Kent gymnasts qualify for national tumbling event
Report by Tracey Morris (South East Regional Acro and Tumbling Committee member)
Ashleigh Heath and Katy Morris
On Sunday, 7th February 2010, three clubs from Kent: Deal, East Kent Acro and Swifts Gymnastics Club, fielded their best tumbling gymnasts to take part in the South East Region 2010 Tumbling National Qualifier.
The event, held at the K2 Leisure Centre Crawley, had over 110 gymnasts all vying for either a medal, or the opportunity to represent the South East at the National Finals, to be held at Fenton Manor, Stoke on 15th and 16th May 2010.
Tumbling is a discipline which requires spatial awareness, power, strength, and dynamic reactions, where gymnasts increases power and speed by performing a series of tumbling elements - from flicks to somersaults, 360° whips and Double backs -along a 25 metre track. And despite the fact that the tumbles runs are over relatively quickly, it does take an incredible amount of dedicated training to achieve a high standard - even at the lower tumbling grades.
All of Sunday’s gymnasts from National 1 through to Elite 4 competed three tumble runs. As the South East region is made up of clubs drawn from Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Kent gymnasts faced some really tough competition from: Bevendean, CACL, Hawth, Hollington, Horsham, L&G, Pyramid, Summerfields, Tolworth and 1066. Anita Carty, as competition organiser, did a splendid job by building up the excitement of National Grades throughout the day to a crescendo of Elite tumbling in the afternoon session. Called to the podium, medals were awarded for Gold, Silver and Bronze positions, whilst gymnasts in 4th, 5th and 6th position were awarded well earned certificates.
Competing in the morning in National 1 Women’s 9/10 years: Deal’s Lauren Bird came 4th, Swifts’ gymnasts Molly Goldsmith and Keely Moys came 5th and 6th respectively. In National 1 Women’s 11/12 years: Deal’s Amy - Louise Mumby, in her first competition, gained a silver medal, missing out Gold and a place at National Final by only 0.1; Deal’s Rachel Laker obtained Bronze, Swifts’ Amber Moys came 5th and East Kent Acro’s Alice Potter came 6th. In National 1 Women’s 13+ years: East Kent Acro’s Jessica Deveson obtained a bronze medal, with only 0.3 off a silver medal position.
The afternoon session saw National 2 gymnasts through to the amazing skills of Elite 4. In National 2 Women’s 11/12 years: East Kent Acro’s Phoebe Little obtained a bronze medal position, Swift’s Lucy Williams came 4th, Sophie Taylor came 5th, whilst in 6th position was East Kent Acro’s Malindi Parker. In National 2 Women’s 13+ years: Swifts’ Alice Wakeling came joint 6th along with fellow team mate Zoe Weiss. In National 3 13+ years Swift’s Paris Scott-Waller came 4th.
In National 3 Men’s 13years+: Swifts’ Christopher Bishenden gained a well deserved Gold, unfortunately missing out on a National Final place by 0.7, as the qualifying score is 70.00.
In Elite 1 Women’s 11/12 years: scoring 75.30, Deal’s Ashleigh Heath secured a gold medal position and a place in National Finals, after facing tough competition from Sarah Burdoch from L&G, who had previously beat her into silver position during November’s Regional competition. Scoring a personal best of 77.70, Deal’s Katy Morris, competing in Elite 2 Women’s 15+ years, also threw up an unexpected result for Kent, securing a both a Gold medal position and a place at National Finals - in last November’s Regional competition, Katy had lost out to the strong competitiveness of Hawth’s Carolyn Nordenhaven and Victoria Pitts. So with only two gymnasts so far from Kent through to National Finals, many fingers were crossed.
Needless to say, Elite 2 Men’s 15+ years also proved to be gripping, with Swift’s Oliver Reiss leading and East Kent Acro’s Billy-Joe Poole’s in second place on the first tumble it was difficult to tell who would take the overall lead. However, an unusual slip up for Billy-Joe in a Pike somersault took him into bronze medal position, while Oliver’s tremendous efforts secured silver, with Hollington’s George Lee taking a well deserved gold and earning a place at National Finals. The day ended with a thrilling display of Hawth’s Elite 3 Women’s 13/14 years: Eileen Robertson and Elite 4 Women’s 13/14 years: Emily Clayden both earning their National Final places, and brilliantly demonstrating to Kent what can be achieved for the future.
Jessica Deveson (East Kent Acro)
Phoebe Little (East Kent Acro)
Silver medalist Amy-Louise Mumby, Bronze Medalist Rachel Laker both from Deal Gymnastics Club,
5th place Amber Moys from Swifts and 6th place Alice Potter from East Kent Acro
The full results can be viewed here
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Page updated: 17 February 2010