29 Fromeside gymnasts trialled for places in the Gloucestershire County and Development 2012 squads on Sunday 15th January, with 26 securing places.

The day started with the youngest members achieving a place in the mini development squad. Ruby Curthoys, 7, top scored with a distinction pass of 87.94%.  Other gymnasts who achieved a pass were Emily Edge (7) 79.26%, Holly Evans (7) 74.12%, Mia Cipolla (7) 69.56%, Alyssa Grimshaw (7) 68.09% and 6-year-old Isabelle Stockwell 65.44%.

In the County squad, born 2002/2003, eight-year-old Oriel Powell top scored for a distinction pass of 82.66%, followed by Laura Westcott (9) 76.28% and Amber Thomson (8) 74.22%.

In development squad, born 2002/2003, eight-year-old Ella Stowell top scored a distinction pass of 85.33% and Ashonte Bird (8) also had a distinction pass of 80.67%.  Achieving passes were Brogan Sheppard (8) 79.33%, Ella Waring (9) 65.67%, Gabby Ainger (8) 65.17% and Leah Garland (9) 65.00%.  Gabrielle Wild (8) and Megan Matthews (9) were deferred from the county trial to achieve selection in the development squad.

In the County squad, born 2000/2001, ten-year-old Jaime Wall top scored a distinction pass of 82.66%.  A pass was achieved by Sophie Bryant (10) 78.29%, Georgina Bisp (12) 76.47% and Saoirse Maccana (11) 73.00%.

In the County Senior squad, 13-year-old Lydia Hayden passed at 69.84%.

In the Development Senior squad, Laoishe Maccana (14), who top scored with 78.24%, Amy Palmer (12) 69.29%, Lauren Elliott (14) 69.29% and Antonia Joy (12) 65.29% passed.

An excellent days results with all gymnasts showing their potential for the forth coming competition season. Well done everyone.

11 Fromeside gymnasts competed at the South West Alpha Factor competition on Sunday 13th November in Hartcliffe with excellent results.

In round 1, 11 year old Saoirse Maccana competed in the level 4 age 10 & 11 group and achieved a GOLD medal on bars, 9th overall, and 11 year old Georgina Bisp competed in the level 3 age 11 & 12 group and finished 8th overall.

In round 2, Ashonte Bird, Brogan Sheppard, Ella Stowell, Gabrielle Wild, Amber Thomson and Oriel Powell competed in the level 5 age 8 group. Oriel showed outstanding routines to finish with GOLD medals on bars, beam and floor and the GOLD medal overall as well as a trophy and Alpha Factor voucher.  Gabrielle finished 6th overall, team buddies Amber, Brogan, Ella and Ashonte finished 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th respectively. Laura Westcott competed in the level 4 age 9 group and achieved 8th overall.

In round 3, 14 year old Lauren Elliott competed in level 3 age 13+ group achieved a SILVER medal on floor and 8th overall. 13 year old Lydia Hayden in the FIG 12/13 year group achieved a BRONZE medal on bars, SILVER medals on vault and floor and BRONZE overall.

An excellent day was had by all.

Fromeside Gymnastics Club based in Winterbourne are also celebrating this week after senior girls coach Kim Whittingham has been selected by South Gloucestershire Council for the final of this years sports coach of the year award. The 3 finalists await the council’s decision and will be informed of the winner at the evening awards ceremony on Thursday 24th November.

Photo: Back row: Lydia Hayden, Oriel Powell, Lauren Elliott
Front row: Laura Westcott, Ella Stowell, Amber Thomson, Georgina Bisp

Fromeside Gymnastics Club Boasts 9 County Champions.


21 gymnasts from Fromeside Gymnastics Club competed in the annual Gloucestershire Levels Apparatus Championships on Sunday 16th October held at the Forest of Dean.  The girls achieved excellent results - 9 champion gold medals, 5 silver medals and 2 bronze medals.

In the level 4 age 9 group, Laura Westcott achieved 1st bars, 1st beam, 2nd floor, 3rd vault and the GOLD overall.

In the level 4 age 10/11, 9 year old Saoirse Maccana gained 1st bars, 1st beam, 2nd floor, 2nd vault and GOLD overall.

In the level 4 age 12/13, 12 year old Antonia Joy achieved 1st bars, 1st beam, 1st floor, 3rd vault and GOLD overall with training buddy 11 year old Amy Palmer gaining 2nd bars and 4th overall.

In the level 4 age 14+, 14 year old Lauren Elliott achieved 1st on every piece with GOLD overall.

In the level 3 groups, 9 year old Sophie Bryant achieved 1st on every apparatus and GOLD overall and 11 year old Georgina Bisp also achieved 1st everything and GOLD overall.

In the MOD FIG level, 13 year old Lydia Hayden gained 2nd on each apparatus and SILVER overall and training buddy 14 year old Laoishe Maccana gained 3rd bars and 4th floor on the only two apparatus she managed to compete due to injury during the competition.

In the afternoon the level 5 gymnasts got to compete for their titles.

In the age 8 group, Amber Thomson achieved 1st floor, 1st vault, 1st beam, 2nd bars and GOLD overall.  Gabrielle Wild gained 1st bars, 3rd vault, 3rd beam and SILVER overall.  Ella Stowell achieved 2nd floor, 2nd vault, 3rd bars and BRONZE overall while training buddy Brogan Sheppard gained 2nd beam, 3rd floor and 4th overall.

In the age 9 group, Alisha Walters gained 1st floor, 1st beam, 2nd bars, 3rd vault and GOLD overall.  Megan Matthews achieved 1st vault, 1st bars, 2nd floor, 3rd beam and SILVER overall, training pal Naomi Priddle gained 4th overall.

In the age 10 group, Darcey Reynolds achieved 1st floor, 1st vault, 1st bars and 4th overall.

In the age 11/12 group, Sarah Godden achieved 1st floor, 2nd vault and SILVER overall and buddy Josie Wheeler gained 1st beam, 3rd vault and 6th overall.

In the age 13+, Jessica Summerell achieved 1st floor, 1st bars 1st beam, and gained the GOLD overall and Shania Nolan finished with 2nd vault, 3rd beam, 3rd bars and BRONZE overall.

An excellent days results for all the gymnasts and their coaches. 


Photo: Jessica Summerell, Josie Wheeler, Megan Matthews, Sarah Godden, Lauren Elliott, Darcey Reynolds, Amy Palmer, Sophie Bryant, Laura Westcott, Shania Nolan, Brogan Sheppard, Ella Stowell, Alisha Walters

A SECOND GREAT LEAGUE MATCH FOR FROMESIDE GYMNASTS 

25 gymnasts from Fromeside Gymnastics Club competed in the second West Country League match on Sunday 9th October. Fromeside had 5 teams in 3 divisions competing at 2 different venues. 3 teams travelled to the Forest of Dean and 2 to Melksham. The top 4 scores per apparatus from each team of 4-6 gymnasts would count towards the teams’ all around final score.

In the Premier division, the B team walked away with the Silver medal from their performances. Team members Laoishe Maccana(14), Georgina Bisp(11), Lydia Hayden(13) and Antonia Joy(12), produced great routines during their competition. Lydia finished 1st beam, 2nd bars, 2nd floor and 1st overall individually. Georgina 3rd vault, 4th floor, 6th beam and 4th overall. Laoishe 6th vault and 8th overall and Antonia 4th beam and 9th overall.

In Division 1, the A team of gymnasts Laura Westcott(9), Gabrielle Wild(8), Brogan Shepperd(8), Amber Thompson(8), Ella Stowell(8) and Ashonte Bird(8) won the team Bronze medal. Amber finished 1st vault and 4th overall individually. Laura 2nd vault, 5th floor and 7th overall. Ella 5th beam and 13th overall. Brogan 3rd bars and 21st overall. Gabrielle and Ashonte finished 25th and 29th overall.

The B league team of Jaime Wall(9), Sophie Bryant(9), Saoirse Maccana(10), Oriel Powell(8) and Lauren Elliott(14) produced great routines and also won a team Silver in their division. Jaime finished 1st floor, 4th vault and 3rd overall. Oriel 2nd bars, 4th floor and 6th overall. Sophie 5th beam, 6th bars and 7th overall. Lauren 5th bars and 9th overall. Due to injury Saoirse only competed on 2 apparatus and finished 31st overall.

In the division 2, the A finished in 4th place overall after their performances. Team member Alisha Walters(9) finished 5th floor, 6th beam and 4th overall individually. Ruby Curthoys(7) 6th vault, 4th floor and 15th overall.  Katie Robbins(10) and Ailie Gamlin(9) finished 19th and 24th overall. Gabby Ainger(8) only competed on 3 apparatus but gained 6th floor and 26th overall.

The B team of Jessica Summerell(13), Chloe Brown(16), Darcey Reynolds(9), Megan Matthews(9) and Sarah Godden(11) finished in team 5th position. They finished 18th, 22nd, 26th, 27th and 28th respectively.

 
All the teams are looking forward to the league final in November and working hard on new skills to increase their start values.

