By Ryan Laverty
In contrast to the teams and events that normally grace the floors of the Jack Simpson Gymnasium, this weekend’s seventh-annual Jurassic Classic Gymnastics Meet will be an exhibition of grace as much as grit.
"We are hosting this meet as a preparation for 2004 Olympic hopefuls, providing them with some international experience," said University of Calgary Women’s Head Coach Lisa Jefferies-Smith.
This is the first year the U of C Gymnastics Club has welcomed competitors from Europe, and it will make for some solid performances on Saturday night. The competition between the Canadian Women’s Gymnastic Team, including Kate Richardson who competed at the Sydney Olympics, and the French 2004 hopefuls will start Friday at 7:00 p.m. The men’s meet will take place simultaneously; hometown favourites Scott Lang and Olympic team member Kyle Shewfelt will compete against the Dutch.
Friday night will see the best teams on the national scene take the floor. The U of C squads will compete against other clubs from across the nation. And as it is with all other sports, the greatest rivalry will be against the University of Alberta teams. Lang, Colin Pentinnen, David Parent and Jade Kalinosky will try to win the men’s overall title on Friday.