Beavers Add Elite Canadian Gymnast for 2014
April 17, 2013
CORVALLIS – Oregon State gymnastics head coach Tanya Chaplin has announced that she has received a National Letter of Intent from Canadian Elite gymnast, Madeline Gardiner, for the 2013-14 season.
“I am excited to welcome Maddie to the Oregon State Gymnastics family. Maddie is an exceptional addition to our talented 2014 recruiting class,” Chaplin said. “She’s a phenomenal gymnast and student and will be a wonderful fit with this team. Maddie is a national champion with vast international experience and will make an immediate impact throughout the lineup.”
Gardiner, a member of the Canadian National Team, was the team’s alternate for the 2012 Olympics in London. In 2012, she finished fifth in the senior division in the all-around at the Canadian Championships including second place finishes on the balance beam and fourth place on the uneven bars. Gardiner added a sixth place finish on the beam at the 2012 World Cup Zibo in China and at 2012 Elite Canada was fourth in the all-around, fifth on the floor exercise and eighth on the bars.
She won the all-around at the 2011 Canadian Championships and finished second on the beam. In addition, Gardiner finished second in the all-around at the 2011 International Gymnix Challenge in Montreal, sixth in the all-around at the WOGA Classic in Dallas, and second at the 2011 Nadia Comaneci International meet in Oklahoma City.
“When I went to visit in January, the coaches and athletes and everyone else I met were so friendly and made me feel welcome and at home as soon as I got there,” Gardiner said. “The energy of the team, and how they’re really a family was a huge draw for me as well! As a bonus the campus is beautiful and I can’t wait to spend a great four years at OSU!”
Gardiner’s addition brings the Beavers’ 2013-14 recruiting class to five. Megan Jimenez (Temecula, Calif.), Kana Kobayashi (Salt Lake City, Utah), Kaytianna McMillan (Coburg, Ore.) and Taylor Ricci (North Vancouver, B.C.) signed during the early signing period in November.
Gardiner currently trains at Dynamo Gymnastics under coaches Elvira Saadi, Sarah Rainey and Kim Thibeault and was formerly coached by the late Vladimir Kondratenko. Previously she trained at Cambridge Kips Gymnastics Club. Click her to watch Gardiner on YouTube: http://youtu.be/tNdPScmdRo4
2013-14 Oregon State Gymnastics NLI Signees
* Maddie Gardiner – (Cambridge, Ontario / Galt Collegiate Institute / Dynamo Gymnastics)
* Megan Jimenez – (Temecula, Calif. / Temecula Valley HS / Precision Gymnastics Academy)
* Kana Kobayashi – (Salt Lake City, Utah / Brighton HS / Olympus School of Gymnastics)
* Kaytianna McMillan – (Coburg, Ore. / Churchill HS / National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics)
* Taylor Ricci – (North Vancouver, B.C. / Seycove Secondary / Flicka Gymnastics Club)
