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'-I Prvincial debut a MIen one for Young Spninger Delà Pena dlaims aiI-around Level 6 championship Afourt hepiainhrfItook aot nan5ev- By Steve LeBlanC1 potential. She lived up to that by beating out enth on vault rounded out her provincial C A NA DIA N C HAM PIO0N STA FF 31 competitors for her provincial trumph. It campaiqn, which followed all-around to- A distinct clang rings out as Diana Dela Pena Edrops her latest hardware haul around her Sneck. lt's a sweet sound - one that elicits an <encouraging response. 'li love that sound,» says a slightly older club- mate, offering a big smile. « That congratulatory-type comment is some- 5thing the young gyrnnast is becoming ut Sfamiliar with since reigning supreme at the Ob provincial championships in Windsor. MOn the strength of a first-place finish in her -bread-and-butter bars event the nine-year- E old eclipsed Ottawas Chelsey Louis-Jean by q less than two-tenths of a point (37.742) for 2overaîl Level 6 gold, giving the Milton Spring- ers their first all-around Ontario champ in Sfive years. « I was s0 happy... and surprised,»' said Diana, Iwho soon after joining the club at age five was identified as having competitive team feit really good to win!' Working with the newly-crowned provincial champ for the past two years now, coach MarynaVorobyova stressed thatwhile Diana's talent has always been apparent her work ethic is perhaps her strongest attribute. 'She has these goals in her head and will keep working on them until she gets it right, said Vorobyova, who instructs Diana along- side Krista Johnsen and Candice Feinrip. «She wants to get everyttiing perfect. She's very dedicated!" While a perennial powerhouse on bars, her recent improvements on beam also factored heavily into making her provincial debut a victorious one. Much more sure of her footing during jumps now after a somewhat fearful stretch on the beam, Diana secured the bronze in that dis- cipline in Windsor. 'Yeah l'm definitely more confident (on beam) three finishes at ail three qualifying meets - including a golden performance at her home club in early March. Also coming away from provincials with some hardware was fellow nine-year-old Dani Silvestre, who increased her overaîl score by more than two full points to place fifth in the Level 5 ranks. That was due largely to a golden floor rou- tine and a silver on bars. Buoyed by an all-around victory, enjoyed during her recent international debut at the Cancun Cup (Mexico), Level 8 competitor Keiara Jones-TyrelI boosted her all-around results to move up the provincial rankings, while the Springers'seven other representa- tives enjoyed personal-best efforts in at least one event. Steve LeBlanc can be reached at siebIanc@mi- toncanadianchamnpion.comn or on Twitter @ MiItonOnSports. Diana Dela Pena shows the Level 6 medals she earn at the Ontario Gymnastics Championships i n Wi ndsor. Stem L#BIonC/anadia knon Teamn chemnistryjust kept building, says Smnith 2 0 1 I U M E 1 Youil Boys/Girls ~~. w to 17 yars@Id àf on à* Rogistaon fmrrs may bo prrntod 6ran aur website & dropped off at SmMi Flekhoes loSundynd Mondlay ovanosgs 4,5 &6 y.rs .ld (US) 451.9215 «JM huùmer Mens Toam & indmuai 'J w W Play 3 -20 MnPernd16 13191 622-3710 or 100-41 70«-727A Softball Players BYs ages 11 -16 to Play softball in Burlington. Burlington Amateur Softball Association Get ail the sparts tram Miltan Oakville. Builingtan and sun'aunding amras anire and an yaur schedule. wwIWindmbn.ftom RPersevering through a brush with altitude sickness that came with recent training in nearby Courchevel, France, NEXXICE deliv- ered a club record 146.03-point free program to nudge itself bétween two powerhouse Finland teams on the podium - finishing less than three points behind the countrys first-entry tearn and a razor-thin quarter-of-a-point ahead of its sec- ond-entry squad. Skating to a West Side Story theme in the free program and a Midnight Waltz (Cinderella) one for the short program - in which they earned a score of 74.84 - the silver medal- ists showed a heightened chemis- try over that of their bronze-medal performance at Januarys Mozart Cup in Austria. «I feel our biggest improvement (from Mozart Cup) was our ability to feel each other on the ice and skate to match the style and expression of the skaters beside us, noted Smith, who helped NEXXICE maintain its national supremacy in late Febru- ary in Burnaby, B.C., with a decisive eighth straight Canadian gold med- ailwin. «We were able to carry that through nationals and worlds. We became - very spatially aware, which meant we were very dlean during the com- petition.' So was Smith nervous about her de- but on the world stage? «I had quite a lot of nerves leading into the short program, but the practice time on the competition rink beforehand really prepares you for what the stadium is going to be like when it's holding 3,000-plus people. 'By the time the music starts I'm usually pretty 'in the zone' and ail things outside the program become white noise.» This season marked the third straight silver for NEXXICE, and sixth time on the world championship podium - including Canadas only gold in 2009. Steve LeBlanc can be reached at sie- blanc@mitoncanadiancham pion. THE HALTON SPOnoRTSMEN'S ASSOCIATION is proud to host the, *18 igaines guaranteed *Prime time game times *LateAMrI - late August $413717eTér AOe 0ChUm 19 Yom naît and unider. Brlng your mlhln glu n lob us for »Ill andfl afo and refreshmerit coupon Umtted: 2 fsh per poison M POnd M m on Ou se sdmof Melk 8ýeI~ bW tout &fMlrw n Mmon.i P nd wîll be stocked Rainbow r;ot!