Competition is over

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4 very long days of competition...Saturday was over 12 hours at the venue.

The team went into the final round 2nd behind a group from the USA ("Legends"). They do the final round in reverse order, so our group went 2nd to last. They absolutely nailed their routine with only one small bobble and surely put the pressure on the US team who were watching from the sidelines (maybe not the best decision in hindsight). The pressure must have got to those USA girls as they had a bit of a tough time and Canada ended up taking home the GOLD MEDAL!!!!!

In her individual events, Taelyr did quite well, although she did not garner any medals. This year she was in the top division in most things so it was pretty tough. The Japanese twirlers are in another universe compared to most of the rest of the world. From what I can remember Taelyr ended up with a 4th place finish in 3 baton, 8th place in 2 baton, 11th place in Freestyle...for some reason I can't remember the Solo score...

Overall our Canadian girls did quite well, especially compared to last year. They earned several medals overall, probably close to a dozen or so.

We are taking a bit of a slow day today and then we are going to do some serious sight seeing Tues, Wed, Thurs....Tomorrow we are going to the Blue Mountains. They are called that because the Eucalyptus trees give off an oily mist that makes the air appear blueish in the valleys...should be cool to see. That's an all day tour that includes many stops and even a chance to pet a Koala apparently. Kendall is looking forward to that.

EDIT: Taelyr had a baton clinic this morning, as if they haven't had enough of it. She was instructed by a couple of Japanese men twirlers that we had seen at the Championships. They are both incredible twirlers so I'm sure that was a good experience for her. She now gets a whopping 3 weeks off before "next season" starts.... 😊

Got a head start on some sightseeing today. We did the Opera House Tour. That's a pretty incredible building. Interesting story too. Construction started in 1957, with a budget estimate of $7M. Finished in 1973 at a total cost of $102M....I would fully expect that building to cost near $1B today if it could even be built.

Then we went on to the Sydney Tower. 268 M above the ground. Taelyr and I paid extra to do the 'Skywalk', where you get all suited up and walk around the top of the tower outside...cool. You are harnessed in and hooked to a track all the way so it's very safe.

Tomorrow we are going to the blue mountains so I'm sure I'll have some good pics from there.

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Photos

WBTF Flag
They do a complete rasing/lowering of the flag as you might see at Olympics and such. They also pass of the flag (and toss a baton) to the next host country. In 2011 the event will be in Jacksonville, Florida....hmmm.

Kendall has been converted
Nanny should like this one...we sat next to the English and French supporters. The French were loudest, then us Canadians. Surprisingly the US were quiet, although their team did extremely well overall. The Japanese were 'reserved' as you might expect and extremely polite and graceous.

Gold For Canada!
Here is our team of 8 that won the Gold Medal.

Closer
It looks like this site now allows video uploads...if I can figure it out, I'll post the winning routine when we get home.

Comments

[Marcie]

Yay for Team Canada!
We are so excited to hear Taelyr and her team won GOLD! Congratulations girls, you deserve it! And congratulations to Taelyr too, you did so well! Now relax and enjoy your touristy stuff the next few days! Love (Auntie) Marcie

[Auntie Cheri]

Congrats Taelyr & Team Canada!
Hi Guys, Congratulations Taelyr on another great competion...and your group gold medal! You all work so hard you certainly deserve it. We are very proud of you and were thinking about you all week-end. I was going to ask if you had been on a tour inside the Opera House but you answered that question in your email. Hope your vacation is a little more relaxing with less stress. Have fun touring the next few days and a safe trip home. Love, Auntie Cheri xoxoxoxoxoxo