Tom Wilson Article in Cambria News for Aberystwyth Rugby Club Olympic Torch Event including Aberystwyth Gymnastic Club. 

Beth Tweddle spearheaded Ruthin and Denbigh Gymnastic Club’s ‘Golden Ticket Healthy Day’ in conjunction with Sports Wales, Welsh Gymnastics and Denbighshire County Council on Sunday 27^th May 2012.

Beth was welcomed by Jane Foulkes Sport Wales Senior Officer, Tamsin Jones Head Coach at Ruthin and Denbigh GC and was taken into Ruthin Leisure Centre by a procession of gymnasts.

The visit from the three times World Champion gave excited young gymnasts from Denbighshire the chance to perform a display for her.

Beth Tweddle gave a presentation on her career, inspiring the young gymnast to continue and keep fighting to achieve their dreams.

Accompanied by Chief Councillor Huw Evans and Jane Foulkes, Beth presented graduation trophies and certificates to 15 young leaders who have successfully completed the Welsh Gymnastics Leadership Academy, a Leadership Mentoring Scheme run by the club, which now qualifies them to help with coaching at the club.

Beth, 27, said, “The Olympic year is a real opportunity to show that gymnastics is a fantastic sport for people of all ages and abilities.

“Ruthin and Denbigh Club’s Mentoring Scheme is a great example of the part gymnastics plays in developing gymnasts into young leaders and giving them skills that they can use in other parts of their lives, this is why I am so pleased to be visiting. Gymnastics is a fantastic sport; the opportunities that it provides within local communities are an important part of creating the Olympic legacy.”

The gymnasts were also treated to a special workshop from Beth who put them through their paces to give them a glimpse of some of the warm ups and skills she does in the gym every day.

“The day was amazing and full of memories which the gymnasts and coaches will remember for the rest of their lives. It was a privilege to spend time with an Olympic athlete in the year our country hosts the games and we are very grateful to Beth Tweddle for taking the time out, as she enters her final preparations for the Olympics,” said Head Coach Tamsin Jones. 

Valleys Gymnastics Academy has a lot to smile about, they have hit their membership targets, have a large volunteer base, have had the 6 Nations Triple Crown and an Olympic torch pay them a visit, and are celebrating the Queens jubilee and their birthday next week with a five day event extravaganza, all in their first full year of existence.

“We were just in the gym and a dad arrived and he said ‘my mate has an Olympic torch shall I bring it up later?’ and we were like happy days and just after the 6 nations had finished, somebody else had the triple crown and that appeared at the club, none of it is planned, we’ve just been so lucky the last 12 months,” said Melissa Gordon Managing Director & Head Coach at VGA.

Originally running as the nomadic Ebbw Vale Gymnastic Academy they eventually merged with Abertillery Gymnastic Club in 2011 to form Valleys Gymnastics Academy. Both clubs, once merged, moved across the local authority border from Blaenau Gwent to Caerphilly but VGA still keeps a hand in gymnastics in their former county providing coaches and freestyle classes once a week back in Ebbw Vale.

“For the last six years we’ve wanted to branch out and move into a unit because we were really restricted in the leisure centres. Abertillery Gym was being demolished so we saw it as an opportunity for the two clubs to merge and create something really strong,” said Melissa.

Sport Wales provided VGA with £12,000 worth of funding to help aid the start-up of the new club. In return for the funding VGA were set membership targets of reaching 380 members by the end of their first year and 500 by the end of their second year. Already they are miles ahead of their target with a 560 members on the 12 month mark and are, understandably, “chuffed with that”.

In celebration of the clubs recent achievements and the people who have made it happen, VGA has planned a five day celebration open exclusively to their members. Starting on the Jubilee Tuesday they are having a Jubilee Party with a hog roast, buffet and family sports day games such as egg and spoon races, relay races with a blow up Olympic torch and fancy dress. Wednesday it’s a Jubilee craft session, an hour of craft and an hour of gym. Thursday consists of a Zumba and Hooping class with disco lights and mirror balls. Friday is a Free Rugby Stars session with the Welsh Rugby Union and finally to cap it off they are doing a Family Roller Skate Party in Markham Leisure Centre on Saturday.

Something for Everyone

The unit VGA rent in Crumlin is approximately 9,000 square feet and has a full range of women’s and men’s artistic gymnastic apparatus including a full sprung floor area, four bar stations and six beams, they also have a separate dance and conditioning room. As a new club in a new facility you’d expect a period of adjustment but VGA’s strong volunteer base has made the first year plain sailing.

