By Lisa Parent

Medicine Hat gymnast embraces mentorship role for younger athletes after season success

Apr 3, 2024 | 4:03 PM

It has been a season of change and success for SALTA Gymnastic Club’s Chelsia Cooper.

Cooper’s biggest achievement this year was placing second all-around in level seven at the Alberta Winter Games.

“I didn’t really expect it, but I was really surprised and proud of myself after that,” Cooper told CHAT News.

Cooper also moved up from level seven to level eight gymnastics mid-season, meaning she had to learn new tricks on the fly.

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“She started flipping vaults, which is crazy,” SALTA coach Ashytn George said.

“Her skills have just gotten really clean and she’s hitting all of her skills, so it’s really awesome to see how she can maintain her routines, but also improve in the competitive season.”

Cooper’s success and determination is recognized by coach George, but it also caught the eye of a younger gymnast.

“She’s really good at gymnastics” nine-year-old Kapri Wirth said.

“She’s been doing it for a lot of years and it’s just amazing. I don’t know, it’s hard to express. It’s just cool.”

Wirth admires all of her older teammates for being role models, but especially looks up to Cooper.

Cooper said hearing that someone looks up to her is cool.

“Hopefully she can do the same as I did and go to Winter Games in a few years,” Cooper said.

Spring break is a time for many kids to enjoy the weather and relax, but Cooper, Wirth, and five other young gymnasts will and have spent a large portion of it working hard at the gym.

They are preparing for the Artistic and Trampoline Gymnastics Provincial Championships.

The event will be in Calgary starting Thursday and the gymnasts are looking forward to more than just competing.

“They’re one of my closest friends and you get to stay in a hotel with them and have fun and compete with them,” athlete Skylar Berner said.

Gymnast Adriana Mealey added: “For provincials we’re split up, but even if we are, in floor we’ll do each other’s floor routines, we’ll cheer each other on.”

SALTA coaches have been prepping their athletes for competition by working to fix the little things, like toe points, or other details that would take points off of a routine.

However, the coaches aren’t working alone, because they’ve got a “mini me” in Chelsia Cooper helping to guide the younger athletes.

“If it’s something simple, just like a pointed toe or a bent leg, it’s easier to pick out then,” Cooper said, when asked what advice she gives to the younger gymnasts.

Provincials runs from April 4 to 7. Afterwards, SALTA gymnasts have one more event in May before the competitive season ends.