north shore news

sport

February 1, 1984

Sports Desk 985-2131

GYMNASTS MEET

The reason is Bonnie
Wittmeier. 3

Wittmeier, a national team
member who moved to the
west coast from Winnipeg in
August to train at the Flicka
facility, took the high calibre
. meet by storm, winning the

all-around competition with
a score of 37.20. The 17-year-
old Handsworth Secondary
student won the floor exer-
cise, was second in the
balance beam and the uneven
bars (tie) and placed fourth in
the vault.

The Flicka club’s team No.
1 — consisting of Wittmeier,
Anita Botnen, Sandra Bot-
nen and Donna Haughland
— finished well ahead of the
pack with a total of 111.10.
The National Academy of
Artistic Gymnastics from
. Eugene, Ore., a perennial
* powerhouse, was second with
104.70 points, while Puget
Sound Rainbows of Tacoma,
‘Wash., was right behind at
104.50. -

In all, 60 athletes and 15
teams from British Colum-
bia, Washington, Oregon,
Quebec and England partici-
pated in the meet, which is
considered the highest-calibre

DISPLAYING HER own
Style and grace on the
beam is 13-year-old San-
dra Botnen, who finished
fourth overall in the re-
cent North Shore gym-
mastics invitational.
Older sister, Anita, one
of Canada’s top gym-
masts, placed third
overall.

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competition in the province
this year.

As far as Flicka coach
Mike Vossen is concerned,
however, the addition of
Wittmeier to this year’s team
hasn’t so much added a new
dimension as strengthened
one that was already there.

“The chemistry between
Bonnie and. Anita (Botnen)
works really well,’’ said
Vossen. ‘‘It has a good ef-
fect on the whole team.”’

You see, the Flicka club
already is home to West Van-
couver’s Anita Botnen,
another national team
member, whose close friend-
ship with Wittmeier was one
of the reasons the Winnipeg
native migrated west. The
18-year-old Botnen was no
slouch herself, finishing a
very close third behind
American national team
member Yumi Mordre of
Puget Sound Rainbows.
Mordre scored 36.95, while
Botnen had a 36.85.

Botnen won the uneven
bars, placed second in the
floor exercise and sixth in the

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SECTION

Fine finish for Flicka

THERE’S A very good reason why North Van-
couver’s Flicka gymnastics club won the recent
North Shore Invitational for only the second time
in the event’s 11 year history.

vault. Although the balance
beam is generally Botnen’s
strongest routine, she
uncharacteristically suffered
two falls — which, because
of point deductions eventu-
ally cost her the all-around
championship.

**¥’m pretty happy with the
way this went,’ said Witt-
meier, who used the meet to
showcase new routines in the
uneven bars and the balance
beam. ‘‘I’m most happy with
the bars because it’s new and
the landing was good.”’

‘‘Definitely, the relation-
ship. between the team
members helps,’’ added
Botnen, who-won the meet in
1981. ‘*You.can really help
each other get up as a team.
It’s a snowball-effect.”

A ease in point was
Botnen’s 13-year-old sister,
Sandra, who finished fourth
overall (36.30) and second in
the vault. Other strong show-
ings from Flicka members
came from Donna
Haughland (fifth overall with
35.55), Tracey Wilson (first
in the balance beam). .and
Urula Trpin. (tied for second:
in the. uneven: bars).

The meet was‘an important
tuneup for Wittmeier and
Botnen, both. of whom will
attend an Olympic team
qualifying competition Feb.

CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

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