“It hasn’t been hard, I’m not saying it’s been easy but we are really lucky that we’ve got a big team of volunteers. We’ve been so lucky to get the number of volunteers that we’ve got and they’ve actually all got really good skill bases as well. I think the strength of our volunteers has made it that bit easier.

“We’ve got quite a few ex-gymnasts who are volunteering in our freestyle sessions. We’ve got a team of about 12 boys who help run the session and because quite a few of them want to be PE teachers it’s great opportunity for them to get some experience, qualifications and will help their employability. All of our young volunteers are working towards their Millennium Volunteers Accreditation and we also have ties with Cardiff Metropolitan University providing work experience for their sports studies students, both ventures have been fantastic for the club and the students alike.”

Priding themselves in having something for everyone, VGA offers more than just traditional gymnastic classes, including Zumba, Hooping, Kettle Bell and Ballet.

“I think people come to the facility for a fitness class or a party and are not really interested in gymnastics but they see the facility and see the range we’ve got on offer and they buy into the different classes. The venue is not just for traditional gymnastics, it’s also a party venue, somewhere to come and have an arts and crafts afternoon, somewhere for parent child play sessions,

“A lot of parents have said to us ‘it’s brilliant you’ve come up here because there is nothing for kids to do around here’. Kids walk through and they look through the glass and they are like ‘wow look at the gym!’ It really inspires them and these are children who have never thought about doing gymnastics. It’s just an extra hub which I think has benefited the local community, giving them something extra that they did want.”

“Gymnastics is fantastic”

On the 18^th April Sport Wales launched its Community Strategy which looked into ways in which sport can be planned, offered and promoted in such a way to sustain interest and passion for sport right through to adulthood. With a further investment of £9 Million pounds into community sport the strategy aims to challenge existing partners to work differently for the benefit of our communities to “enable a dramatic shift in the range and number if people involved in local sport.” Gymnastics because of its inclusive nature is often considered one of the sports that will be instrumental in Sport Wales achieving their vision: ‘to get every child in Wales hooked on sport for life’ a sentiment which Melissa finds her-self agreeing with.

“Gymnastics is fantastic, I was a gymnast myself and has been a massive part of my life so from a personal point of view, I know what it did for me in-terms of building confidence and self-esteem. You can see a real difference in individual children in quite short space of time in terms of their confidence, general ability level, and their ability to walk, holding themselves properly and be more independent.

“I also think you can tailor gymnastics really well, to suit the needs of a particular group or particular members that you’re engaging with. So it can go from a totally unstructured session, for want of a better word, like freestyle that engages teenage boys down to a totally structured session where you’re dealing with maybe 5 or 6 year old competitive female gymnasts. With our pre-school play session as well, they come in with their mums and dads and just play on the equipment, they’re active and they go out of here absolutely shattered but they’ve had a whale of a time and they’re eager to come back next time, that’s the real strength of it. There are all these benefits which you can achieve in such wide variety of ways” said Melissa.

Looking towards the next 12 months Melissa wants to continue to move the club forward; growing the membership base, break further into men’s artistic gymnastics, work towards Gymmark and possibly take on more paid staff if the growth calls for it. With the future looking bright how can Welsh Gymnastics and Siwan Jones CDO for VGA continue to support the clubs quest to provide valuable opportunities for children and young people?  

“It’s about Welsh gymnastics reacting to what clubs want and that’s what we’ve seen a real improvement in the last 4-6months. We wanted to develop our preschool section because it was part of the deal for receiving the funding from Sport Wales, so we said to Siwan we wanted pre-school courses and they’ve been put on and that’s brilliant.

“For members particularly, they pay their membership to Welsh Gymnastics and now they can go on the website, twitter and facebook and can see what Welsh Gymnastics is and why they are a member. They can see the press releases and interviews from the members and I think that’s brilliant,” added Melissa.

(Source: welshgymnastics.org)

BUDDING Taff Ely gymnasts are jumping for joy after a new gymnasium opened its doors in Treforest.

Led by 25-year-old Pontypridd coach Zoe Roberts, RSD Gymnastic Club was unveiled to the public to help train the next generation of stars.

“We are bringing a new facility to the community which we hope will give opportunities to children of all ages and abilities,” said Zoe.

“By providing a variety of sessions in a very high standard environment with excellent coaching from highly trained staff.”

Zoe has been working for RSD for three years, teaching dancing, cheerleading and tumbling.

When the opportunity arose to bring gymnastics into the frame, she jumped at it.

Two months after opening, the club runs 14 tumbling and gymnastic sessions for 74 registered gymnasts.

“I was always interested in gymnastics when I was younger and wanted to incorporate gymnastics into the job I was doing already, so I said to my manager Emma Richards ‘let’s start a gymnastics club’,” said Zoe.

