Jeanine van der Sluijs is hoping to do something later this month at the vaulting World Championships that no Canadian has ever achieved.
When the competition takes place in France from Aug. 18-21, van der Sluijs will attempt to qualify for the second – and final – round in the senior women's individual event.
She explains that vaulting is still a relatively new sport in this country.
"In the past eight to 10 years it has picked up. Nobody has reached a medal position yet or been on the podium," van der Sluijs says.
"Over the past few world championships, Canada has stepped up its game and we've been placing into the final rounds in the team and pairs classes but for individuals, it's something nobody has achieved."
The top 15 vaulters make the final round and van der Sluijs wants to improve on her best finish, 18th.
The 29-year-old from the Meadow Creek Vaulting Club has been training in Scotland, with the Eccles, who are a prominent family in the vaulting world.
"I'm truly honoured to train with them here," she says. "It's a very intense process but something that I'm really enjoying and I can just feel so much improvement in the past few weeks I've been here."
A second member from Meadow Creek is also competing at the world championships, 12-year-old Averill Saunders, in the squad event.
Saunders, who will be Team Canada's youngest member in the squad event, has only been vaulting with the club for the last three years.
Both van der Sluijs and her sister Angelique describe the young vaulter as a natural talent, with her gymnastics background.
In vaulting, which is often described as gymnastics performed on horseback, young riders are needed in the team categories because they're light and easily carried overhead during a routine.
"But at the same time, they have to be very mature, hard working and understand the concepts. It's very rare to find someone like Averill that can go that far, at such a young age," says Angelique.
Jeanine's advice for Saunders has been to keep doing what she's been doing all along and enjoy the experience.
"That's going to be something she'll carry with her for the rest of her life and the rest of her vaulting career. The big thing we wanted her to know was to really take everything in and enjoy the process," she says.
Jeanine says the biggest competition in vaulting takes place at the World Equestrian Games (WEG), held every four years. She has represented Team Canada twice, in 2010 and 2014.
The World Championships happen every two years when WEG is not being held. She last went in 2012.
"Over the past few world championships, Canada has stepped up its game and we've been placing into the final rounds in the team and pairs classes but for individuals, it's something nobody has achieved." JEANINE VAN DER SLUIJS