Photo: Back row: Jessica Summerell, Sarah Godden, Lydia Hayden, Laoishe Maccana, Georgina Bisp,Katie Robbins, Ailie Gamlin

Middle row: Darcey Reynolds, Oriel Powell, Sophie Bryant, Saoirse Maccana, Gabby Ainger

Bottom row: Alisha Walters, Ella Stowell, Laura Westcott, Ashonte Bird, Gabrielle Wild, Amber Thomson, Brogan Sheppard, Ruby Curthoys

9 FROMESIDE GYMNASTS PODIUM IN THE BRISTOL UNITED INVITATIONAL COMPETITION 

13 Gymnasts from Fromeside Gymnastics Club competed in the Bristol United Invitational competition on Sunday 2nd October in Hartcliffe with great results.

The competition ran over 3 rounds, the hottest October weekend recorded.

Round 1 saw the level 5 gymnasts compete for the champion titles. 2003 born gymnasts competed for age 8 in age title and 2002 born gymnasts for the age 9 out of age title. In the younger of the two age groups Oriel Powell had a cracking competition to finish on the top podium for the gold medal and the age 8 title. Showing outstanding gymnastics for her age and start values to reflect the skill content, she also achieved 1st bars, 1st vault, 2nd beam and 3rd floor.  Amber Thomson achieved 4th vault, 6th bars, 6th floor, finishing 6th  overall for a place also the podium.  Brogan Sheppard gained 5th vault, 6th beam and 7th overall. Gabrielle Wild achieved 5th floor, 5th vault and finished 8th overall and training buddy Ella Stowell finished 11th overall.

In the age 9 competition, 2 more gymnasts on the podium.  Laura Westcott achieved 2nd floor, 3rd bars, 4th beam, 5th vault and took the bronze medal overall, and team mate Megan Matthews gained 1st beam, 3rd vault and finished 4th overall.

Round 2 was time for the level 3 11+ out of age girls, and again 2 more gymnasts on the podium. 11 year old Georgina Bisp achieved 1st bars, 1st vault, 3rd floor and 4th overall. 14 year old Lauren Elliott gained 3rd bars, 4th beam, 4th floor and finished 5th overall and training mate 12 year old Antonia Joy achieved 2nd floor and 6th beam, finishing 7th overall.

In the final round of 3, 3 more gymnasts on the podium. 9 year olds Jaime Wall and Sophie Bryant competed in the Level 3 age 10, Jaime achieved 1st beam, 1st floor, 2nd bars, 2nd vault and took the silver overall and training partner Sophie achieved 2nd beam, 2nd floor, 3rd bars, 3rd vault, taking the bronze overall.  In the modified fig age 12/13, 13 year old Lydia Hayden achieved 1st beam, 2nd bars, 2nd vault, 2nd floor and received the silver overall.

Photo: Oriel, Laura and Kim

Fromeside gymnasts Jaime Wall and Sophie Bryant competed in the age group qualifier on Sunday 25th September, held in Melksham. The 9 nine year old training buddies competed in the level 3 competition hoping for a slot in the national finals team competition to be held in November. Jaime competed her newly learnt tucked tsuk vault, a fall on the first one but a nailed landing second attempt, the average taken to leave her 4th on this apparatus. She also achieved 3rd on floor and 6th on bars. A fall on beam and missed leaps connection gave her a 6th place on this apparatus also. Jaime secured a 5th position overall missing 4th by only 0.03 and is off to Nationals as the travelling reserve for the South West team. Sophie achieved 2nd on floor, 4th on beam and 7th on bars and vault, finishing 6th overall and is the non travelling reserve for the team competition.

On Sunday 25th September in Melksham, 13 year old Lydia Hayden and 14 year old Laoishe Maccana competed in the Leeworthy Cup. This was their first year to compete in this open age FIG level competition. Lydia achieved 4th on vault and 6th on floor, landing her newly learnt double back salto. She finished 9th overall and impressed the South West coaches so much she was selected to be part of their team for Inter-National Rose Bowl Cup competition to be held in Aldershot in October, a first ever selection for Fromeside. Laoishe finished in 11th place overall and also landed her newly learnt tuck tsuk vault.

10 Fromeside gymnasts competed over 3 days (9th – 11th Sep) in the Alpha Factor UK womens artistic gymnastics competition in Melksham, against some of the strongest clubs from all over the country.

The competition started on Friday morning at 9.30am. In round 1, 14 year old Laoishe Maccana competed in the level 3 13+ age group. She had a good competition with only 1 fall, a sit down on her salto vault, to finish with a bronze medal overall, and a first place on bars. She was also rewarded with a silver ribbon on bars and a bronze ribbon on floor for minimal deductions.

In round 2 10 year old Saoirse Maccana competed in the level 4 age 10/11 and 14 year old Lauren Elliott,12 year old Antonia Joy and 11 year old Amy Palmer competed in the level 4 age 12 + competitions. Saoirse finished in 16th place overall, achieving 6th place on bars. Lauren was awarded the bronze medal overall, and achieved bronze ribbons on bars, beam and floor, finishing 2nd on beam and 4th on floor. Antonia was awarded a rosette for 6th overall, also achieving a bronze ribbon on floor and finished 3rd on beam and 6th on floor. Team mate Amy finished 23rd overall after falls on beam and bars. She was also awarded a bronze ribbon on floor finishing in 6th position on this apparatus.

Day 2 started early at 8am. In round 3, 8 year old Oriel Powell competed in the level 4 age 8 and 11 year old Georgina Bisp in the level 3 age 11/12 group. Oriel had a fantastic competition: she finished 2nd on vault, 1st on bars, 2nd on beam and 4th on floor, and was awarded the silver medal overall, missing gold by only 0.117. She was the only 8 year old gymnast to compete a full twisting salto on floor. Oriel also achieved gold ribbons on bars and beam and a bronze ribbon on vault. Georgina finished 6th on vault, 3rd on bars and 6th on floor, achieving a rosette for 4th place overall. She received a gold ribbon on bars and a bronze ribbon on beam.

In round 5, 9 year olds Jaime Wall and Sophie Bryant competed in the level 3 age 10 group. Jaime finished 19th overall and team buddy Sophie 22nd overall. Both gymnasts took a fall on beam and missed their vital acrobatic connection. Jaime received a silver ribbon on bars and Sophie a bronze ribbon also on bars.

Day 3, Sunday, also started early at 8.45am. 13 year old Lydia Hayden competed in the level 2 age 12/13 group. Again she also competed really well, the only mistake was an over rotation on her double back salto on floor, a new skill for her and the first time she had competed it. She finished 3rd on vault, 2nd on bars, 4th on beam and 3rd on floor. She was awarded the bronze medal overall.

The weekend was also a team event and Fromeside achieved 2nd place in the Aerials Trophy competition.

15 gymnasts from the SW-region, all 8 years old, took part at a days’ trial on 4 September at Exeter Gymnastics Club to qualify for the SW-Squad. 

Luke Baxter and James Puddy from Fromeside Gym Club did extremely well  in their testing, and performed all exercises without major faults. Steve Jehu, the SW-Regional Coach, now confirmed that both boys have qualified to join the SW-Squad and that they have been invited to take part at the monthly squad training days in Exeter.

The photo shows  the Fromeside squad members  Michael Cipolla, Finlay Cochrane,  Mackenzie Welsh and Luke Elliott (Top row, left to right ) who all re-qualified due to their success at the National Championships in May where they won two bronze medals with their SW-teams.

In front of them we now have the new squad members James Puddy (left) and Luke Baxter( right.) Both boys also competed on regional level in March in the under age group where they won the silver and bronze medals respectively.

On Sunday 17th July, nine Fromeside gymnasts competed in the South West regional artistic grades, held in Hartcliffe, Bristol.  Five apparatus, with set skills to compete in each grade on range and conditioning (competed in grade 14 and 13), vault, bars, beam and floor.

The day started with round 1 at 8.30am for our 2003 born grade 13 girls.  Oriel Powell produced an outstanding performance with only one mistake, a fall on beam. She topped the grade 13 gymnasts by almost 4 whole marks, gaining her 1st on all 5 apparatus and 1st overall.  The pass mark of 45.00 was well exceeded by her 62.40 score from a maximum of 67.50 and also gained her a well deserved distinction.  Ella Stowell also had a fantastic competition with no mistakes, she achieved a joint 3rd beam, 3rd range & conditioning and 4th bars, finishing 3rd overall and also achieving a distinction with her 58.40 score.  Team mates Brogan Shepperd and Sophie Bushnell finished 9th and 10th and also achieved distinctions with their overall scores of 56.85 and 56.40.

Fromeside’s grade 14 gymnasts competed in round 2, with 10 year old Megan Matthews, 8 year old Ashonte Bird, 6 year old Ruby Curthoys and 8 year old Amber Thomson all achieved a distinction with their overall scores of 58.05, 57.55, 57.30 and 56.40 respectively.  Megan also achieved the highest mark on vault and Ruby the highest mark on range & conditioning of their round.

In round 3, 13 year old Aimee Melville competed in grade 11 on 4 apparatus.  With only a small mistake on floor, she had a good competition to achieve a distinction with her 46.35 score (pass mark 36.00 at this grade), and finishing 5th vault, 4th bars and 6th beam.  An excellent day had by all and good results for all their dedication and hard work.