With a large cheerleading membership and limited tumbling facilities in the halls they were renting, RSD decided that hiring a unit would be a better option.

Zoe added: “This is the first time we’ve had our own facility.

“Before, we would go all over Rhondda Cynon Taff and the Bridgend area using different leisure centres, community halls and schools.

“When we decided to open up our own facility we accessed a great deal of support from the local sports development team at RCT.”

The group applied for funding through the Local Authority Partnership Agreement (LAPA) between RCT and Sport Wales.

They gained £15,000 towards equipment and getting sessions up and running.

As part of her role with RSD, Zoe runs a voluntary programme which she developed herself to get adults into coaching. Currently the programme has 18 young leaders.

The aim is to get young people over the age of 14 involved in working with children, coaching gymnastics and tumbling.

“Once they’ve done 30 hours of voluntary assistance the club pays their Welsh Gymnastics and British Gymnastics registration and we give them a staff t-shirt to make them feel part of the workforce. We also pay for their CRB from Welsh Gymnastics.

“After the 30 hours, they also get an extra 10 hours of mentoring on each piece of the apparatus.”

“We hope to put all our volunteers on a Welsh Gymnastic Young Leaders Gymnastic Course, run in-house which will get all those young leaders working in all of our sessions so that gym runs effectively by itself.”

Coaching six days a week, having 18 young leaders and helping level one coaches work towards their level two seems quite a lot for Zoe to take on.

But she is not alone in her quest to bring quality gymnastics to RCT.

Her right hand woman Hazel MacAndrews works 20 hours at the club leading sessions, assisting lower level coaches and developing gymnasts.

“This is the first facility of its kind in Rhondda Cynon Taff, and I think the setup is really good,” Hazel said.

(Source: walesonline.co.uk)

Angel and Raer discuss their performances and experiences at the European Championships at Brussels held on 9-13th May 2012. The Welsh gymnasts were part of a GB squad of 5 who helped Team GB to a fantastic 4th place spot in the team competition. Angel qualified for the all-around finals with a 10th place finish in the qualification round. In the all-around finals she finished 15th overall.

A PENARTH schoolgirl is celebrating after being part of the highest-scoring Great Britain junior gymnastics team in history!

St Cyres pupil Angel Romaeo was a member of the GB Junior team that finished in an impressive fourth place overall in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championships in Brussels last weekend.

She also finished in a respectable 15th place in the individual finals, after qualifying as one of the top two from the GB team.

“The competition was nerve-wracking, but it was a great experience,” said the 14-year-old, who earlier this year was named the BBC Wales young sports personality of the year.

She said the highlight was coming fourth in the team standings – even though the team narrowly missed out on the bronze medal by just 0.9 points.

“It was disappointing how we were so close to getting a medal, but it was the highest mark that Great Britain has ever had from a junior gymnastics team!” she said.

More than 250 gymnasts from 40 countries competed in the junior and senior events of the European Championships between May 9 and 13, at the Expo Arena in Brussels.

In the individual standings on Wednesday (May 9), Angel finished 11th with a score of 52.932, qualifying her for the all-around finals on the Friday, when she had a long wait as she was last in the running order.Angel had been selected along with fellow Welsh gymnasts Raer Theaker and Georgina Hockenhull, to take up three of the five places in the British junior squad.

When reaching for the high bar she slipped and fell, but remained composed and finished the routine well. The slip put her on the back foot, but she showed real tenacity to secure two 8th places on the beam and floor, and her floor routine delighted the crowd. To finish she scored 13.233 on vault to put her in 15th place out of 24 gymnasts.

“I fell once on bars and that was quite gutting, but I pulled myself together and tried to bring everything back and finish clean,” she said, adding that the support from the spectators and other competitors was a real help.

“Even though you have your own team mates, some people from other countries were cheering you on too. It was all really friendly.”

The event was Angel’s last junior competition before she makes the step up to senior level.

“It was an amazing experience and good to prepare for bigger competitions,” she said.

“I’m excited about moving up to senior level, but I know the competitions are going to be a lot harder and I will have to train even harder.

“I want to compete in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with anything before and after that preparation for all the other major competitions.”

GB junior team coach Tracey Skirton, who has been coaching Angel at the Sport Wales National Centre, said: “It was great to see a successful junior GB team, with the future of Welsh and British gymnastics looking very bright. It is really rewarding to know they were so close to a bronze medal.”

Jo Coombs, Head of Performance & Excellence for Welsh Gymnastics, said: “It was great experience for Angel at that level of competition. They are massive events, so to achieve what she did is excellent.

