Former Nepean gymnast helps team to an Olympic berth
Posted Jan 19, 2012 By Dan PlouffeEMC sports - When Talia Chiarelli kickstarted the Canadian women's artistic gymnastics team to a berth in the 2012 Olympics with an impressive Yurchenko double twist vault, there was one person back in Nepean who had seen the moment coming for years.
"Her vault was her strongest as a little girl," says Agnes Laing, who coached Chiarelli until age 11 at the Nepean-Corona School of Gymnastics. "What she showed is exactly how she maintained her gymnastics career.
"Usually a little girl at eight or nine, it's a struggle. They have to create a lot of speed. Talia had it from day one."
Chiarelli earned her country's top score on the vault at the final Olympic qualifier in London, England, on Jan. 11.
The score propelled the Canadian team to a second-place finish out of the eight countries vying for the final four Olympic positions.
"I love Canada and I love this team so much," Chiarelli, 16, wrote on her Twitter account shortly after the event.
"I'm very proud of her," Laing says, noting the pressure on the Canadian team was likely as high for the qualifier as they'll feel at the Olympics.
"I really believed they would make it. I really wasn't on pins and needles."
Chiarelli demonstrated a superior level of commitment and determination by age eight, although her path to success may have started even earlier than that, Laing says.
"She tippy-toed for the first three years of her life walking. We used to have such a giggle out of it," Laing recalls. "We'd say, 'Put your heel down, Talia.' But maybe that's why she's such a good vaulter - you have to push off the balls of your feet."
DEDICATION
When Chiarelli was nearby in Gatineau for the team's final warm-up camp a few weeks ago, there wasn't much time to visit family and friends since the Canadian athletes had to stay at the hotel when they weren't training. That type of full-time commitment is something that Chiarelli's athletic family knows and accepts.
"She's got the right team," Laing says, noting Chiarelli's grandfather is former Ottawa Roughriders coach George Brancato and her mother trained and worked at Nepean-Corona. "She has great parents who understood the work required, and that makes a big difference."
Although it was a sad day for the club to see the Chiarellis move to Boston five years ago - where Talia's father, Peter, became general manager of the NHL Bruins - Laing recognizes that the move had a positive impact on Chiarelli's career.
"Peer pressure is very important," says the Nepean-Corona founder whose club turns 30 this year. "When you're the best in your gym, it's difficult to maintain that level of excellence. She had a number of athletes who were already ahead of her, who were elite level and Olympians, and it gave her an insight to what the final stage is about.
"I miss having her as an athlete, but it was a great move for Peter, and a great move for Talia."
Although it's no guarantee that Chiarelli will compete at the Olympics - she still has to be chosen for the final Canadian team - Laing believes that Chiarelli has now made her mark and will be selected for London 2012.
It's a great reward for an athlete who was always supportive of teammates even if she was a step ahead herself.
"I saw the serious side of her as a gymnast," adds Laing, who is thrilled by the prospect of Chiarelli competing on sport's biggest stage. "But outside, she's bubbles and a lot of fun. It's a wonderful feeling."
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