A return to in-person competition for gymnasts at Langley’s Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational meet

This year, the Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational meet will be in person once again, with more than 1,000 gymnasts expected to compete in the annual event at the Langley Events Centre.

Because of the pandemic, last year’s event was a virtual version that took place at the end of February, with athletes recording their routines on video for judges to review.

READ ALSO: Langley’s Christy Fraser Memorial gymnastics competition goes virtual

This year, Christy’s mom, Lory Fraser, said with tentative approval from health authorities, organizers were registering athletes with the promise of refunds if the event had to be called off.

“We were told we could go ahead with the meet, but there was a chance the rug could be pulled out from under us,” Fraser told the Langley Advance Times.

“We were sitting on the edge of our seats.”

Conformation finally came in the last week of January, something a delighted Fraser called “really good news.”

The 2022 Memorial is scheduled to take place over three days from Friday, Feb. 18 through until Sunday Feb. 20, at the Langley Events Centre in Building B.

It will operate under COVID-19 restrictions, including a requirement that all who attend must be fully vaccinated, Fraser said.

Fraser said there will also be about 90 elite gymnasts, who had qualified for the B.C. Winter Games, but didn’t have a chance to compete because the games were called off.

“They’re all elite level,” Fraser said.

It will be the second in-person meet to be hosted by the Langley Gymnastics Foundation since the pandemic, following a December 2021 out-of-cub meet that drew about 360 athletes from Whistler to Chilliwack – Zones 3, 4, and 5 – to take part in the 2021 Langley Invitational and B.C. Games Trials .

READ ALSO: Langley Gymnastics Foundation hosts first out-of-club competition since pandemic hit

To honour the memory of Christy, who passed away in August of 1992 at the age of 12, Langley Gymnastics Foundation began the Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational meet.

Christy has been described as a dedicated gymnast who possessed the ability to overcome adversity with a cheerful smile and a ‘try again’ attitude.

In addition to awards for first, second and third place finishes at each Christy Fraser Memorial, Lory Fraser handpicks a dozen or so young gymnasts who embody the same mannerisms and attitude of her daughter – that is, supportive, determined and displaying a positive attitude – and awards them trophies.

In the first year of the event, about 170 athletes competed in a gymnasium at Langley Secondary.

Over the years, it has grown to include more than 20 different clubs from across B.C. and Alberta with athletes ranging in age from five to 17 to compete in recreational, provincial and elite levels.