Fairbairn takes aim at Olympic dream

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

Montana Fairbairn is making her first big step in what could be an Olympic career.
At the young age of 15, Fairbairn is off to the Canadian championships for women’s gymnastics in Waterloo, Ont.
“I am very excited to be travelling with Team Alberta and competing,” said Fairbairn. “I love to compete anytime, doesn’t matter if it’s a small competition or a big one, I just love competing.”
This one happens to be one of the bigger ones, as she will be lining up against the greatest gymnasts from across Canada, including some current Olympians.
“I’ll probably be a little nervous leading up to the competition, but it’s all about taking it one day at a time and focusing on my routines,” said Fairbairn, a Grade 10 student at Strathmore High School.
Fairbairn will be competing on the vault, the floor, the balance beam and uneven bars at the High Performance Senior level for the first time. She punched her ticket to her first national competition after dominating the Elite Canada competition in Quebec City last February. There, she recorded a 13.65 on the vault, 11.767 on the bars, 11.034 on the beam and a 13.267 on the floor, her favourite event.
This will be the first big test for the local product. In a non-Olympic year, this event will crown a national champion. If this was 2020 or 2024, Fairbairn could be in the running for a spot on the Olympic team.
Last year, Fairbairn competed at Level 10, one step below the senior division, and walked away with the gold medal. Duplicating that result will be difficult, as she is now in a pool with the biggest names in Canadian gymnastics.
“As a first year in the senior level, it will be pretty tough to break into the Top 8 circle of older seniors,” said Women’s Competitive Head Coach Jody Holmes, who has worked with Fairbairn for eight years. “This year is all about experience at the senior level, improving her E score, showing more consistency and improving her difficulty.”
Isabela Onyshko and Ellie Black have donned the red and white at the Olympic stage in the past and will share the floor with Fairbairn this week at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.
“I’ve watched them on TV a couple times and I already have their autographs. It will be pretty cool competing against them at nationals,” said Fairbairn. “If I could come home with a Top 10 finish, that would be pretty cool.”
Her routines will be judged on accuracy and the degree of difficulty, which might be hard to match up with the former Olympians, but it will be a great measuring stick in letting her know the work that needs to go into her practices to make her Olympic dream come true.
The 2020 Tokyo Games might be a long shot, but the 2024 Games are certainly within her grasp.
But before she can get fitted for her Olympic jumpsuit, she has to see how she holds up at the national level, soak in what she can and learn from her competitions if she wants to live out the Olympic dream one day.