Lakefield Herald Special Report

Gymnast aims to be number one

by Jamie Steel

In everything she does, Delaney Stedman aims to be number one.

The 13-year-old Lakefield College School student just returned from Cancun where she placed third of 38 gymnasts from around the world.

Representing Team Ontario, Delaney says it was both a challenge and a thrill competing in the international competition.

When they arrived in Cancun, Jan. 5, the team was introduced to the new equipment and regulations, all very different than what they were used to in Canada.

Routines had to be changed and components had to be added, Delaney says.

By the Friday night, however, Delaney and her teammates were able to spend their time relaxing by the pool, having already completed their performances.

“It was just nice to meet different gymnasts,” she says, adding she didn’t even know her teammates until she was selected for the team.

“I can’t wait to see them again and hopefully make a tour team with them next year.”

Though most of her teammates are older than her, Delaney says she cherishes the friendships she’s made and hopes they’ll last a lifetime.

Along with making friends, after being involved in gymnastics competitively since she was nine, Delaney loves the feeling of battling it out for the top spot.

“I love competing,” she says with a smile on her face. “That’s what I look forward to.”

Both Delaney and her mother, Melissa – formerly a gymnast and coach at Champions Gymnastics, the same club Delaney is part of – acknowledge that competitive nature shines through in everything the young Stewart Hall resident does.

Whether it’s public speaking, academics or her new-found love of skiing, Delaney pushes herself to her limits and beyond, settling for nothing but her best effort.

“I’m very competitive and I’m hard on myself in everything,” she says.

The support she receives from her family, including her younger, hockey-playing brother, means the world. Her teachers at LCS are also extremely accommodating to her near 20 hours per week of training.

They understand how much gymnastics means to her and they think it’s pretty neat she’s involved with it, Melissa says.

When Delaney was just two days old she attended her first provincial gymastics championship. At that time it was because her mom was coaching but since then she has developed her own reputation as a top notch athlete among other admirable accomplishments.

As for what life holds, Delaney hopes to pursue gymnastics as far as she can but she’s keeping an open mind for her future.

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