OAK BLUFF, Manitoba — Pacey-rae Westergard has been a competitive gymnast since she was 4 years old. She constantly sets goals, reflects, and resets goals to achieve her own personal best. She is currently 10 years old and working on Level 8/9 skills. She competes at the Aspire level and this year made one of her biggest athletic dreams come true. She made Team Manitoba and represented her province in the Western Artistic Gymnastics Championships (April 21-23), where her and the rest of Team Manitoba in her level took home a bronze medal. It was especially special to represent Manitoba in her home province. It was a wonderful and proud moment for her. Pacey-rae works hard at her sport. In her words, she is constantly “striving for excellencies.” She trains 24 hours a week in the gym, and probably another 5-10 hours at home conditioning, strength training, and perfecting her movements.

What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?

Pacey-rae Westergard: I have tiny goals, small goals and big goals and an ultimate dream with my gymnastics. My small goals always include the next skill I would like to accomplish. The tiny goals are the ones I make for each practice to get one step closer to achieving that skill I am trying to get. Currently, my small goals are to get my back handspring layout step out on the high beam. I also am working on polishing my bar routine and would like to get my double back dismount on bars. On the floor, my goal is to get my double twist, and on vault I’m really looking forward to getting my yurchenko tsuk. I have two big goals for this upcoming season. The first is, of course, to make Team Manitoba for my second year and represent Manitoba at Westerns (and hopefully place!). The second would be to make the National Team! My ultimate dream is a dream I share with many gymnasts. I would love to make Team Canada and compete at the elite level, and even represent my country at the Olympics.

What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?

Westergard: Gymnastics is a really tricky sport both physically and mentally. My biggest challenge so far in gymnastics would have to be going through mental blocks. It is so confusing and frustrating. It is hard to know you have done this skill so many times and then all of a sudden, your brain gets in the way and tells you that you can’t! It is kind of crazy actually! This season was a really hard one for me with mental blocks and I had to develop some strategies that would not only work in the moment, but also outside of the gym. Sometimes I would think about the skill outside of the gym, during school, and it would interfere with my schoolwork. This year, I worked on positive self talk. When I feel a mental block, even a small one, start, I remind myself of Muscle Memory. This means that I remind myself that physically I know I can do this, I just have to go for it and my muscle memory will take over. I learned to trust myself. Sometimes I take a step back from the skill and break it down to the beginning again, almost relearning it. One thing I often say inside my head is “This is tough. But so am I.”

What was the best advice you were ever given?

Westergard: My coaches have given me so much great advice!  I would not be me without their influence! One thing that stands out is one time when I told Miss Brenda that I couldn’t do a skill because I was having a mental block and my brain wouldn’t let me, she said “You are the driver of the car. You control this.” This helped me remember that I am able to overcome the moment by regaining control. That was helpful. She also tells me to think of challenges like a staircase. You can’t just jump to the top. You have to climb each step, and each step is valuable so take it one step at a time. And one thing both Miss Brenda and Miss Sandy tell me when I am struggling with a mental block is “Remember to have fun … you do this because you love it.”

What do you love about your sport?

Westergard: I love gymnastics because it makes me feel like I can fly. When I was really little my life dream was to fly. Gymnastics has always gave me that feeling. I am also the kind of kid that has so much energy. I am always moving around, running, jumping, bouncing … I just like a lot of action!  Gymnastics really helps to get a lot of my energies out. I also love how gymnastics gives me a challenge. It challenges me physically and it is exciting and fun to see what more I can do with my body. It also gives me a good mental challenge and even though it is hard, I like that it makes my brain and heart grow stronger. Gymnastics makes me feel confident, like I can do anything I put my mind to. The thing I love most about my sport though, is definitely my gym family. They are always with me through hard times and good times. They cheer me on and I know they are always there for me.

Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?

Westergard: I am a VERY superstitious athlete. I love my routines. I have many pre-practice and pre-competition rituals I follow. First of all, before I head to my practices I have a pair of lucky socks that I put on to wear with my lucky shoes. I also have a lucky sweater I wear to every practice. We have to drive to and from gym in our truck, not our car. I eat the same breakfast (cinnamon toast, cut sideways). I wear the same bun in my hair and I like my mom to do my hair at the same spot at our counter. I always put the same scrunchie in my bun and I wrap it 3 times. Before a competition, I like to have the same breakfast, but different from my practice breakfast. I have plain toast, scrambled eggs and ham. If my competition is later in the day, I have salad and chicken for lunch. I also have a ritual the night before a competition. I always lay in my bed and I vision my routines. I vision right from introducing myself to the judge, through my whole routine, each skill, and then I vision presenting and smiling.

What has being a member of a team taught you?

Westergard: My team is everything to me. I love them so much and have learned so much from them. In fact, we do not call ourselves a team. We are a family. Spartans was not always Spartans. When I first joined my gym family I was only 2 years old and we were at Fantastic Gymnastics and we stayed there until it closed for some reason when I was 5. Then my coaches, Miss Brenda and Miss Sandy right away pulled us together and we trained in school gyms, church basements, even in open fields. Then another gym opened their doors to us to train for the year, and we became part of the Flippers Team in Steinbach. We were very grateful to them and will always be grateful for their generosity. After that year, when I was 7, Spartans Gymnastics was born. Jenn became the owner and found us a great space to train in. We trained there and then during COVID we had to do zoom training. We finally got back to our gym and then last summer, our gym burned down. I could see the smoke in the air from home and was so sad. But Jenn never, ever gave up. She spent the whole summer looking for a new place and new equipment. Her husband even drove to New York to get us some equipment! All the while, Miss Brenda was in action finding us a space to train over the summer.

Again, Flippers opened their doors and we were able to train in Steinbach all summer long. In October, Spartans Gymnastics opened again and our new gym is the BEST!!! This is important because through it all, my family stuck together. Being part of the Spartans family has taught me how to hold my head high when things are tough. It has taught me to be proud of who I am and how hard I work. It has taught me to trust in myself and my team. Most of all, it has taught me unconditional love. My gym family loves me and accepts me. I can be myself, truly be myself and I know they will always love me, support me, encourage me, and celebrate me. I belong there and I am valued there.

What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?

Westergard: Miss Brenda gives me advice everyday, so it is so hard to pick just one from her! Miss Sandy reminds me to focus on being in the moment and letting go of a bad event so it doesn’t affect the rest of my practice or competitions. I find this really helpful because it is easy to get up in my head when things don’t go right. So I pack it away and call it a day! I move on to the next event and try my best. My teammate Pao gives me really great advice. She is from Brazil, and next year she is moving to Alaska to go to university and do gymnastics there! I love Pao and I have learned a lot from her. She will remind me how to stay strong, keep my arms strong during a skill.

Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.

Westergard: At this years Westerns, in April, I felt really confident and prepared with my routines. On beam, during my first connection, I fell on the second back handspring and that is near the beginning of my routine! I still had most of my routine to do and I felt a bit shaken from missing my landing on the connection but I took a deep breath, got back on the beam and said to myself “That was one move, it does not have to be the rest of the routine. Finish strong. I’ve got this!” So I finished strong. I landed all the rest of my skills and made myself proud.

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