July 2015 

Baskervilles School of Gymnastics took 15 gymnasts aged 7-15 years to an International Competition held at GymStars Gymnastics Club in Malta last weekend.

The competition, which has been hosted on the Mediterranean Island for the past 17 years, was an across-the-board success for our gymnasts. The girls performed in individual age groups and their scores were combined to produce overall team results.

In first competition, 15-year-old Bree Warren, 14-year-old Edie Gudmunsen, 10-year-old Kiera Williams, and 9-year-olds Isobel Martin and Rosa Pawlyn, competed. As Baskervilles’ highest level gymnasts, they were up against some tough competition.

In the 13-15 age category, Warren bagged herself gold on floor, while Gudmunsen managed to take bronze medal on vault. In the age 10-12 competition, Martin scored an impressive 11.15 on floor, while Williams just crept ahead with 11.90, earning her the silver medal. Finally, in the youngest age category, 7-9 years, Pawlyn had a consistent competition earning a silver medal on each piece of apparatus and 2^nd place position overall.

As a team, the Elite Girls’ lack of falls and minimal deductions meant their overall score of 135.36 crowned them the ‘Team C International GymStars 2015 Champions’ – a fantastic team result.

On the second day of the competition, two teams from Baskervilles competed. With younger and less experienced gymnasts competing, the girls had a tough competition ahead of them.

The first team was comprised of 9-year-old Niamh Jenkins, 8-year-olds Willow Hughes and Anya Green, and 7-year-olds Fern Hughes and Eloise Horton. On the second team were 10-year-olds Elsie Bruton and Nancy Morris, 9-year-olds Esme Mathias and Phoebe Prichard, and 8-year-old Camille Gillett.

The girls performed consistently on all four pieces of apparatus and managed to gain some individual medals. The girls from Baskervilles’ second team fought extremely closely on vault, but it was Gillett who took the bronze medal and Mathias who snatched the gold. The eldest of the two sisters in their round, Willow Hughes managed to shine on floor and win a bronze medal. Beam queen Bruton managed a routine with no falls and placed a respectable 8^th.

Overall, it was Baskervilles’ youngest competitor Fern Hughes who scored the highest in the 7-9 category, in 10^th place. Jenkins was the highest scorer in the 10-12 age category, placing and impressive 18^thof a massive 46 competitors.

All the girls who took part in the competition performed excellently. Coaches Emma Baskerville and Fran Ince, who accompanied the girls on the trip, were extremely pleased with their results and with how well the girls performed overseas.

The gymnasts are now preparing for their next competition after the summer, where they are keen to keep up the good work!

May 2015

Over 160 children from Gymnastics Clubs across the South West flocked to Baskervilles School of Gymnastics on Sunday 10th May, to take part in their Girls’ Rising Stars Competition.

Baskervilles played host to gymnasts from six different clubs, including their own, for the intermediate, squad-level competition. The club ran three sessions throughout the day each with several competitions running. Gymnasts competed on floor, vault, and trampet, and medals were given to the top three gymnasts on each piece, as well as to the top six gymnasts overall in each category. Despite stiff competition from other clubs, Baskervilles gymnasts managed to hold their own and had some fantastic results, and won over 80 medals in total throughout the day.

The first session saw three categories compete – the Under 7 Intermediate, Under 7 Pre-Levels, and Under 9 Pre-Levels.

In the Under 7 Pre-Levels category, Baskervilles gymnasts came in an impressive 1st, 2nd and 3rd place overall, with Ava Ojomoh taking bronze, Maya Luck silver, and, with a fantastic score of 35.60, Kezia Nokeokouman took gold position.

In the second session of the day, another three categories competed – the Under 9 Intermediate, and two Under 12 Pre-Levels groups. One of the Under 12 Pre-Levels competitions saw Baskervilles’ gymnasts take both 1st and 2nd place overall, courtesy of Farrah De Buriatte and Rebecca Kuhlman respectively.

Session three saw the most advanced gymnasts compete in six categories – the Under 7 Advanced, Under 9 Advanced, Under 12 Intermediate, Under 12 Advanced, Over 12 Intermediate and Over 12 Advanced.

In the Under 7 Advanced group, competed between Baskervilles’ gymnasts, Amelie Rushforth had a fantastic competition, and won gold overall, with Annabelle Moss taking silver and Tahlia Wyatt winning bronze.

The Under 9 Advanced competition saw two Baskervilles’ gymnasts, Jessica Lawton and Olivia Underwood, share 1st place, with Isobel Dixon coming 2nd, and Abby Baxter taking 3rd.

In the Under 12 Intermediate competition, Baskervilles’ gymnasts again came in gold, silver and bronze positions – Nia Mogg, Erykah Scott and Anastasia Case respectively, gained podium finishes.

Ruby Millard won the Under 12 Advanced competition with a fantastic overall score of 35.25, with Gaia Holder and Georgia Head following closely behind in 2nd and 3rd positions.

And in the Over 12 Intermediate competition, Poppy Hawkins won gold, with Abi Shrubb and Martha Wells winning silver and bronze respectively.

In the Over 12 Advanced round, Georgia Morris came 1st, with Liliana Richmond and Maddie Wheeler in joint 3rd place. Baskervilles took the opportunity to celebrate gymnast and coach Maddie Wheeler’s time at the gym during the final medal ceremony. For Wheeler, aged 18, the competition was her last, having trained at Baskervilles from the age of 14 months. She will be missed by her fellow gymnasts and colleagues as she leaves for university this September.

The competition, which included performances from Baskervilles’ elite gymnasts and the debut of Baskervilles’ Gymfusion squad’s new routine, was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

‘Well done Baskervilles on another great competition’, commented one parent, ‘well organised and great to see so many talented youngsters’.

‘Thank you Baskervilles for hosting a great competition today’, added another parent, ‘you were very welcoming and [my daughter] had a great time! This was her first competition at this level and you made it a great experience for our gymnasts’.

The competition saw fantastic results all round, reflecting the hard work and commitment put in by gymnasts and coaches alike. The club is looking forward to their Boys’ Rising Stars Competition next weekend!