In our first National Competition of the year, 6 of our gymnasts took to the stage in Stoke-on-Trent to represent their own schools in the National Schools Finals. There are 13 regions represented at the National Finals, ours the South West, and for Tumbling, the top 2 qualify at regional level to compete in the Final, for acro the top 1, meaning the categories can be rather large!
Our Tumblers Ella S, Millie, Scarlet and Zach competed in the Saturday competition, all in busy categories.
For Millie and Scarlet, this was their first ever national competition and so to have the bravery to go out and compete at the level they did was already a huge achievement! They both competed clean, tidy runs and should be incredibly proud of themselves for it. They placed 18th and 19th respectively in Under 11 Girls Tumbling, but most importantly have now collected valuable experience of National competitions as strong prospects for the future!
Zach was back after a year out due to injury, hungry to reclaim his National Title from 2023, and competed three clean, higher-skilled runs including front and back somersaults in each. He fell just short of the title, finishing in second for Under 19 Boys Tumbling, however in a category of 10, makes it still a very impressive achievement!
Ella was always looking to put pressure on the high positions in the Under 14 Girls category, and she most certainly performed to it! Performing three stunning runs, with multiple flics in each saw her edge in front of others for difficulty. In a colossal category of 23, aiming for a top half finish was respectable enough, but not for Ella! She only went and claimed her first National Title, fighting off all other competition! We are all so proud of her performance, and we hope this momentum continues into the season and beyond!
Sunday saw our Under 11 Girls Acro pair Isla & Willow compete as our first Acro routine at Finals in a while, and so to represent both our club and their school was a huge credit to their hard work at training! Completing their 2 minute routine with no faults is an amazing achievement and should boost their confidence lots going into the future, with the experience of a National Competition under their belt!
We at the club are so proud of all our gymnasts for performing and representing at this level, and will inspire others at the club as role models to the results of hard work and commitment!
You can find all the photos from the weekend here: