By Sport Nova Scotia Communications
When Vaughn Arthur was a child, he noticed construction taking place in his area and asked a worker what was being built. The answer was a gymnastics facility. But what Vaughn didn’t know yet was that once it opened, he’d be connected to the club as an athlete, coach and judge over the next 28 years and counting.
Vaughn was first introduced to gymnastics by watching it on television, from the grand stage of the Olympics to the high-flying flips and tricks of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This led him to gymnastics classes at recreation centres and after-school programs.
Then, in 1997, when he was 13 years old, ALTA Gymnastics Club opened its new location in Halifax’s West End. Joining the club as a teenager he was older than when most gymnasts start, but he had a dream to accomplish.
“I really thought I was just going to learn how to do a back handspring and be done,” says Vaughn. “And then I became part of this wonderful world and all of a sudden I’m learning more moves and competing and traveling.”
What kept Vaughn in gymnastics was the constant challenge – there was always another move or trick to learn. After years in the competitive program, he went on to compete at the Canada Games in 2003 and then won bronze for pommel horse at nationals the following year.
“I will never forget the moment I won bronze. I was really proud of myself. It was the hugest accomplishment because I realized certain things,” says Vaughn.
One of the things he realized was that he was done competing, but he was not done with the sport. Vaughn had been coaching since he was 16 and he realized that was where his passion lay.
He first started coaching to help with the cost of his athletic endeavors. Mentored by his coaches Tak and Mary Kikuchi, he discovered he had a knack for it and enjoyed the almost addictive nature of seeing his athletes succeed. He admits now that he can’t see himself not coaching.
On top of the countless hours spent in the gym as a coach, Vaughn has taken his involvement one step further by becoming a gymnastics judge. At first, he was just judging locally, but always the goal seeker, Vaughn then became a national and international judge. This was also during COVID, and with the number of available judges in a flux, there were more spots that needed to be filled.
So far, he has judged international meets in Canada and the United States but hopes to soon have an assignment outside of North America.
“Judging has become another fun passion,” says Vaughn. “I enjoy it all because of the people I get to interact with, especially the athletes. They’re the number one reason why I do this. I get so much joy from helping.”
Vaughn brought this desire to help when he visited his mother’s home country of Namibia in 2021. Stopping by some gyms, he was able to help out and was encouraged to look into joining their federation so he can judge internationally for Namibia as well.
But having now been involved with gymnastics for close to three decades, Vaughn is happy to see how men’s gymnastics has grown in the province, and that ALTA has remained a pillar of the sport both locally and nationally. He is also grateful for all that the sport has given to him, and for the countless opportunities he’s had to give back.
“I’m so thankful for all the people that I’ve met and that I get to work with athletes that I’m just so amazed by every day. They’re doing way more than I ever did, and they don’t even know it,” laughs Vaughn. “I’m just so proud and I truly love the sport.”
