Camille's is a special place

Open letter to Regional District of North Okanagan, Director Mike McNabb, Director Bob Fleming, Hank Cameron & Herman Halvorson

My name is Brook Perkins and I am 7 years old. I live in Langley, BC. When my mom told me that Camille’s gym might close down I felt very sad, disappointed, and I cried.

I first found out about rhythmic gymnastics when I visited Camille a few years ago. I love rhythmic gymnastics because it is interesting and not plain like regular gymnastics. I like using the different apparatus like the ball, ribbon and hoop. My favourite is using the ball. Camille gave me a real hoop the last time I visited her. This year for Christmas I got a real rhythmic gymnastics ribbon and rope too. I love them and I practice gymnastics at home a lot. One day I want to be in the Olympics like Camille.

I trained at Camille's gym in Vernon one summer. I liked training at Camille's gym because it wasn’t crowded, I liked my coaches (Ani Martens, Camille's daughter was one of my coaches), and we got to do a show for our parents at the end. Camille let me try on some special gymnastics suits. One of them was from Japan. I loved that they had all different kinds of music that we could dance to. I love to dance and do gymnastics at Camille's gym. I feel awesome when I am doing rhythmics at Camille's gym and like to try different things with my body and make up new moves.

I don't want Camille's gym to close because it such a fun place to be. Also, Camille has 80 athletes, some of them are the top in Canada and they will be let down and will have no place to train.

Camille's gym is a special place. I want to do rhythmic gymnastics in Langley but there aren't any gyms that are nearly as good as Camille's gym. Please do not close down her gym. I hope you can find a way to keep it open for all the children and teenagers who train at her gym and for Camille and her family. I am praying every night that the gym can be saved.

Brook Perkins