As nine year-old Scott Vaillancourt of Chelmsford tells it, he just kind of wandered into the sport of gymnastics. The third-grade student at �cole Jacques-Cartier, who has spent the past three years with the Extreme North gymnastics Club in Dowling, was prone to the natural gymnastics that house-settings provide.

�I tried a few moves around the house � cartwheels, splits � but when I noticed that nobody else could do the splits on the chairs, I thought about doing gymnastics� said Vaillancourt. Still, the sport was pretty well uncharted waters for the soft-spoken youngster.

�I never knew they had (parallel/high) bars or anything, just the floor mat� admits Vaillancourt. And it is on the floor exercise where he remains most comfortable, having mastered the press hand stand as part of his routine. �I like doing competitions and winning medals � everybody sees me� laughs the young gymnast coached by Sylvain Bastien.

Having played hockey for a few years, it was only a matter of time before Vaillancourt would drift to an area where his uncanny flexibility would prove quite valuable. �I was really flexible and everyone wanted me to try and be a goalie� explains Vaillancourt.

He donned the pads this past season for the Rayside-Balfour NOHA Novice team and enjoyed a successful season, complete with �lots of shutouts�.