“I think the whole team performance was fantastic, and the fact that there were three gymnasts from Wales shows that we are harnessing some excellent gymnasts.”

Angel’s proud mum Elaine said: “She’s only 14 and it’s an invaluable experience for her. I have been making cakes with ‘Well Done’ on all morning!”

(Source: penarthtimes.co.uk)

THE 2012 Women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championships took place in Brussels with more than 250 entrants from 40 countries competing in the junior and senior events.

Welsh gymnasts Angel Romaeo, Raer Theaker and Georgina Hockenhull made up three of the junior British squad of five gymnasts.

The girls performed exceptionally during the junior qualifications to score 160.121 to put Team GB in a brilliant fourth place in the overall team standings behind Russia, Italy and Romania.

Hockenhull and Theaker each made significant contributions to the overall team score, competing in two pieces of apparatus each.

Raer performed on the vault and bars, and got Team GB off to a great start with 13.216 and 13th place in the individual vault standings.

Hockenhull, who was making her debut in a GB team, took a respectable 11.500 on the floor and Georgina scored 12.408 on the beam.

In the individual standings, Romaeo finished 11th with a score of 52.932, qualifying her for the all-around finals.

Romaeo was in action starting on uneven bars in the first rotation.

Angel had a long wait to get her all-around competition under way, being last in the running order.

When reaching for the high bar she slipped and fell, however the 15-year-old remained composed and finished the routine to score 11.400.

The slip on the bars put her on the back foot but she showed real tenacity to secure two eighth-place performances on the beam and floor scoring 13.333 and 13.200 respectively in rotation two and three.

Her floor routine delighted the crowd with its style and artistry.

To finish the competition Angel scored 13.233 on vault to put her in 15th place out of 24 gymnasts with a total score of 51.166.

This is the first time that gymnasts from Wales have dominated a British gymnastics team.

Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sports/parklife/2012/05/16/gymnastics-welsh-star-in-fine-gb-performance-91466-30975445/#ixzz1v1MJ8rkE

Olympic Torch Relay Day 9

The ever glow of the Olympic flame will shine through the Welsh counties of Abertawe, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion on Sunday the 27^th of May, stopping at the cultural capital of Wales, Aberystwyth for the night.

The London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) along with the Ceredigion County Council are holding a large event in the Vicarage fields, Aberystwyth, from 5pm-7.30pm, to celebrate the occasion.

The Torch is expected to arrive on site at 6.45pm and will light an Olympic Cauldron onstage. Confirmed acts performing at the event include Welsh band Kids in Glass Houses and a two-part presentation through song and music by about 100 young people from Ceredigion’s secondary schools.

As a curtain raiser to the LOCOG event Aberystwyth RFC will be hosting a multi-sport event near the Olympic Torch Relay site from 12pm-5pm. There’ll be sports activities, entertainment and food and drink to entice children and adults to get involved in different sports.

“It’s a huge privilege” 

Aberystwyth Gymnastic Club will also have a stall on the day and will be hoping to tempt those attending to participate, and see, gymnastics in action.

“All local clubs have been, invited to take part in the event. We are planning to have a stall and do a display, said Joan Morgan Head Coach of Aberystwyth Gymnastic Club.

“It’s a huge privilege to be invited to take part in an historic event. This opportunity will not come round again. The gymnasts involved on the day will be able to say that they were part of an Olympic torch event.

“Our routine in the Gym Eisteddfod in Cardiff last year was entitled ‘2012’ and was a gymnastic compilation of the Olympics, which we will adapt it for this event,” added Joan.

Welsh Gymnastics South West Development Officer Victoria Jones said, “I am pleased that we have been invited to support Joan and Aberystwyth Gymnastic Club during this event. The torch relay will not only bring the Olympic spirit to the area but also presents a perfect opportunity to showcase gymnastics to a new audience.” 

Andrew Grey who has been a gymnastics coach at Milford Haven for more than 30 years has already been named as one of the 8000 nominated Olympic torch relay runners. Andrew will be carrying the flame on a 300m section of the Haverfordwest route on the 9^th Day of the Olympic Torch relay which will start in Swansea at 6.56am. The torch will then make its way through a host of Welsh towns and cities including Llanelli, Burry Port, Kidwelly, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Cardigan and Aberaeron.

Cauldron-lighting 

“This is a historic occasion and we hope the people across the county of Ceredigion turn out to take part in the Torch Relay, said Dr Rhodri Llwyd Morgan Assistant Director of Education & Community Services at Ceredigion County Council.

