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Starter Barbie

by Tamara McKee

I'm not normally prone to endorsing dolls, however, my daughter simply loves her recently gifted Easy for Me1-2-3 Barbie. Created for younger girls aged three and up who are just beginning to practice dexterity skills, Easy For Me delivers easy-to-dress clothing and easy-to-handle accessories, When my daughter was a pre-schooler, her Barbies were often in a state of undress, much to her older brothers' chagrin. They named these dolls "Naked Barbie". Easy for me 1, 2, 3 circumvents this modesty issue with painted undergarments. No more 'Naked Barbie'. Packaging too is easy to manage, no inbearable twist ties! At a retail price of $9.99 at most retailers this makes an ideal new back-seat toy for the long car trip. For ages three and up.

posted 10.07.07

Family a Key to Young
Gymnast's Olympic Hopes

By Danielle Harder

There's a good chance Whitby gymnast Kristina Vaculik, 15, will compete at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Barely in her teens, she has won several national titles and, just last month, ranked first at the Canadian world trials.

If she does represent Canada in China next year, it will be through her own dogged determination - and an incredible support network around her that includes her mother Angela, father Lubo and her siblings: Michael, Natalie and Alex.

Kristina's story, from tumbling class to world class, began when she was a just four years old. Her mother, a dancer who came to gymnastics as a teenager, thought it would be a "fun" way to keep her eldest children, Michael and Kristina, active. It soon became clear that Kristina had the strength, flexibility, endurance and technique to be a serious competitor.

She was "always excelling," according to her mother, and scoring high in most competitions. By the age of 10, Kristina knew she had found her passion.

Gradually, as she passed to higher and higher levels, gymnastics became her primary focus - and it showed with her results. At the age of 12, she placed first all-around at Elite Canada; she has won the same title, in progressively higher divisions, every year since then. She has also placed in the top 10 in at least one of her four events � beam, uneven bars, floor and vault - at several international competitions.

It's easy to forget Kristina is only a teenager, especially when she talks about her training routine: she attends Sinclair Secondary School every morning for classes, then it's off to Gemini Gymnastics where she trains with her coaches, 1980 Olympic champion Elena Davydova, and Valery Yahchybekov, for five to six hours - or longer - according to her mother.

"Kristina likes to leave when she's happy," says Angela. "We just leave her alone. I used to wait but now I don�t want to bother her."

Kristina catches up on schoolwork in her "off" hours or on Sunday, the only day she doesn't train. She makes up the courses she misses through correspondence. She even takes work on the road, to competitions across Canada or on international trips to places such as France, China and Russia, to name a few.

But she doesn't complain. "(Gymnastics) has taught me a lot about life," Kristina says. "How to work hard to accomplish things. How to show dedication. How to deal with stress and pressures."

Still, how does a 15-year-old manage in a demanding, high-pressure world that even some adults may have trouble coping with?

In a word, family.

"We try to reinforce that we are a team, that it takes the whole family to make this happen," says Angela. "But it can be a challenge for the others. We've had a lot of talks. Sometimes the boys will say 'Why can't you train faster so we can get to the cottage?' but they're really supportive. Michael looks after Alex a lot while I'm taking her places.

"It's really made us understand how to function as a team and family. We've learned that nothing comes without hard work and without giving as much as you can. When she does well, we are all very happy because we have all contributed."

Kristina says having the support of not only her parents, but her siblings, is important to her. Getting together at the cottage on weekends is "really peaceful" and gives her a chance to have fun and relax.

"I forget about everything when I'm there," she says. "I just have fun swimming, tubing and waterskiing." Back home, it's the family supper - which doesn't often happen before 8 o'clock - that is her glue.

"Our family eats together, no matter how late it is, rather than separately and earlier,� she says. "That�s our chance to talk. Sometimes on rough days I need something to look forward to."

Sharing the limelight with a sibling whose star is rising can sometimes cast a shadow on siblings. Not here. Kristina's younger sister, Natalie, is a talented gymnast in her own right, having won back-to-back provincial championships in 2006 and 2007. She credits her big sister with giving her the motivation.

"I'm so proud of her," says Natalie. "She makes me more determined. I think 'If I work hard, I can get to where she is.'"

Angela says she and her husband remind everybody, including themselves, that there are six people in the family. "They all have something they're passionate about and they all have something to be proud of.�

The brunt of the work keeping it all together falls to mom, but it's a role she relishes. Angela volunteers on the executive at the girls� club, Gemini Gymnastics, on top of working as a graphic designer and illustrator.

This month, the family is moving to a new home at the same time that Kristina is leaving for Greece to train with the national team, prior to the 2007 World Gymnastic Championships in Stuttgart in September. Canada has to rank in the top 12 to qualify to field a full team at the Olympics.

"Right now, it just feels 'big'," says Kristina. "I'm trying to just focus on the day-to-day."

Her father, Lubo, adds, "We're not obsessing about it. If it happens, then it will be wonderful. Our job is to support her, not to push. This is Kristina's life."

Danielle Harder is a freelance writer in Whitby, who also teaches healthy eating cooking classes. You can reach her at danielleharder@rogers.com