Korey Matte had mixed emotions about going to westerns for the third-straight year after finishing his national youth category debut as the eighth all-around male gymnast at provincials.
"Three years in a row at westerns is a good accomplishment," said the member of the Dynamyx Gymnastics Club of St. Albert. "Most of the competitions I go to I do pretty well in but provincials I didn't do too well. It was just an off day for me."
Matte, 14, placed fourth on floor, sixth on vault, seventh on pommel horse, ninth on parallel bars and high bar and 10th on rings at last weekend's championships at the Saville Community Sports Centre.
"Floor I did well in and vault I liked too but it really wasn't my best competition," Matte said. "But considering I'm a first year national youth I was all right with it."
Westerns start Thursday in Winnipeg.
"I don't really have a goal. I just want to do well basically," said the Grade 9 William D. Cuts School student. "I actually want to make finals in at least one event because it's national youth so it's going to be hard. Hopefully I do well and at least place top three."
Last year at westerns in Level 4, Matte made finals in vault and rings for the second consecutive time.
"It gets a little more difficult at national youth (13-15 age group). Some skills don't count as in Level 4 or Level 3. It's harder skills," he said.
Vault and rings are Matte's specialties.
"I really don't know why I'm good at vault," he said. "I don't really have too many hard skills on rings but I'm actually just really tight and neat."
Matte has been flipping out as a gymnast since age nine and has stuck with it.
"It's one of those sports my mom put me in to try out," he said. "I like it. It's fun."
The five-foot-two gymnast has been putting in overtime in preparation for provincials and now westerns, with special attention paid to improving his pommel horse and high bar routines.
"Training is all right but it's a little exhausting sometimes. This week we've been training every day so I'm pretty tired right now."
Dynamyx results
Logan Busch and Isaiah Wong turned in medal-winning performances at provincials in the men's category. Busch was the all-around gold-medallist in Level 1 12-and-under and Wong was awarded silver on high bar and bronze on floor for fourth all-around in Level 3 over-12.
The female medal winners were Kasiana Croskery-Sasorith, Monique Wright, Janelle Trombley and Emily Pilat.
In Level 3 open, Croskery-Sasorith was golden on vault and floor and Wright collected bronze on uneven bars for fifth all-around.
Trombley earned silver on beam and bronze on floor for seventh all-around in Level 2 novice.
Pilat took home bronze on vault for seventh all-around in Level 4 tyro.
Provincials were co-hosted by the Dynamyx, Ortona and Capital City gymnastics clubs.
