The Norfolk Academy
of Gymnastics
Unit 10
Rookery Business Park
Silver Street
Besthorpe
Attleborough
NR17 2LD
T: 01953 453309
Email: info@tnag.co.uk
FABTASTIC FOURTH FOR BETHANY AT NATIONALS - AND A GREAT START FOR THE COMPULSORY 4 GIRLS
18/05/2010
BETHANY RANKS 4TH IN THE COUNTRY AT COMPULSORY 3 – GREAT START TO NATIONAL CAREERS FOR THE COMPULSORY 4 GIRLS
The national finals for compulsory levels 4 (girls aged 9 in the year) and 3 (girls aged 10 in the year) are always one of the most enjoyable and exciting in the competition calendar, as the future stars of the sport get their first national outings, and this year proved to be no exception.
For the Norfolk Academy Caitlin Baker, Eleanor Parsons and Olivia Syder had all qualified to compete at the championships as individuals. These three gymnasts are the first of the Academy’s fully home grown talents to make it to a national event and they certainly did themselves and the club very proud. All three girls were well prepared and confident and went through all five routines with no falls or major mistakes to score consistently well. The closeness in scores between the three gymnasts also shows that they are a very well matched group and will no doubt continue to push each other on with healthy competition in the gym for years to come. On this occasion it was Eleanor Parsons who came out just on top with scores totalling 58.65 to place 24th, just ahead of Caitlin Baker (56.6, 26th) and Olivia Syder (55.05, 34th). The girls seemed to thoroughly enjoy their nationals experience and were a credit to the club in how they handled the occasion and how confidently they performed. Well done girls!
On Sunday, Bethany Harmer took to the floor as part of the East region team at compulsory 3. The team was exceptionally strong and delighted the crowd and judges with their confident and assured performances. Bethany started her competition on bars where she has had some problems previously with the all important handstand. This time it hit perfectly for 12.65 (out of 13.5) which was the 4th best score of the day on that piece. From then on Bethany didn’t look back, sticking her beam for 11.5 (5th and one of only three to get the full 3.5 start value), performing her floor routine beautifully (11.7) and giving an excellent display on the difficult range and conditioning set (12.65, 5th). The competition finished on vault where Bethany managed very good flighty vaults given her size as, once again, one of the smallest gymnasts competing for an average of 12.575. Her total score of 61.075 gave Bethany an outstanding fourth place in the individual rankings. With three hugely accomplished gymnasts in front of her this was the absolute best result Bethany could have had and is testament to her extraordinary talent and determination to succeed. The East team stormed to a commanding victory in the team competition giving Bethany a national gold medal to add to her fast-growing collection. Bethany also puts herself in a very strong position to gain a national squad place at the end of the year.
The excellent performances of all four Academy gymnasts bring a successful end to a long grades season. The focus now turns to the exciting set of voluntary competitions in the autumn.