12 year old Lydia Hayden, a gymnast at Fromeside gymnastics club in Winterbourne,  competed in the British Espoir Challenge Championships on Sunday 5th June.  The championships, held in Guildford, was Lydia’s first ever British level competition, and she had worked hard in preparation, achieving new skills to compete for the first time at this meet.  She started on beam, and, although a little nervous and wobbly, included a tuck back somersault as part of her new list of elements to achieve a fall-free routine to start the competition.  Next up was vault, with an extremely well executed and dynamic piked tsukahara, nailed on landing and gaining a nod from the judges to acknowledge their contentment.  Next apparatus was floor, and Lydia opened her routine with a stunning double twisting back somersault, following with good leaps in a tourjette full, another new skill, continuing with well danced choreography and to finish a full twisting somersault.  Finally bars, with a newly constructed routine including 2 new elements.  Lydia had a poor warm-up which left her doubting her abilities, and then had a couple of falls, to incur large penalties.  The highlight of the day, however, was a well deserved BRONZE medal for vault.

Fromeside Boasts Wiltshire Open Champion, Silver and Bronze Medallists and Monica’s Medley Team Champions

Fromeside Gymnastics Club, Winterbourne are celebrating this week after a tremendous weekend of competitions.  9 gymnasts competed at the Wiltshire Open Invitational competition on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th May at Melksham. The event comprised 5 different levels of difficulty where the Fromeside girls competed against gymnasts from clubs across England and Wales.
 
The competition started on Saturday with the youngest competitors in the level 5 in and out of age groups.

Level 5 in age, 8 year old Oriel Powell performed excellent routines on all apparatus to achieve ribbons for placing 1st vault, 1st beam, 1st bars & 3rd floor, winning the GOLD medal overall, 2 clear marks ahead of the silver medallist.

Level 5 out of age, 9 year old Laura Westcott competed well to achieve ribbons for 3rd vault & 2nd bars, finishing 4th gaining her another ribbon.  Team mate 9 year old Alisha Walters finished 16th overall.

In the level 4 competition, Saiorse Maccana competed in the junior level to finish 21st overall.
 
In the level 4 seniors, success again with great performances from 11 year old Antonia Joy, achieving ribbons for 2nd bars, 2nd floor & 3rd beam, winning the BRONZE medal overall.  14 year old Laoishe Maccana successfully gained a ribbon for 3rd on bars and finished 7th overall.  13 year old Aimee Melville finished 29th and team buddy 13 year old Lauren Elliott competed only bars & beam due to an ankle injury.

On Sunday 12 year old Lydia Hayden competed in the level 3 seniors, again with excellent routines, with only an error of a missed connection on beam.  She achieved ribbons for placing 1st vault, 1st bars and 2nd floor, winning the SILVER medal overall, missing the gold by 0.20 only.

To top the weekend off the scores of Oriel’s beam, Lydia’s vault, Laoishe’s bars, Antonia’s floor and Aimee’s floor were successful in winning the club team competition, the MONICA’S MEDLEY CUP was awarded to Fromeside for the year. 

Pictured with the Monica’s Medley Cup
Left: Lydia Hayden, Silver Level 3 Seniors
Centre: Oriel Powell, Champion Level 5 In Age
Right: Antonia Joy, Bronze Level 4 Seniors

5 teams and 3 bronze medals.

29 gymnasts from Fromeside Gymnastics club competed in their first ever West Country league match on Sunday 15th May, with great result.  Fromeside had 5 teams in 3 divisions travelling to 2 venues.  The day began early, with 3 of the teams heading for Swansea and the other 2 teams going to the Forest of Dean.  The top 4 scores per apparatus from each team of 5 or 6 gymnasts would count towards the teams’ all round final score.  Many of the gymnasts were competing new skills for this competition.

In the Premier division, the B league team walked away with a Bronze medal from their performances.  Team members Laoishe Maccana(13), Georgina Bisp(11), Lydia Hayden(12), Antonia Joy(11) and Amy Palmer(11), produced good solid routines and narrowly missed the silver by 1 mark.  Lydia finished 3rd on vault, 6th on beam and 3rd overall individually, Laoishe 2nd on bars, 5th on beam and 7th overall and Georgina 5th on vault, 6th on bars and 9th overall.

In Division 1, the B team of gymnasts Jaime Wall(9), Sophie Bryant(9), Saoirse Maccana(10), Oriel Powell(8), Aimee Melville(13) and Lauren Elliott(13) won team Bronze, with outstanding performances on floor.  Jaime finished 2nd on floor, 4th on bars and 8th overall, Lauren 9th overall and youngest team member Oriel 6th on floor and 10th overall.  The A league team of Laura Westcott(9), Alisha Walters(8), Brogan Sheppard(7), Amber Thompson(7), Ella Stowell(7) and Sophie Bushnell(7) finished in 5th position.  These very young gymnasts tried really hard but made a few mistakes due to inexperience in a competition situation.  Laura performed good solid routines to finish 5th overall and 6th on bars.

In Division 2, the B team had a prosperous day with a Bronze medal for their performances.  The team of Jessica Summerell(13), Holly Curthoys(11), Sarah Godden(11), Darcey Reynolds(9) and Chloe Brown(16) performed excellent floor and beams routines.  Jessica finished 3rd on beam, 4th on floor and 3rd overall, Chloe 4th on beam, 4th on floor and 8th overall and Holly 5th on bars and 3rd on floor.  The A team of  Ashonte Bird(8), Ruby Curthoys(6), Isobel Davies(7), Naomi Priddle(8), Ailie Gamlin(10) and Katie Robbins(10) finished 7th.  This young team had an unfortunate day with several costly mistakes.

All gymnasts are looking forward to the next match in October and are working hard on new skills to perform in their routines.

Springboard Competition

4 Fromeside  gymnasts competed at the recent South West Springboard competition on Sunday 8th May in Melksham.

The day started with Darcey Reynolds competing in the 9/10 year old category.  Although inexperienced she produced clean routines to finish 10th from 32 competitors and also achieved a bronze medal for an excellent beam routine.

In the 11 /12 age group of 26 gymnasts, Saoirse Maccana finished in 8th position overall, with just a fall on bars spoiling her outstanding competition, she also achieved 4th on beam and 8th on floor.  Team mate Holly Curthoys finished in 22nd.

Lastly Jessica Summerell competed in the 13 / 14 age group of 13 gymnasts.  She produced clean routines on all apparatus but incurred a short exercise deduction on bars, finishing in 8th position overall and achieving 5th on beam and 7th on floor.

Nationals

The previous weekend 4 gymnasts competed in Birmingham at the Compulsory grades national finals.  In compulsory 3, 9 year olds Sophie Bryant finished 46th and team buddy Jaime Wall 50th.  In compulsory 4, 9 year old Laura Westcott  and 8 year old Alisha Walters finished 48th and 63rd respectively.

Prior to this 3 gymnasts competed as part of the South West teams in the Club national grades finals, also in Birmingham.  In grade 7 11 year old Georgina Bisp achieved 10th on bars and 19th overall, and 12 year old Lauren Elliott finished 35th overall. The team finished in 7th place.

In grade 6, 11 year old Antonia Joy finished 36th and the team finished in 10th place.

This is just the beginning of a very busy competition season, and an excellent start for all Fromeside gymnasts.  Well done everyone.

20 gymnasts from Fromeside Gymnastics Club competed in the Gloucestershire Floor and Vault competition on Sunday 27th March, securing 14 medal places against gymnasts from other clubs across the county.

The morning started with the level 5 gymnasts.  8 year old Oriel Powell produced outstanding performances on both apparatus, topping her opponents by over 3 whole marks to secure 1st place on floor & vault and the GOLD medal in the under 9 group.

In the under 11 group, 9 year old Darcey Reynolds achieved 4th on floor & vault and BRONZE overall, team mate Katie Robbins finished 8th overall.

The under 13 age group also saw excellent performances, 12 year old Aimee Melville finished 1st on floor & vault and received the GOLD overall, 13 year old Jessica Summerell, produced a solid floor routine to finish 2nd securing her the BRONZE medal overall, and team mates Sarah Godden and Holly Curthoys finished 4th and 6th respectively.

In the second round, the afternoon competition saw the level 4 and MOD FIG girls compete, again the girls competed with great precision.

In the level 4 under 9’s, 9 year old Laura Westcott performed an enjoyable and well-presented floor routine to finish 1st on both floor & vault, taking the GOLD overall and training partner 8 year old Alisha Walters, had a costly error on floor, finishing 3rd on each apparatus and taking the BRONZE overall.

Level 4 under 11’s saw 9 year old Sophie Bryant perform a solid routine to finish 1st on floor and receiving the GOLD overall, 10 year old Saoirse Maccana also produced clean a routine and good line on vault to finish 2nd & 3rd, taking the BRONZE overall, while team buddy 9 year old Jaime Wall made a costly error on floor, finishing 2nd on vault and 5th overall.

Level 4 under 13 girls had an excellent competition, 11 year olds Antonia Joy finished 2nd vault, 3rd floor and took the SILVER medal overall with team mate Amy Palmer producing a great floor routine to finish 1st & 3rd on vault taking the BRONZE overall.

In the level 4, 14+ group, Laoishe Maccana produced a well-executed Tsukahara vault and excellent floor routine to secure 1st on each apparatus and GOLD overall, 16 year old Chloe Brown achieved 4th vault, 3rd floor and took the BRONZE overall, and 13 year old Lauren Elliott produced a beautiful floor routine to finish 2nd and 4th overall.

