Christmas Diamond Jubilee Floor & Vault Gymnastic Championships

A packed crowd was treated to an afternoon of inspirational gymnastics at the Intra Club Championships in December.

In addition to the ambitious few who came home with Gold, Silver and Bronze plus overall Championship Trophies, every gymnast left the competition with a feeling of achievement – travelling home with a well-earned participation souvenir medal of the Diamond Jubilee.

There was also a special award for ‘Gymnast of the year’, the ‘Kev Brown Memorial Shield’. Kev was a former stalwart of the club who sadly died in 2002. This award went to Lucie Hall, a well deserving gymnast who has not only achieved something in gymnastics, but who has a passion for the sport and is giving something back to the club by teaching and inspiring our younger gymnasts to take part in the sport.

The relaxed atmosphere and feeling of achievement for gymnasts of all ages was a welcome change to some of the more ‘high pressured’ competitions of the season and was a good reminder for many parents of why they sent their children to gymnastic classes in the first place. The Meridian competition rewards the winners, but leaves everyone else with a warm glow.

Forty four gymnasts entered the competition from Meridian which also included gymnasts performing for the first time from the tender age of five to the more experienced at sixteen.

Coaches, Kevin Bishop and Ann Brown who organised the competition, said “It was a fun, enjoyable day for everyone involved, and it was great to see talented young gymnasts going out on the floor performing their routines for the very first time with confidence, not easy to do with over a hundred spectators.”

“It was like watching months of hard work come to fruition. As our more experienced gymnasts rise through the levels, it’s easy to forget why they started – to have fun meet other children their age and learn new skills. Our competition celebrated the simplicity of this. And it was great to see so many new faces supporting the club at the Beverley Leisure Centre.”

What a brilliant competition to celebrate the end of our Diamond Jubilee year.