Longtime gymnastics volunteer recognized for dedication

GymZone Sudbury Laurels volunteer Annette Ranger has been selected as a 2014 recipient of the Gymnastics Ontario Club Builder Award.

Established in 2012, the award was created to recognize extraordinary volunteerism at the club level, and is intended to acknowledge those individuals whose service may not extend to the federation level, noted the award description provided by Gymnastics Ontario.

It further goes on to say that the award "is intended for a highly involved volunteer, one who has repeatedly gone above and beyond exceptional, either in length of time, extraordinary effort, etc..."

There might not be a better description of Ranger. Beginning as a club gymnast at the age of four, the longtime Sudbury resident has been actively involved with the GymZone Sudbury Laurels for some 46 years, making the move from competitor to coach at the age of 13.

By her mid-20s, Ranger was a mainstay on the administrative side, sharing her love of the sport with her four children, all of whom have been involved, to some degree or another, with gymnastics.

"When I think of what it's given me, from the very beginning, it's been seeing what the club has accomplished and how far it has come," said Ranger, who will travel to Mississauga Saturday evening for the awards banquet.

"Watching the club evolve through the years, with literally thousands of little kids coming through here and leaving with a smile on their face. It's working with dedicated parents, working side by side with staff, but most of all, I have to say, it's been working with Lisa (Kivinen). We've been in this for more than 40 years. I've always admired her dedication and love of the sport."

With the constant support of her husband (Pierre), Ranger has seen the growth of the club from a "tiny, tiny little gym" to an organization whose reputation has spread provincewide and beyond.

For further information, kindly contact Lisa Kivinen at 705-665-0335.