The MOD FIG open competition found 12 year old Lydia Hayden produce an excellent competition with the only multiple twist to be seen on floor all day, an outstanding pike tsukahara vault nailed on landing to achieve her 2nd on floor & vault and GOLD overall.  16 year old Megan Austin-Sparks also had a good competition, finishing 1st floor and 4th vault, taking the SILVER overall.  11 year old Georgina Bisp produced a good floor, finishing 3rd, but was unable to stay on her feet from the vault landing, costing her points to finish 6th overall.

All in all a great competition for most.

Round 1 photo (left), top to bottom and left to right:

(Back)Sarah Godden, Jessica Summerell, Aimee Melville, Katie Robbins (Front) Darcey Reynolds, Holly Curthoys, Oriel Powell

 

Round 2 Photo (right), top to bottom and left to right:

(Back)Lauren Elliott, Chloe Brown, Megan Austin-Sparks, Laoishe Maccana, Lydia Hayden, (Middle)Sophie Bryant, Antonia Joy, Georgina Bisp, Laura Westcott, (Front)Alisha Walters, Saoirse Maccana, Amy Palmer, Jaime Wall

Four Fromeside Gymnastics Club boys have qualified for National Finals.  Luke Elliott competed in the Regional Grades level 3, came 2nd overall taking the silver medal and therefore qualified to represent the South West at the National finals in Birmingham.  Nine year old Mackenzie Welsh took 4th place at level 1 and will also compete for the South West in Birmingham.

In the Club Grades Finlay Cochrane and Michael Cipolla (both 9 yrs) did very well. Finlay finished 3rd overall, Michael came 5th and both are therefore competing for the SW-team at the Nationals.

Four of the eight Fromeside boy gymnasts who competed at the South West trials at Exeter were under age so cannot qualify for Nationals.  Eight year old James Puddy competed outstandingly and finished overall 2nd winning the silver medal.  Luke Baxter also did extremely well taking the bronze medal.  Rhys Jones and Kaan Mirza completed the success in the Under age group finishing 6th and 8th respectively.

Pictured (2 at the back, L to R): Finlay Cochrane, Michael Cipolla, (front L to R) Rhys Jones, James Puddy, Luke Baxter, Kaan Mirza

Seven Fromeside Gymnastics Club gymnasts have qualified for the National Finals.  Georgina Bisp, Antonia Joy and Lauren Elliott will compete as South West Team members in the Womens Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) British Club Grades.  Sophie Bryant (travelling 1st reserve for the South West Team), Jaime Wall, Laura Westcott and Alisha Walters qualified to compete as individuals at the WAG British Compulsory L4 & L3 Championships.  These competitions are being held over two weekends in April and May.

All 10 of the Fromeside gymnasts who competed at the South West WAG National Club and Compulsory Grades competition on Sunday 6th March in Melksham successfully passed, with five girls receiving a distinction.

The day started with the National Club Grade 8 gymnasts, 10 year old Saoirse MacCana finished 14th overall with a distinction and 11 year old Amy Palmer passed finishing 19th overall and achieving 4th on bars.

In the National Club Grade 7 competition, 11 year old Georgina Bisp had a fantastic competition and passed with distinction, taking the GOLD medal overall and 6th vault, 3rd bars, 2nd beam and 1st on floor. 13 year old Lauren Elliott passed with distinction and finished in 4th, gaining 2nd bars, both gymnasts qualified as members of the South West Team. Team mate 13 year old Laoishe MacCana also passed with distinction, finishing 10th overall and 1st on vault.

National Club Grade 6 saw 11 year old Antonia Joy pass with distinction, taking the SILVER overall and finishing 3rd vault, 3rd bars and 3rd beam. She will compete at the National Final as a South West Team member.

In the Compulsory Grade 4 competition, 8 year old Laura Westcott passed finishing 6th overall, 4th vault, 3rd bars, 6th beam and 2nd on range and conditioning, while training buddy Alisha Walters, also age 8, passed, finishing 9th overall, 5th vault and 6th range and conditioning.

The day finished with the Compulsory Grade 3, 9 year old Sophie Bryant passed finishing 5th overall, 5th vault, 4th beam and 6th floor, and training partner Jaime Wall, also 9, passed in 8th overall, 6th vault, 6th beam and 4th bars.

19 Fromeside gymnasts aged 6 to 15 years trialled alongside four other clubs for the Gloucestershire county team selection last weekend at the Forest of Dean Gymnastics Club.  Several of the girls came top of their groups, demonstrating that Fromeside are producing the highest calibre 4 piece artistic gymnasts across the county.  The trial consisted of two levels, the higher County squad and the Development squad.  Gymnasts had to achieve a minimum of 60% to be selected for the squad, which will meet a further 3 times through the year for training with the county’s top coaches and invited guest coaches.  Gymnasts scoring between 55% and 60% go into the reserve squad and are invited to train with the squad teams in October in recognition of their achievement.

In the mini trial (gymnasts born 2003/04), Brogan Sheppard scored highest with 87.79%, followed by training mates Ella Stowell 84.70%, Sophie Bushnell 79.85%, Amber Thompson 77.94%, Ruby Curthoys 77.20% and Ashonte Bird 62.35%.  Holly Evans and Isobel Davis scored 57.64% and 55.44% and so become reserves.

The girls born in 2001/02 saw Jaime Wall selected for the County squad with the top score of 81.09%.  Laura Westcott, top scoring with 83.00%, and Alisha Walters, 77.83%, both achieved places in the Development squad.

In the age group of girls born 1999/2000, Antonia Joy achieved 83.82%, top of the leader board, securing a County squad place.  At the Development level, gymnasts Amy Palmer 72.81%, Holly Curthoys 70.78% and Saoirse Maccana 67.81% all achieved squad places.

In the group of gymnasts born in 1998 or before, Lauren Elliott scored 82.20% and Lydia Hayden 76.02% in the Development section.

The county also ran a 2 piece trial in which Megan Austin-Sparks top scored with 62.77% and team mate Chloe Brown achieved 60.55%. 

The county’s Womens Technical coach Kim Whittingham reported that the gymnasts showed good preparation and techniques across the levels, and were a credit to Fromeside and their coaches.

Seven Fromeside gymnasts took part at the South West Alpha Factor competition on Sunday 14th November at the City of Bristol Gymnastics Club in Hartcliff.

In the level 5, 8 years category Laura Westcott, Oriel Powell and Alisha Walters competed and performed very well.  They all carried falls on beam but did fantastic floor routines and competed lots of new skills in their routines on bars, floor and beam.  Laura came 3rd overall, Oriel came 2nd on floor and 3rd on vault and Alisha 3rd on bars.

Georgina Bisp performed outstandingly well to win the overall GOLD medal in the level 4 out of age 10 years competition.  She also placed second on bars second on beam and third on floor.  Antonia Joy fell a few times on beam but did well to recover and placed third on bars.

Megan Austin-Sparks and Lauren Elliott competed in the level 3 12+ competition.  Megan came third on vault and Lauren came second on floor.

Pictured left to right: Alisha Walters, Laura Westcott, Georgina Bisp, Oriel Powell, Lauren Elliott

Thirteen Fromeside boys travelled to Bath to compete in the District Level floor, vault and trampette competition on 7th November and won 5 gold medals.

In the U7’s, Luke Baxter had a very good competition achieved 1st for trampette receiving a GOLD medal and also 1st place overall and a GOLD medal.  Overall placings for the other boys in this group were Kaan Mirza 4th (vault 2nd, floor 3rd), Rhys Jones 5th (vault 3rd, trampette 3rd), Winston Powell 8th (trampette 2nd, floor 3rd), Sam Evans 9th and Dominic Williams-McCarthy 10th.

In the U9’s Rory Van Onselen came 1st on vault receiving a GOLD medal and was 5th overall.

In the U11’s Ben Fries achieved 1st on floor receiving a GOLD medal and came 10th overall.  Overall placings for the other boys in this group were Fraser Denoon 4th (trampette 3rd), Liam Cooper 5th (floor 2nd) and Jack Moore 8th.

In the O11’s, Kai Greaves-Lugo came 1st on vault receiving a GOLD medal and 6th place overall.  Sam Smith-Ferrier was 11th overall.


Pictured front row: Kaan Mirza, Sam Evans, Rhys Jones, Luke Baxter, Dominic Williams-McCarthy, Winston Powell. 
Back row: Kai Greaves Lugo, Ben Fries, Jack Moore, Sam Smith-Ferrier, Liam Cooper, Rory Van Onselen, Fraser Denoon.

Fromeside gymnast Jaime Wall represented the South West of England at the National Finals in Guildford where she was member of a team of four gymnasts.  Jaime performed clean routines on all four apparatus and had all her scores count for the team.  The team came 4th overall.  Individually, Jaime finished an impressive 14th all around out of 47 competitors, she came 11th on bars and 15th on beam.

Pictured: Jaime Wall

17 gymnasts competed at the Gloucestershire County Levels Apparatus Championships in the Forest of Dean on Sunday 17th October. The girls brought home 13 medals between them, 6 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze, a fantastic result for the Fromeside gymnasts.

