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Show SPORTS The Park Record. PCMR LAUNCHES NEW CHALLENGE, B-6 www.parkrecord.com GUARDSMEN WILL RACE AT SOLDIER HOLLOW, B-4 B-1 SAT/SUN/MON/TUES, FEBRUARY 24-27, 2018 Keeping even Editor: Ben Ramsey sports@parkrecord.com 435.649.9014 ex.104 Twitter: @ParkRecSports BIATHLON SERIES BEGINS SATURDAY Soldier Hollow will host the 2018 Chief National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championship on Feb. 25, 26, 28 and March 1. Sunday’s race will be a sprint, Monday’s a pursuit, Wednesday’s a relay, and Thursday’s a patrol. All races will start at 9 a.m. PCHS BOYS SOCCER TRYOUTS The Park City High School boys soccer team will be holding tryouts beginning Monday, Feb. 26, at 3 p.m. on Dozier Field. Those interested in playing should register online at www.registermyathlete.com prior to the event. Each participant will need a current physical exam. Please contact Coach Tom Merchant at CoachPCsoccer@gmail.com with any questions. OLYMPIC PARK SKI EXPERIENCE Park City Ski and Snowboard Club was set to host the Olympic Park Ski Experience Saturday at the Utah Olympic Park, which will allow kids in fourth and fifth grade to try moguls, alpine racing, Nordic ski jumping, and freestyle and freeride skiing. The event was scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and cost $25 per skier. Register at Parkcityss.org. TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD WALK WITH EASE AT THE FIELDHOUSE BEN RAMSEY Basin Recreation is offering an arthritis prevention walking program at the Fieldhouse beginning March 6 and running through April 22. Walk with Ease is a great program for anyone dealing with arthritis or limited mobility or for those who love to stay in shape with walking. The class will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon on the track at the Fieldhouse. The cost is only $20 or free with your Silver Sneakers card. This weekend marks the 17th annual Winter Classic gymnastic competition in Park City, hosted by Black Diamond Gymnastics. The meet — billed as the largest invitational in Utah — was expected to draw about 900 athletes, who would compete largely for bragging rights as routines proceeded in The Basin Recreation Fieldhouse in Kimball Junction. For athletes, that means facing old opponents from around the state, seeing new ones for the first time, and like- PICKLEBALL ROUND ROBIN SHOOTOUT Gymnast keeps balanced in performances, life PC MARC hosts the Pickleball Round Robin Shootout every Sunday 1-3 p.m. This format pairs players with similar ability levels, and moves players up and down in the bracket based on game scores. Register online at parkcitymarc.tennisbookings. com or call 435-615-5401 for more information. Lulu Puchalski mounts the uneven bars as she performs a routine at Black Diamond Gymnastics Thursday morning. Roughly 900 athletes were registered to compete at the Black Diamond Winter Classic Meet, scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse in Kimball Junction. Mental preparation is last step for gymnasts before big meet The Park Record ly competing in front of their family and friends. All that translates to stress, which is why, on the day before they were scheduled to compete, a group of upper-level athletes went through a casual practice at the Black Diamond gym. It’s a day to build confidence, relax and prepare for the wave of activity that accompanies a massive competition. “Pretty much we are just doing routines on every event,” said Sedona Murdock, a Level 6 Black Diamond gymnast. “Doing whatever you feel like you need. … By now we have all our stuff and we know how to do it, we are just making sure we’re prepared, so we think we’re ready.” As the gym’s sound system worked through a 90s play list, Murdock’s teammate, Genet Dahl, said she had a couple skills to perform before competing. “I’m a little bit nervous for my kip cast handstand to fly-away on the high bar,” she said, adding that usually head coach Wendy Hamilton doesn’t let athletes compete with new skills until they have performed them for two weeks. “But she thought I had them really well, so she wanted me to compete with them,” Dahl said. “I’m a little bit nervous, but I hope I get it.” Dahl and other Black Diamond gymnasts that have reached Level 6 or higher spend around 20 hours a week practicing, Hamilton said, so expectations are high and going into a competition in the right mindset is crucial. “That’s probably as much if not more important as being physically prepared,” she said, as she stood by the bars and spotted the athletes through their routines. “I like them to come in and do what they feel they need to do so they feel like they can do their best. I have suggestions, but they are pretty responsible.” Elise Heddens walks a fine line to keep life goals on track YOUTH TENNIS PROGRAMS AT THE PC MARC BEN RAMSEY PC Tennis offers a variety of youth tennis programs for kids ages 5 to 14. Programs offer everything from beginner to competitive teams including: Team Mini Stars, Team All Stars, Team Super Stars, Junior Training, and Senior Training. The next session begins Feb. 26. Programs fill quickly so register in advance. Days, times, and prices vary depending on the class. Visit parkcityrecreation.org for more information on each program and to register. Call 435-615-5428 with any questions. For dedicated gymnasts, balance is crucial. It’s integral to every skill learned. But to sustain a high level of performance, athletes must balance the rest of their lives, too. Which is especially true if your parents own the gym. Just ask Elise Heddens, a gymnast at Black Diamond Gymnastics in Kimball Junction, and the daughter of Katy Heddens, the gym’s owner. On Thursday morning, while Elise was going through her final preparations before competing in the 17th annual Winter Classic — a massive invitational that Black Diamond hosts Please see Sports briefs, B-4 The Park Record TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Elise Heddens, 16, competes on the Black Diamond Gymnastics team. ay! ted, limi t tod e is ur spo c a Sp ve yo er res Do you know how to kick & thrash and get out in a dash? Learn how in this free community self defense class Hosted by Tim Berger of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office February 27 | 5-7pm WASATCH TRAINING CENTER 597 Parkway Drive | Park City UT 84060 435.640.8695 Added Dahl: “I like to relax and have fun before my competition, just to get all the stress out. I just kind of like to sit around and try to do as many handstands as I want, just to relax.” Hamilton said one of her goals as a coach is to instill the gymnasts with a sense of responsibility – which is almost inevitable given the workload that the combination of school and gymnastics puts on the athletes – but she knows she is doing her job when they come in with specific goals, especially before a big meet. “Hips up!” she said as Dahl swung through a routine. “Hips! Hips! Hips!” “Are you looking for the low bar?” Hamilton asked when Dahl had landed. “That will help you know where you are and make the release a little bit easier, Please see Gymnasts, B-3 — she said as soon as she could walk, she started practicing gymnastics. In an interview over the phone, Katy said her daughter has been at Black Diamond “literally, since the day she was born.” “It’s so much more than gymnastics,” Katy said. “It’s fun, exciting and hard, but it’s more about setting life goals and having opportunities to be a really good teammate and grow your leadership qualities.” Now, at age 16, Elise is still competing, and still picking up on the skills that gymnastics can offer. “This is where I spend more of my time,” she said during a break in practice. “I’m here more than my house — honestly. I only sleep at my house.” Like other elite gymnasts at Black Diamond, she said she spends about 4 1/2 hours at the gym for each of her five weekly practices, then an addiPlease see Heddens, B-2 |