Ria Meston, age 17, of the Chestermere area celebrated two milestones this spring. Not only did she graduate from high school but she received a gold medal for her tumbling routine at the Nationals held in Ottawa on May 21 to 26.
The national event in Ottawa drew 20 competitors in her category. This high level competition was held at Carleton University and brought together a crowd of over 100 participants, coaches and judges.
Meston told me that she started training in gymnastics in 2000 at the age of 5 at the Altadore Gymnastics Club. Her first focus in the sport was in artistic gymnastics which included vault, bar, beam and floor routines. The next years would attest to the amount of love, dedication and sacrifice in perfecting her form.
As she became more involved in the sport, she was putting up to 25 hours a week into practice and class. Along the way Meston opted for home schooling to be able to juggle the demands of her gymnastics schedule during her grade 7 to 10 years.
In 2011 Meston moved in a new direction that would ultimately lead her to capturing the gold medal. She changed her focus to mini trampoline and tumbling which meant fewer training hours. She said, “In addition it was easier on my body.” Also of importance to her was returning to school and being able to graduate with her friends.
The transition to school meant a little more work getting homework done in comparison to online classes due to the more social environment she was now in, something she has managed to keep up with and enjoy.
An article from the Gymnastics Ontario website promotes the idea of physical literacy, that movement is the first language we develop. It states that “If we give children the opportunity to do the right physical activities at the right time in their development, more of them will enjoy getting active and most will stay active.”
Enjoyment of physical activity is an integral part of Meston family life running their hobby farm and in their love of horses and motocross. The young Meston is also on the go at home with her involvement throughout the year with high school rodeo where she rides her mom’s 26 year old horse Ripien.
Meston will take a well deserved summer off to enjoy travelling with her family. She will keep her love of the sport alive through teaching which she has done since the age of 14. Mini trampoline and tumbling are not categories at the Olympic level but are included at the junior level in both national and international events.
As for the future off the mat that remains undecided. Like many of her peers she is taking a year off and perhaps will travel.