The day started with the level 5 competition, split into 4 age groups.
In the youngest age group of 7 gymnasts aged 7 & 8 - seven year old Oriel Powell achieved 1st on all four apparatus and won GOLD overall, eight year olds Laura Westcott achieved joint 1st vault, 2nd on beam, bars & floor and took SILVER overall and Alisha Walters finished 3rd on floor & vault, 4th on bars & beam, taking the BRONZE in the all around.
In the age 9 & 10 group of 8 gymnasts, eight year old Darcey Reynolds achieved 1st on bars & beam, 3rd vault and took the GOLD overall.
In the age 11 group of 7 gymnasts, Holly Curthoys finished in 1st bars, 3rd beam, 4th on floor & vault and took SILVER in the all around, Izzy Lloyd achieved 1st vault and 4th on bars & beam, finishing 4th overall and Sarah Godden achieved 1st beam and 6th overall.
The age 12+ group of 6 gymnasts GOLD medal was won by Jessica Summerell who also achieved 1st on beam and 2nd on floor & bars.

The second round saw gymnasts competing at level 4 and level 3.
In the level 4 aged 9 & 10 group of 4 gymnasts, nine year olds Sophie Bryant finished 1st on vault, bars and beam and 2nd on floor, taking the GOLD in the all around, Jaime Wall achieved 1st on floor, 2nd on vault and 3rd on bars & beam, taking the SILVER overall.  Ten year old Saoirse Maccana finished 2nd on floor & beam, 4th on vault & bars and took BRONZE in the all around.
In the age 11 group of 4 gymnasts Antonia Joy finished 1st on floor, bars & beam, 3rd on vault and took GOLD overall and Amy Palmer achieved 2nd on floor, vault & beam, 4th bars and 4th overall.
In the age 12+ group of 3 gymnasts Lauren Elliott took GOLD overall, finishing 1st on floor, bars & beam and 2nd on vault.
In the level 3 open competition, ten year old Georgina Bisp achieved 1st bars, 3rd on floor & beam, 4th vault and took SILVER in the all around, twelve year olds Lydia Hayden finished 1st floor & vault, 3rd bars, 4th beam and took BRONZE in the all around and Laoishe Maccana finished 5th overall.


Pictured:     Antonia Joy, Amy Palmer, Lydia Hayden, Laoishe Maccana, Georgina Bisp, Saoirse Maccana, Jaime Wall, Sophie Bryant, Lauren Elliott, Alisha Walters, Laura Westcott, Izzy Lloyd, Jessica Summerell, Sarah Godden, Holly Curthoys, Darcey Reynolds, Oriel Powell

14 Fromeside gymnasts competed at the Bristol United Gymnastics Invitational on Sunday 3rd October.  The girls competed across several levels, most of them trying a higher level for the first time, with realistic results.

Round 1 saw the level 5, 8 year olds competing.  These inexperienced youngsters came to grief on the 4 inch beam, nerves getting the better of them at the beginning of their competition.  However, competing one year under age, 7 year old Oriel Powell achieved an incredible 2nd bars, 5th floor, 1st vault and 4th overall.  Team mates Alisha Walters, Ellouise Challenger (5th vault) and Laura Westcott achieved overall positions 10th, 11th and 14th respectively.

Round 2 saw the level 4, 10 year olds.  Saoirse Maccana achieved 4th bars, 6th floor,4th vault and 4th overall and Jessica Veysey 5th bars, 3rd floor, 1st vault and 7th overall.
In the level 3 gymnasts aged over 11 years old.  11 year old Antonia Joy achieved 6th bars, 4th beam, 6th floor and 7th overall and 10 year old Amy Palmer 4th floor and 12th overall.

Round 3 saw the level 4, 9 year olds.  Jaime Wall achieved 3rd bars, 1st beam, 2nd floor, 2nd vault and 3rd overall.
Level 3 age 10 years, gymnast Georgina Bisp achieved 2nd bars, 2nd beam, 1st floor, 1st vault and 2nd overall.
In the Modified FIG gymnasts aged 12 and 13 years.  Laoishe Maccana achieved 6th beam and 7th overall.  Lydia Hayden 8th overall.  Lauren Elliott 4th beam, 5th floor and 9th overall.  In modified FIG gymnasts aged 14 and 15 years, Megan Austin-Sparks achieved 2nd bars, 2nd beam, 2nd floor, 3rd vault and 3rd overall.


Pictured from left to right: Megan Austin-Sparks, Lauren Elliott, Jessica Veysey, Amy Palmer, Saoirse Maccana, Antonia Joy, Jamie Wall, Georgina Bisp, Laoishe Maccana, Lydia Hayden

 

FORMER Fromeside gymnast Imogen Cairns is one of England’s biggest gold medal hopes at the Commonwealth Games, which starts in Delhi on Sunday, writes Rob Iles.

The 21-year-old, who grew up in Winterbourne and attended the Ridings School - now known as Winterbourne International Academy - flew out on Monday with coach Liz Kincaid.

Despite complaints of filthy conditions in the athletes village and fears that the Games would not go ahead, Cairns’ coach Liz Kincaid, who was also a member of Fromeside Gymnastics club, said they’ve had no problems since settling in India.

“The village is fantastic and our accommodation is clean,” said Kincaid.

“I had heard that problems were being had in the village prior to us arriving but I can happily confirm that the village is up to standard with excellent catering facilities and our training venue is great.”

Cairns won gold at the Melbourne games four years ago and was also part of the Great Britain squad that went to the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

She damaged both feet on a floor exercise at her first competition after the Olympics and was out injured for 15 months.

Cairns also competed at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2002 in Bendigo, Australia, and won gold with the England team, as well another gold on vault, silver on floor and bronze in the all-round competition.

Report By Rob Iles - The Gazette

Two 8 year old gymnasts from Fromeside Gymnastics Club based in Winterbourne, Bristol, have made selection for the South West National Team to compete at the national event held in November in Guildford.  Jaime Wall was awarded the 3rd place and Bronze medal with an overall total of 46.00 points at the qualifying competition held in Bristol.  She also achieved 6th on bars, 5th on beam, 5th on floor and will compete at the National finals as a team member.  Team mate Sophie Bryant came 6th in qualification with an overall total of 45.00 points and is the non-travelling reserve for the team finals, she achieved 4th on vault, 5th on bars, 6th on beam and 4th on floor.

Photo from the left: Sophie Bryant & Jaime Wall

11 Fromeside gymnasts competed at the Alpha Factor UK Invitational competition held in Melksham last weekend. This 3 day national competition saw 300 gymnasts from all over the country performing high level routines across the four apparatus used in women’s artistic gymnastics. The goal to impress the judges with dynamics and elegance, to achieve minimum deductions and be awarded apparatus ribbons and overall medal positions.

The competition started on Friday afternoon for the Fromeside gymnasts. Round 2 saw our level 4 girls competing in the 10/11 and 12+ age groups.

In the 12+ group of 33 gymnasts 15 year old Megan Austin-Sparks achieved 3rd on Floor, bronze ribbon on Vault and 6th overall. 13 year old Laoishe Maccana achieved 1st and a silver ribbon on Bars and 5th overall. She also awarded a judges special award for excellent lines on bars. Team mate 13 year old Lauren Elliott achieved 1st and a bronze ribbon on Floor, 2nd and a gold ribbon on Beam and 4th overall.

In the 10/11 year old group of 47 gymnasts. 10 year old Georgina Bisp achieved 1st and a gold ribbon on Bars, 3rd and a silver ribbon on Vault, 5th and a bronze ribbon on Beam and 3rd and a bronze medal overall. 9 year old Saoirse Maccana achieved a silver ribbon on Beam and finished 20th overall, and team mate 10 year old Amy Palmer achieved a bronze ribbon on Floor and finished 30th overall.

Saturday mornings round 3 saw the level 4, age 8 girls and level 3, age 11/12 gymnasts competing.

In the 8 year old group of 23 gymnasts, Alisha Walters finished 20th overall and team mate Laura Westcott finished 21st overall.

In the 11/12 level 3 group of 23 gymnasts, 12 year old Lydia Hayden achieved 1st Vault, 4th Beam, 4th Floor and 2nd and a silver medal overall.

Saturday afternoons round 4 saw the level 4 9 year old gymnasts competing. Jaime Wall achieved 5th and a ribbon on Beam and 9th overall and team mate Sophie Bryant achieved a ribbon on Floor and finished 13th overall.
An excellent weekend of hard work.

Pictured: Lydia Hayden and Georgina Bisp

Mackenzie Welsh, Finlay Cochrane and Michael Cipolla took part at the trial on 5th September at Exeter to qualify for the SW-squad.  The three were in a group of 15 boys, all 8 years of age seeking to qualify for the level 1-squad of the development program. 

It was a day’s testing with Regional coach Steven Jehu.  Two days later we received the results:  All 3 Fromeside boys are within the best 9 and therefore part of the new SW-squad.  Their first squad training takes place on 26th September in Poole.

Fromeside girls were treated to a weekend of training with a top level coaching legend.  Well known for his work with the top British and Welsh gymnasts, coach John Pirrie spent the weekend working with the gymnasts and coaches. 

