I like the flexibility part of rhythmic and there’s lots more kids in artistic so there is a lot more people to train with.”
She expects to focus on one or the other once she starts high school at Eden.
“It (the training) will likely be too much when I go to high school.”
Each discipline is good cross training for the other.
“Rhythmic really helps with the flowiness side of artistic and artistic helps with the strength,” said McKenna, who also does skills training in basketball for fun.
McKenna is enjoying a successful season on the rhythmic side of things. At a recent provincial qualifier in Milton, she placed first on bars and beam, was third on the floor and fourth all around.
“She was a new Level 4 gymnast at the start of this year and she has made so, so much progress this year in terms of her skills, how hard she works and her work ethic,” Bridges said. “On top of that, she has had great results at her competitions.”
Bridges points to a number of factors for those results.
“She is very mature and aware of where she is a gymnast and what she needs to do to improve. She is not afraid,” she said. “She is always the first to try for something, to go for something and to figure it out.”
Last season, McKenna broke her ankle and only managed to get in one competition at Level 4. That hasn’t slowed her down this season.
“I am really happy with how I have done so far,” she said. “I have improved my scores a lot from previous years and I am placing higher which is nice too.”
Beams and bars are where she has seen the biggest improvements.
“On beam, I used to fall off and it isn’t happening as much this year. On bars, I’ve gotten a lot stronger and it looks a lot cleaner and tighter.”
There is one provincial qualifier remaining.
“Hopefully I can get my scores up and make the provincial championships,” McKenna said. “And I want to up my vault score a little bit more because that was a little low the last time.”
She has been involved in gymnastics for the past seven years, getting started when her mom put her in recreational gymnastics when she was five.
“I started in competitive when I was seven because I wanted to try something a little but harder.”
She enjoys most everything about the sport.
“I really like how much sportsmanship there is and I like that it is an unique sport and it’s really fun.
Following are the rest of the Gymnastics Energy results from the provincial qualifier.
Level 3 Age 9: Ella Diemert, seventh vault, third bars, second beam, sixth floor, fifth all around; Hannah Losier, fourth vault, third bars, second beam, fifth floor, second all around.
Level 3 age 10: Maya Siudowski, third vault, first bars, second beam, first floor, first all around.
Level 3 age 11: Hannah Selinger, first vault, first bars, fifth beam, fourth floor, third all around; Ruby Kirwin, third vault, fifth bars, third beam, fifth floor, fourth all around.
Level 3 age 12: Minah Oatway, fourth vault, seventh bars, fourth beam, first floor, third all around.
Level 4 age 10: Kayleigh Hughes, first vault, third bars, seventh beam, sixth floor, second all around; Alcina Di Lorenzo, third vault, fifth bars, sixth beam, second floor, fourth all around; Renae Stefels, sixth vault, first bars, fifth beam, ninth floor, fifth all around.
Level 4 age 11: Khloe Rivera, fifth vault, third bars, fourth beam, second floor, fifth all around.
Level 4 age 12: Avery Azzopardi, third vault, fourth bars, seventh beam, fifth floor, third all around; Dorothy Foulser, fifth vault, fifth bars, seventh beam, sixth floor, seventh all around; Grace Lombarczki, sixth vault, sixth bars, ninth beam, eighth floor, eighth all around.
Level 4 age 13: McKenna Stefels, sixth vault, first bars, first beam, third floor, fourth all around.
Level 4 age 14-plus: Kairi Shaw, fifth vault, third bars, second beam, fourth floor, third all around.
Level 5 age 12: Anna Keating, first vault, second bars, fourth beam, second floor, first all around; Ashley Surman, third vault, first bars, fifth beam, fourth floor, third all around; Francesca Maney, fourth vault, third bars, third beam, third floor, fourth all around; Hannah Fulton, second vault, fifth bars, sixth beam, sixth floor, fifth all around.
Level 5 age 13: Rheagan Hamm, fifth vault, seventh bars, third beam, second floor, third all around; Clara Gretsinger, eighth vault, second bars, sixth beam, eighth floor, eighth all around; Paige Marion, ninth vault, sixth bars, fifth beam, seventh floor, ninth all around.
Level 5 age 14-15: Kathryn Chapman, fourth vault, fifth bars, first beam, first floor, first all around; Cadence Savoie, sixth vault, first bars, second beam, first floor, second all around; Sadie Kennedy, fifth vault, fourth bars, sixth beam, fourth floor, fifth all around.
