Sylvan Lake’s Madison Ruff will be joining 11 other members from Thunder Country on Team Alberta this summer at the nations gymnastics championship.
Ruff will be competing in trampoline and tumbling competitions this July in Lethbridge.
This is the first time Ruff has competed in a competition this large, and says she is a little nervous, but won’t let that stop her from doing her best.
“I am just going to push the nerves past me and do my best,” Ruff said.
Her mother, Anna Ruff, calls her very dedicated, as Ruff practises at least 12 hours a week, and even more during the summer.
During the summer months Ruff will go to the gym five days a week to practise, as Thunder Country opens up the gym to more hours during the off season.
“She set a goal in the summer and here she is, she met it,” Anna Ruff said.
The 13-year-old gymnast set a goal to compete alongside some of the gymnasts from her home team on Team Alberta.
With only five years of the mats under her belt, Ruff said she has had to work hard to make it on to the provincial team.
“It feels really good. I set this goal to compete in nationals last year and I had to work hard for it,” said Ruff.
Ruff has already made a goal for next year. She plans to make a move in her levels.
Currently, she says she is a level five and plans to move up to level six.
At the higher level, the judging and routines are harder.
“It’s a harder, more complex routines,” Ruff explained. “It level six you are more mobilized and the difficulty goes up with each level.”
The increase in levels is the next step in her ultimate goals.
Ruff says she has her eyes on the 2024 Olympics.
“I’m going to continue to work hard and increase in levels to meet my goals,” said Ruff adding those she looks up to include a few members on her team that have competed at a provincial and national level and done well.
“They are at a really high level, and I look up to them and their dedication.”
Anna Ruff says she is looking forward to watching her daughter compete at her first national competition.
When asked who she feels about her daughter’s success and goals for the future, Anna Ruff said she and her husband are both “very proud” of Ruff.
The national championship will be held in Lethbridge on July 6-8.