16 gymnasts aged 7 to 15 worked hard over the weekend training 9am to 4 pm both Saturday and Sunday, with John heading the sessions and bringing his vast knowledge and expertise into their training.  Combining hard work and technique with fun and time management for all involved, the gymnasts and coaches benefited greatly from the weekend experience and fun was had by all.

At the end of a busy competition season Fromeside Gymnastics Club spent a week at the Gymnastics centre at Bochum / Germany to prepare new skills for forthcoming events. 

10 gymnasts, 7 girls and 3 boys, as well as the coaches Kim Whittingham, Tom Elliott and Michael Schulz took part at this training camp.

Everyone really enjoyed their time at Bochum.  The different training environment with the variety of apparatus increased everyone’s motivation in the gym which helped all gymnasts to do a brilliant job in their 6 hours training sessions.

There was also enough time to visit the Bochum mining museum, the city park, to go swimming in an open air aquatic centre as well as having a barbecue on a farm.

Fromeside would like to thank Tesco - Bradley Stoke and Morrisons - Cribbs Causeway for their help with fundraising towards this trip.

17 Fromeside girls competed in the regional grading 2010 held in Melksham on July 11th.  They competed in grades from 14 through to 11, on the four pieces of apparatus plus a range and conditioning set.  All the gymnasts passed their relevant grade and some achieved a distinction.


The day started with round 1, split between half the grade 14 and 13 gymnasts from clubs across the South West region.

At grade 14, Fromeside had 4 gymnasts in a group of 26.  8 year old Lucy Veysey finished 10 scoring 59.25 overall.  6 year old Ella Stowell achieved a 3rd place on range (12.15) and finished 15 scoring 57.50 overall.  9 year olds Lucy Durham and Emily Clark-Crangle finished 17 (56.85) and 21 (56.35) with Emily achieving a 3rd on vault (12.85).

At grade 13, Fromeside also had 4 gymnasts aged 8 in a group of 17.  Laura Westcott achieved 2nd Bars (11.35), 1st beam (12.80), 2nd floor (12.25), 2nd range (12.55) and finished 1st overall with 61.40, gaining her the only distinction given at this grade in this round.  Darcey Reynolds achieved 1st bars (11.60) and finished 5th overall with 59.25.  Ellouise Challenger achieved 3rd beam (12.25), 4th floor (12.10) and finished 7th overall with 58.70.  Alisha Walters achieved 5th floor (12.05), 1st range (12.60) and finished 9th  overall with 58.35.


Round 2 saw the other half of the grade 14 and 13 gymnasts.

At grade 14 the club had 3 more gymnasts in a group of 28.  7 year old Oriel Powell achieved 3rd bars, (12.55), 2nd beam (12.00), 2nd vault (12.85) and finished 11th overall with 59.30.  6 year old Brogan Sheppard achieved 6th vault (12.75), 5th range (12.10) and finished 13 overall with 59.10.  6 year old Sophie Bushnell achieved 3rd range (12.30) and finished 22 overall with 57.60.

 

Round 3 were grades 12 and 11, competing on just the four apparatus with no range set. 

At grade 12 Fromeside had 2 gymnasts in a group of 34 competing.  10 year old Jessica Veysey achieved 5th bars (12.00), 2nd beam (12.25), 1st vault (12.65) and finishing 3rd overall with 48.50 and gaining her a distinction.  9 year old Saoirse Maccana achieved 2nd vault (12.55) and finished 16 overall with 46.40.

At grade 11 the club had 4 gymnasts in a group of 16.  12 year old Leia Hyde achieved 3rd bars (12.10), 2nd floor (11.65) 1st vault (12.70) and finished 2nd overall with 47.25.  10 year old Amy Palmer achieved 5th bars (12.05), 4th beam (11.20), 4th floor (11.55) and finished 6th overall with 46.10.  12 year old Jessica Summerell achieved 6th floor (11.45) and finished 11th overall with 44.95.  10 year old Holly Curthoys finshed 15th with 41.75.

Fromeside girls won an amazing 17 medals when they travelled to the Forest of Dean for the 2010 Gloucestershire Novice Floor and Vault competition. The girls competed at increasingly difficult levels 1, 2 and 3, divided into several age groups throughout the day. In total they won 8 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 4 bronze medals, competing against four other clubs in the county.

At Level 1 in the 7 years and under, Grace Cruickshank achieved 1st floor and won SILVER overall, 5 year old Ruby Curthoys won BRONZE, 6 year old Holly Evans achieved 2nd vault and 4th overall and Hannah Lewis finished 5th overall. L1 age 8, Hannah Cadle achieved 1st floor and won SILVER overall, Megan Walsh 1st vault, 3rd floor and won BRONZE overall and Josie Barrington achieved 5th overall. L1 age 9, Molly Ashford achieved 1st vault and won BRONZE overall and Annie Llewellyn achieved 3rd floor, 3rd vault and 4th overall. L1 age 10, Collette Smith achieved 1st floor, 2nd vault and won GOLD overall. L1 age 11, Jasmine Fisher achieved 1st floor, 3rd vault and won GOLD overall.

Level 2 age 7, Ella Stowell achieved 1st floor, 3rd vault and won GOLD overall, Sophie Bushnell achieved joint 1st vault, 2nd floor and won SILVER overall and Brogan Sheppard achieved joint 1st vault, 3rd floor and won BRONZE overall. L2 age 8, Naomi Priddle achieved a perfect score to win 1st place vault and won GOLD overall, Lucy Veysey placed 2nd on vault and 7th overall. L2 age 9, Lucy Durham achieved 2nd floor, 2nd vault and won GOLD overall. L2 age 10, Rebbecca Taphouse achieved 2nd vault, 3rd floor and won SILVER overall.

Level 3 age 9 and under. 7 year old Oriel Powell achieved 1st floor, 3rd vault and won GOLD overall and 8 year olds Ellouise Challenger achieved 2nd vault and won SILVER overall, Alisha Walters placed 2nd on floor and 4th overall and Laura Westcott 5th overall. L3 age 10 and 11, Jessica Veysey was the second girl to achieve a perfect score and 1st place for her vault, she won GOLD overall, also achieving the highest overall score of the day with 23.45. Holly Curthoys placed 2nd floor and 4th overall, Emily Clark-Crangle 5th overall and Josie Wheeler 8th overall. L3 age 12 and 13, Daisy Hatfield achieved 1st floor, 2nd vault, and won GOLD overall.

CONGRATULATIONS

To our competitors at the Baskerville’s Cup 2010: This event is a 6-piece competition including floor, pommel, rings, vault, Parallel-bars and High-bar.

Luke Baxter, Michael Cipolla, Mackenzie Welsh and Finlay Cochrane competed very well and finished 4th overall (2002 & younger) in the team rankings.

Finlay came 4th overall in the individuals with his best apparatus result on floor (3rd). Mackenzie did extremely well on mushroom taking 2nd position on this apparatus (14th overall). Michael Cipolla came 21st overall, Luke Baxter finished 25th in his first 6-piece competition.

Congratulations to Rory Van Onselen competing in the age group 2001 and to Rhys Jones being one year under age in the 2002 competition group. Both competed very well in their first 6-piece competition and finished 19th and 26th respectively.

Ten year old Luke Elliott, competing 2 years under age showed a good performance in the U12 Voluntary Competition finishing 11th overall. Floor (7th) and High-bar (8th) were his best apparatus.

Well done boys!

Eleven gymnasts from Fromeside gymnastics club in Winterbourne were selected to represent Gloucestershire county in the recent inter-counties meet. The county entry comprised 3 teams of 6 gymnasts, with the 11 Fromeside girls divided across the teams. The competition was held at the City of Bristol gymnastics centre.

In the Under 12 team 2-piece floor and vault competition, 10 year olds Amy Palmer and Georgina Bisp and 11 year old Lydia Hayden finished in 4th place. Lydia achieving 5th place individually.

In the Over 12 team 2-piece floor and vault competition, Gloucestershire won the team SILVER, with 5 of the team being from Fromeside: 15 year olds Megan Austin-Sparks and Chloe Brown, 13 year olds Laoishe Maccana and Lauren Elliott and 12 year old Leia Hyde. Megan placed 1st individually.

In the Open team 4-piece beam, bars, floor and vault competition, the team including 10 year old Antonia Joy and 8 year olds Jaime Wall and Sophie Bryant finished in 6th place. These three gymnasts had a good competition and great experience when considering that they were against gymnasts who have competed at international level including former Fromeside gymnast Imogen Cairns who competed at the Beijing Olympics.

Winterbourne based Fromeside Gymnastics club girls won a haul of 24 medals and placement ribbons at the recent Wiltshire Open Competition. 13 girls travelled to Melksham to a well run although very busy event with competitors from all over England and Wales. The competition involved four apparatus on bars, beam, floor and vault, divided into age groups ranging from 8 years to over 14 (senior open) and level of ability.

The morning round started at 8.30am with our youngest members in the level 5 age 8 years group of 27 competitors. 7 year old Oriel Powell, competing a year under age, achieved a 6th placement on bars and 5th overall ranking. Team mates Laura Westcott, Ellouise Challenger and Alisha Walters achieved overall rankings of 11th, 20th and 21st respectively.

In the level 5 age 9 years group of 18 competitors, Darcey Reynolds achieved overall 12th ranking.

