Flu, schmu.
Hospital trip? Well, alright.
As an elite athlete, sometimes you have to play hurt, or at less than 100 per cent health.
Which is exactly what Okanagan Rhythmic Gymnastics (ORG) Club member Noelle Brierley of Vernon did.
Brierley returned from the Elite Canada national team trials in Regina, securing her spot on the Canadian High Performance team with a seventh-place showing in balls, and 12th in the senior girls overall.
This from a 16-year-old who was taken to the hospital mid-event with the stomach flu, weak, dizzy and disoriented.
"No one expected her to be able to qualify for High Performance, let alone complete the gruelling finals (all events on one day)," said Brierley's coach, former Olympian and Commonwealth Games champion Camille Martens, founder of ORG.
"Her tenacity and determination were inspiring, and with the support of an incredible medical team, she did the impossible. She finished fifth in the last final."
Brierley earning a spot on the national team marks the 25th consecutive year the ORG has qualified an athlete to the Canadian High Performance Team pool.
Elite Canada is the highest level event in the country and only the top juniors and seniors from the previous year’s Nationals are invited to participate. The Vernon club was thrilled to have five athletes there as a part of Team BC.
Joining Brierley in the senior division were Camille Hardy, 17, who finished 21st overall, two spots ahead of clubmate Clara Cox (15).
Pippa Hardy and Leila Girard, both 15, were 21st and 25th overall, respectively, in the Junior Competition.
The Okanagan Rhythmic Gymnastics club is off to an incredible start this competition season.
First, club athletes competed in San Diego at an invitational event before hosting the annual Queen of Hearts Competition in Vernon which drew more than 200 athletes from all over Western Canada.
Their last stop before the national team trials in Regina was the West Coast Cup in Victoria where the Okanagan Team won all the Golds in the most prestigious Senior Category.
Camille Hardy, Cox and Brierley worked together to accomplish that incredible feat!
"We could not be more proud of these incredible, strong, brave athletes," said Martens. "They worked hard and they shone brightly, showing exceptional composure.
"It’s hard to believe that our local Vernon club now has five athletes officially ranked in the top 25 in the country and that we have managed to have High Performance athletes for 25 consecutive years.Thank you to our community for their consistent support and thank you to the athletes, parents, volunteers, judges and friends for sharing this adventure.
"Thanks to our local and GYM Can medical teams for your love and care."
