Gymnasts from Baskervilles Gymnastics Club had a successful day of competition on Sunday 5th February, winning 38 medals at the ‘HEY!’ Competition. Gymnasts travelled to Writhlington Gymnastics Club to compete in the invitational floor and vault competition, aiming to gain experience at away competitions.
Baskervilles’ girls competed in the Under 11 Red and Pink Competitions, and the Under 13 Competition.
In the Under 11 Red Competition, 10-year-olds Freya Brown, Daisy Barker and Alice Haig came 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively on floor, with Freya Brown taking home the overall gold medal.
In the Under 11 Pink Competition, Baskervilles again ruled the podium on floor, with 9-year-olds Phoebe Franklin, Nell Bloomfield and Zara Latkovic taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd places respectively. On vault, 9-year-old Tilly Kennard took bronze, with Bloomfield winning silver. In the overall competition, Franklin bagged the silver, with Bloomfield stealing gold.
In the Under 13 Competition, 11-year-old Nina Walter also competed strongly, winning 1st place on floor and 2nd place on vault, taking the overall gold medal in her category.
The boys from Baskervilles took part in the Under 7, Under 9 and Under 11 Competitions.
In the Under 7 Category, 6-year-olds Louis Delbridge, Archie Corbett and Alson Goddard all had successful days, winning 1st, 2nd and 3rd places respectively on floor, vault, and in the overall competition.
In the Under 9 Competition, Henry McLean, 7, won bronze on floor, with Cory White winning silver. On vault, Zachary Miles, 8, came 3rd with Felix Bailey in 2nd position. Overall, Henry McLean came 2nd with Cory White following closely behind in 3rd place. But it was 7-year-old Thomas Coles who cleaned up, winning gold on floor, vault and overall.
In the Under 11 Category, 9-year-old Zack Glasgow took silver on floor, vault and overall, with 9-year-old Finley Colebourne pipping him to the post with golds on floor, vault and overall.
“I am really pleased with these results”, Baskervilles coach Vicky Baskerville commented,
“this competition was a great experience for all who attended, and I am so proud of our gymnasts!”
Baskervilles Gymnastics Club received a visit from Olympic medallist Beth Tweddle on Sunday 12th February, who hosted one of her popular Gymnastics Camps.
Over 70 gymnasts from the region took part on the day, which was split into two three-hour-long camps. The sessions began with a warm-up and stretch led by Tweddle, followed by coaching on five separate apparatus. This was followed by gymnastic games and a dance routine, with gymnasts receiving a goody bag at the end of the session. The camps were programmed to suit gymnasts of all ability levels.
Tweddle explains, “I want to give back to my sport. I had so much enjoyment through gymnastics. I was just a kid with a dream to work hard and to achieve something. If I can inspire one of these kids, and put a smile on their face, that’s my job done”.
Keen to allow as many gymnasts as possible to benefit from the once in a lifetime experience of training with Tweddle, Baskervilles held a series of competitions giving customers the opportunity to win tickets to the event.
11-year-old Rosa Pawlyn, an Elite gymnast at Baskervilles, was one of the winners.
“It was really nice to meet Beth. Her and the other coaches were really friendly and happy to share a joke with the gymnasts, and didn’t pressurise us to achieve skills”, said Pawlyn, “I also really enjoyed seeing what gymnasts from different clubs do on each piece”.
8-year-old Amelie Rushforth, a Baskervilles Squad gymnast, said, “I really appreciated the individual training on beam from Beth, which was really inspiring. I also loved learning the dance routine at the end of the session”.
Another lucky winner was 9-year-old Kaci-Mae Hart, an Intermediate gymnast at Baskervilles, who commented, “It was really great to meet Beth and I really enjoyed going on the apparatus with her and the coaches. Beth signed various items for me including my Baskervilles jacket. It was a great opportunity – thank you Baskervilles”.
6-year-old Lara Gülcemal was new to gymnastics when she won her ticket to Tweddle’s gymnastics camp, and the day has inspired her to take up a regular gymnastics class.
Lara explained, “I loved the gymnastics camp and meeting Beth, and having my picture taken with her was very exciting. I had an amazing time!”
Baskervilles Coach Vicky Baskerville explained, “We were delighted to receive a visit from Beth and her team. The day went really well, with lots of inspired gymnasts leaving with huge smiles on their faces!”