In the level 4 age 9 years group of 19 competitors, Jaime Wall placed 2nd on bars, 4th on floor and 5th overall. Team mate Sophie Bryant achieved 5th on floor, 6th on beam and 7th overall ranking. In the level 4 age 10 years group of 20 competitors, Georgina Bisp achieved 2nd on bars, 4th on vault, 6th on floor and 4th overall ranking.

In the level 4 age 11 years group of 21 competitors, Antonia Joy achieved 1st on bars, 1st on beam, 3rd on floor and SILVER overall ranking.

Fromeside had three 12 year olds in the level 4 senior open group of 28 competitors. Lauren Elliott achieved 2nd on beam, 4th on floor and 4th overall ranking. Laoishe Maccana achieved 3rd on bars and 6th overall ranking. Leia Hyde achieved 5th on floor and 10th overall ranking.

In level 3 senior open group of 12 gymnasts, 15 year old Megan Austin-Sparks achieved 1st on vault, 3rd on floor and 5th overall ranking.

In the Monica Medley team competition, Fromeside achieved 5th ranking from 25 clubs competing. An excellent day of gymnastics.

Fromeside girls won a haul of 24 medals at the recent Baskerville's Invitational Floor, Vault and Trampette Competition. 29 girls travelled to Bath to what turned out to be a very long day for many due to technical hitches with music and consequently overrun from earlier rounds, the last of which finished at 9:30pm - 2 hours later than programmed. The competition was divided into age groups and level of ability ranging from Under 7 to Over 13 and from Pre Levels to Advanced Level.

In the youngest age group (Under 7 at Level A) of 25 competitors Ruby Curthoys achieved a SILVER on floor and finished 12th overall.

In level B of 13 competitors Hannah Lewis won BRONZE on vault, finishing 4th overall. Brogan Sheppard achieved GOLD on trampette, finishing 5th overall. Grace Cruickshank, Sophie Bushnell and Amber Thompson finished 7th, 8th and 13th respectively.

At Under 9 level A group of 19 competitors, Ailie Gamlin won GOLD on floor, GOLD on vault and GOLD overall. Molly Ashford achieved SILVER on floor, SILVER on trampette and finished 5th overall with team mate Hannah Cadle finishing in 6th overall. In the level B of 21 gymnasts, Naomi Priddle won GOLD on floor and BRONZE overall. Darcey Reynolds achieved SILVER on floor and finished 5th overall. Team mates Alisha Walters, Lucy Veysey, Lucy Durham and Megan Walsh finished in 8th, 9th, 15th and 19th respectively.

In the Under 11 level A group of 18 competitors Jasmine Fisher achieved GOLD on floor, SILVER on trampette and GOLD overall with team mate Collette Smith finishing 5th overall. In level B of 19 competitors Rebecca Taphouse finished 15th overall.

In level C of 18 competitors Jessica Veysey achieved GOLD on floor, BRONZE on trampette and SILVER overall. Amy Palmer achieved SILVER on trampette and BRONZE overall. Holly Curthoys won SILVER on floor and finished 4th overall. Saoirse Maccana, Izzy Lloyd, Jess Jefferies, Emily Clark-Crangle and Josie Wheeler finished 9th, 10th, 11th, 14th and 16th respectively.

In the Under 13 level C group of 11 competitors Daisy Hatfield won SILVER on floor and BRONZE overall and team mate Jessica Summerell achieved BRONZE on trampette and finished 4th overall.

In the final age group Over 13 level C of 10 competitors Chloe Brown achieved BRONZE on vault and finished 4th overall.

Round 1 started at 9am with 12 year olds Leia Hyde and Laoishe Maccana in the 13/14 years category of 16 competitors. Starting on vault and probably a little nervous, both girls competed nice handsprings, not the best of the day but a good start for them. Moving to bars, not Leia’s strong piece but a clean basic routine for her, Laoishe had a good start value and produced a good solid and clean routine gaining bonus points for her handstand and giants and a 3rd placement on this piece of apparatus. Next piece was beam, the dreaded piece for both gymnasts, only 4 inches wide to perform leaps, jumps and acrobatic elements on. Both girls nervous of taking a fall at this stage of the competition were unable to produce clean routines, but as it turned out neither were most of the fellow competitors and Laoishe again was to secure a 2nd place ranking. Lastly to floor, and proving to be their strongest apparatus of the day, both producing beautiful routines with bonus acrobatic twists and somersaults, the girls achieved scores in the 13’s range and achieving a rank of 1st for Leia and 2nd for Laoishe, bringing both their overall scores into a respectable 3rd and bronze medal for Laoishe and 4th placement for Leia.

Round two was to follow with 12 year old Jessica Summerell, and 10 year olds Antonia Joy, Amy Palmer and Holly Curthoys in the 11/12 year category of 37 competitors. Starting on vault the girls produced middle range handsprings with scores in the mid 11 range, except Antonia scoring a low 12, ranking her 6th. Moving to bars, the girls showing clean basic routines, Antonia gaining bonus marks for giants and ranking her in 3rd place. Next piece was beam and again causing problems for the gymnasts with falls. Lastly to floor, where they were now out to produce good routines to make up the lost points. Amy, Holly and Antonia produced the goods with scores in the high 12’s and ranking Amy 6th and Antonia 3rd. Overall rankings of Antonia 5th, Jessica 12th, Holly 17th and Amy 18th.

Also in round 2 were 9 year olds Saoirse Maccana and Jessica Veysey in the 9/10 years category of 48 competitors and 8 year olds Laura Westcott and Ellouise Challenger and 7 year old Oriel Powell in the underage category. Again starting on vault, Jessica showing nerves and not producing a good handspring and Saoirse competing a good handspring to rank her at 4th. Moving to bars and both gymnasts produced clean routines scoring in mid 11’s. On to beam and the girls looking really confident with a good warm up and all skills solid and nailed, Saoirse produced a clean routine but a little too cautious with her skills and not showing dynamics and scoring 11, it was not to be for Jess with her back walkover bringing a fall. On to floor with the girls producing good clean routines and ranking Jessica in 6th position on this piece. Overall the girls ranked in at Saoirse 10th and Jessica 38th.

In the under age group of 5 gymnasts also starting on vault they produced good solid handsprings with Laura ranking 1st and Ellouise and Oriel joint 2nd. Bars was next and again good clean routines from all 3 gymnasts but Oriel achieved excellent height in her casts gaining her a 2nd place ranking. On to beam and the rolls causing a problem for Laura and Ellouise in warm up. Time for the routines and again the rolls created problems the 2 girls, and Oriel’s back walkover and cartwheel ending in falls. Even with a fall Laura was able to secure a 2nd place on the beam. Moving to floor and the girls wanting to prove their abilities, and they did just that with fantastic performances and finishing with Laura 1st and Oriel 2nd. Overall rankings saw Laura 2nd, Ellouise 4th and Oriel 5th. A good day was had by all, coaches Tom and Kim were pleased with the results.

Fromeside girls won an amazing 13 medals in the 2010 Gloucestershire Floor and Vault gymnastics competition. Across the eight categories they won 6 gold medals, 6 silver medals and 1 bronze medal competing against four other clubs in the county.

Competing at Level 3 open and achieving the top score of the event with 23.775, Megan Austin-Sparks won the gold medal, Lauren Gore silver medal and Lydia Hayden bronze medal.

In the Level 4, competing in the under 9 years Sophie Bryant won the gold medal and Jaime Wall won the silver medal. Antonia Joy won the gold medal in the under 11 years, and Georgina Bisp took the silver medal in the same category. In the 12+ years, Laoishe Maccana won the gold medal and Lauren Elliott won the silver medal. Chloe Brown, competing in the 14+ years won a silver medal.

In the Level 5 under 11 years, Saoirse Maccana came 3rd on floor although she didn’t win a medal overall. In the 12+ years, Jessica Summerell won a gold medal. 14+ years Shannon Hawkins won the gold medal and Heather Eastlake won the silver medal.

Pictured: Lauren G, Megan, Laoishe, Lauren E, Georgina, Antonia, Lydia, Saoirse, Jaime, Sophie

Nine girls from Fromeside gymnastics club competed in the South West Region national and compulsory grades on Sunday 14th March in Melksham. As a result of finishing in the top four, Lauren Gore and Megan Austin-Sparks will represent the South West Team at the National Finals in Birmingham in April. The gymnasts had to complete five disciplines including range and conditioning, vault, asymmetric bars, beam and floor routines.

Competing in National Grade 5, Lauren Gore came 2nd on vault, 2nd on floor and 3rd place overall to achieve her place on the South West Team.

A 2nd place overall for Megan Austin-Sparks in the National Grade 8 secured her place on the South West Team, she came 1st on vault, 3rd on beam and 4th on floor. Three gymnasts who also passed this grade were Laoishe Maccana whose highest place was 2nd on bars, Lauren Elliott who came 2nd on beam and Georgina Bisp who came 4th on beam.

Antonia Joy passed National Grade 7. Her highest place was 2nd on bars. With a 2nd on vault, Lydia Hayden passed National Grade 6. In Compulsory Grade 4 Sophie Bryant came 6th overall. Her highest place was 3rd on vault. Jaime Wall came 8th overall in the same grade. Her highest results were 1st on vault and 3rd on beam.

Well done girls.

Pictured: Lauren Gore, Megan Austin-Sparks

The five gymnasts from Fromeside gymnastics club exceeded expectations at the Magical Classic competition in Florida. The young gymnasts with limited experience have returned home with a haul of medals and two trophies for their routines on floor, vault, asymmetric bars and beam.

12 year old Laoishe Maccana won a trophy for coming 3rd overall, she also won four medals for 2nd on a-bars, 2nd on floor, 6th on vault and 6th on beam. 12 year old Lauren Elliott won a trophy for coming 5th overall, she also won two medals for 4th on beam, 4th on floor and came 8th on vault. 12 year old Jessica Summerell won two medals for 7th on floor and 11th overall. 10 year old Amy Palmer won two medals for 7th on beam and 12th overall. 9 year old Saoirse Maccana won a medal for 14th overall.

Travelling coach Kim Whittingham said “I am very proud of the girls, they worked really hard prior to and during the trip and competed well in their first competition abroad. All the girls had a fantastic time and were rewarded not only with medals for their hard work but also with visits to Universal Studios and Sea World. We would like to thank Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Somerfield and AXA Sun Life for their help with fundraising towards this trip.”

FIVE youngsters from Fromeside gymnastics club have flown out to America this week to take part in a prestigious competition.

It is the seventh year in a row the Winterbourne-based club has been invited to compete in the Magical Classic against gymnasts from all over the world at the Orange County Convention Centre in Orlando, Florida.

After flying out on Monday, they have been training with Brown’s gymnastics club for the last three days in Alta Monte Springs before the two-day competition, which starts tomorrow.

Laoishe Maccana, 12, Lauren Elliott, 12, Jessica Summerell, 12, Amy Palmer, ten, and Saoirse Maccana, nine, will represent Fromeside in team and individual artistic gymnastic events.

Coach, Kim Whittingham, who has travelled with the club on all seven trips to Florida, said: “Because of the expense, different children go every year so it’s a good opportunity for the gymnasts. They’re all really excited, they’ve been counting down the days for the last two weeks. The girls work five or six days a week in the gym so it gives them an opportunity to get some reward for what they are doing. We want them to win medals but it’s important that they have a good time because it’s a once in a lifetime experience.”

26 gymnasts from Fromeside Gymnastics Club aged 6 to14 years, trialled for Gloucestershire Womens Artistic Gymnastics County and Development Squads. With a pass mark set at 65%, 23 gymnasts successfully got in to various squads, from mini, development, senior 2 piece and county, and 9 of the gymnasts passing at above 80% to get a qualification of distinction showing that Fromeside is producing the majority of the best 4 piece gymnasts in the county of Gloucestershire.

Full list of results for Fromeside gymnasts:

Birth	Year Name	%Pass	Squad
03	Oriel Powell	95.2%	Mini
02	Laura Westcott	91.1%	Mini
02	Alisha Walters	90.2%	Mini
02	Ellouise Challenger	88.9%	Mini
03	Ella Stowell	77.9%	Mini
03	Grace Cruickshank	71.4%	Mini
02	Lucy Veysey	67.9%	Mini
03	Brogan Sheppard	65.4%	Mini
03	Alicia Robertson	65.0%	Mini
01	Sophie Bryant	90.6%	Junior County
01	Jaime Wall	87.8%	Junior County
00	Georgina Bisp	86.7%	Junior County
00	Saoirse Maccana	74.4%	Junior County
98	Lydia Hayden	86.4%	Junior County
99	Antonia Joy	66.9%	Junior County
97	Lauren Gore	81.8%	Senior County
00	Jessica Veysey	76.6%	Junior Development
99	Amy Palmer	73.7%	Junior Development
98	Jessica Summerell	65.5%	Junior Development
95	Megan Austin-Sparks	77.4%	Senior Development
97	Laoishe Maccana	76.2%	Senior Development
97	Lauren Elliott	72.9%	Senior Development
97	Leia Hyde	67.3%	Senior 2 Piece

Coaches Tom Elliott, Kim Whittingham and Teresa Powell are very pleased with the results and extremely of all the girls.

Nine boys from Fromeside Gymnastics Club took part at the Gloucestershire Boys’ Novice Championships. They competed in 5 different competitions for age and level of difficulty with routines on floor, vault and trampette and won a medal in each of them. They won 3 golds, a silver and a bronze medal which was an outstanding result for the Fromeside boys.

At level 1, 7 years and under, Mackenzie Welsh won gold with his tidy routines. Michael Cipolla took a pleasing 5th position only 0.6 points behind the bronze medal. Connor O’Keeffe and Rory Van Onselen did very well in their first year of competing finishing 7th and 10th respectively.

Also at Level 1 in the 8 & 9 years, Jack Moore performed tidy routines, 1.2 points ahead of the nearest competition to win his gold medal. At level 2, 7 & 8 years, Finlay Cochrane demonstrated outstanding routines and won his competition clearly with a 1.1 point lead to win his gold medal. Also at level 2 in the 9 & 10 years, Fraser Denoon came 2nd and received the silver medal and Sam Smith-Ferrier took 5th position overall in his first year of competing, both boys did extremely well.

Dylan Rhodes competed in the Intermediate 10 years and under, a competition of a high standard with well known gymnasts from other clubs. Dylan performed with good concentration, received the highest score overall on trampette and finished 3rd taking the bronze medal.

Fromeside gymnasts competed for Gloucestershire in the South West floor and vault competition in Plymouth.

Chris Moore had an outstanding performance of national standard to win the Open Individual title.

Nicholas Thorne (9 years) excelled in the Under 10’s and finished with a very pleasing 7th position overall.

There are five gymnasts in each of the county teams. Chris Moore and Tom Baskerville competed in the Over 14 (Open) team who came 2nd behind Devon winning a silver medal. Tom Baskerville and Dylan Rhodes competed in the Under 14 team and won the bronze medal. Kai Greaves-Lugo competed for the Under 12’s team who came 4th. Nicholas Thorne, Luke Elliott and Sebastian Murphy competed in the Under 10’s team who also came 4th.

Six medals for Fromeside:

• Gold – Finlay Cochrane U7 overall
• Gold – Finlay Cochrane U7 trampette
• Gold – Mackenzie Welsh U7 floor
• Silver - Dylan Rhodes U11 overall
• Silver - Danny Pirret U11 overall
• Bronze - Mackenzie Welsh U7 overall

A very successful event for the young Fromeside gymnasts, the District Gymnastics Competition for boys took place on Sunday 8th November at Bath.

In the U7’s, Finlay Cochrane achieved the best overall result winning the gold medal with a score of 35.10 as well as his individual apparatus gold for the best performance on trampette, 11.25.

Also competing in the U7’s, Mackenzie Welsh took the overall bronze medal and with an individual apparatus score of 12.0 claimed the gold medal on floor. Michael Cipolla, U7 achieved a very pleasing 5th position overall.

In the U11’s, Dylan Rhodes and Danny Pirret competed extremely well, finishing jointly in overall silver medal position with a score of 35.80. Sam Smith-Ferrier finished 13th in his first competition.

In the U9’s, Jack Moore and Rory Van Onselen competed well finishing in overall 12th and 14th position respectively. Jack achieved his best result on vault taking 6th position.

Five Fromeside gymnasts took part at the South West Apparatus Championships. Winning six medals in total and a very good performance, Andy Berndes (15 yrs) in the U16’s scored 67.9 to win the overall silver medal. Andy also won five individual apparatus medals including gold on rings, silver on pommel horse, parallel bars and high bar and a bronze on vault.

In the U10’s we saw a good competition from Luke Elliott and Nicholas Thorne (both 9 yrs) as well as Sebastian Murphy (8 yrs). Nicholas finished in 9th position overall and scored 75.80. Sebastian being 2 years under age took a pleasing 10th position and scored 73.47. Luke finished in 11th position after a correction of his start value on floor with a total score of 72.92. All three will compete again in the same age group in 2010, leaving time for improving their weaker apparatus on pommel horse and vault and to continue developing their strengths on floor, rings, parallel bar and high bar.

Kai Greaves-Lugo (11 yrs) competed for the first time in the U12’s and came 15th scoring 67.95. Kai competed well on five apparatus but received a low score of 7.8 on pommel horse.

On Saturday 19th September three adult gymnasts from Fromeside Gymnastics Club travelled to Basingstoke to compete at the 2009 British Veterans Championships. Joelle Elliott won a gold medal in the artistic over 40 category with a score of 36.25. Carol Powell won a silver medal in the artistic over 30 category, narrowly missing gold by 0.1 with a score of 36.85. Teresa Thatcher had to withdraw due to a badly sprained ankle the day before the competition.

With the highest 3 out of 4 scores to count for the total, Joelle had solid performances on floor, vault and bars her best three apparatus. With only the beam rotation to go, she maintained her composure and despite falling three times she came first in her group on beam doing enough to secure her gold medal position. Carol got off to a good start with a clean beam routine, the floor routine went well until the she fell in the final tumble. She had a good performance on vault which she needed, knowing that bars were her weakest apparatus.

Adult recreational gymnastics classes run at Fromeside Gymnastics Club every Monday evening from 9-10:30pm, click on the classes for more details.