“It’s a special opportunity for us as a county on the international stage, in particular since the county, and Aberystwyth specifically, is hosting an evening celebration event and providing a home for the Olympic Torch overnight.

“Featuring a variety of performances together with the cauldron-lighting ceremony the celebration event in Aberystwyth is sure to be memorable.”

On the 28^th May the torch continues its journey north from Aberystwyth to Bangor.  Day 10 of the relay will start with the torch being carried on the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway from the top of Constitutional Hill.

“Beginning the Torch Relay the following morning on top of Constitutional Hill will provide a striking visual setting as well as the journey through the towns and other communities on the journey north,” added Rhodri.

Thousands of people from the Ceredigion, Gwynedd and Mid-Wales are expected to descend in the Aberystwyth to celebrate the spectacle and take part in the unique occasion.

(Source: welshgymnastics.org)

The 2012 Women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championships took place on the 9^th- 13^th May, in the Expo Arena, Brussels.

Over 250 gymnasts from 40 countries competed in the junior and senior events.

Welsh gymnasts Angel Romaeo, Raer Theaker and Georgina Hockenhull made up three of the junior British squad of five gymnasts.

The girls performed exceptionally during the junior qualifications to score 160.121 to put Team GB in a brilliant 4^th place in the overall team standings behind Russia, Italy and Romania.

Georgina Hockenhull and Raer Theaker each made significant contributions to the overall team score, competing in two pieces of apparatus each.

Raer performed on the vault and bars, and got Team GB off to a great start with 13.216 and 13^th place in the individual Vault standings.

Georgina Hockenhull, who was making her début in a GB team, took a respectable 11.500 on the floor and scored Georgina 12.408 on the beam.

In the individual standings Angel Romaeo finished 11^th with a score of 52.932, qualifying her for the all-around finals on the Friday, 11^th May.

Friday, 11^th May, Day 3 of the 2012 Women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championships saw the junior all-around finals take place.

Britain’s Angel Romaeo was in action starting on uneven bars in the first rotation.

Angel had a long wait to get her all-around competition underway, being last in the running order.

When reaching for the high bar in Yaegar she slipped and fell, however the 15 year old remained composed and finished the routine to score 11.400.

The slip on the bars put her on the back foot but showed real tenacity to secure two 8^thplace performances on the beam and floor scoring 13.333 and 13.200 respectively in rotation two and three. Her floor routine in particular delighted the crowd with its style and artistry.

To finish the competition Angel scored 13.233 on vault to put her in 15^th place out of 24 gymnasts with a total score of 51.166.

GB junior team coach Tracey Skirton said: 

“It was great to see a successful junior GB team, the future of Welsh and British gymnastics is looking very bright. The juniors had a great experience and it is really rewarding to know the juniors were so close to a bronze medal.

“Angel’s top ten finish in the qualification round will give her the confidence to continue to succeed at senior level next year.”

This is the first time that gymnasts from Wales have dominated a British Gymnastics Team.

(Source: welshgymnastics.org)

The French Aerobic Open 2012 which took place on the 2^nd – 7^th May at the Complex Gymnique in Arques, France proved an important event for Martine’s girls before the Aerobic World Age Group Championships at the end of the month.

Ceri Payne Georgia Davies and Pheobe Cheung in the Group 1 Trio scored 17.150 to take silver. Kayleigh Silva performed exceptionally well in a top international field, where she held off French competition to score 19.400 and take bronze.

Kayleigh Silva, Kyra Bailey and Shea Jones were also in close contention for the medals in the Group 2 Trio, coming 4^th with a personal best score of 18.210.

“I am very pleased with their results, said Martine Griffiths Head Coach at Martines Action Pack,

The French Open has been an excellent preparation event for my gymnasts going to the Worlds.”

British Gymnastics selected Welsh gymnasts Kayleigh Silva, Georgia Davies, Ceri Payne and Phoebe Cheung from Martines Action Pack in Aberdare to represent GBR at the 5^th World Age Group Aerobic Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria on the 29^th-31^st May.

(Source: welshgymnastics.org)

The Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games took place on the 6-9^th of May.  The second day of competition saw the artistic gymnastics programme in full swing, at the ExCel Centre in London.

The Men’s Artistic competition started promptly at 11.15am. The Welsh men fought hard over their six pieces of apparatus to take a well-earned team bronze. Finishing 3^rd with 288.500 they were literally breathing down the necks of their closest rivals Scotland who took 2^nd with 289.450.

Over eight rotations the boys made large headways into the all-around finishing places with Iwan Mepham of Barry YMCA securing the highest Welsh placing in 8^th, Ben Eyre in 12^th, Joseph Rowland in 13^th, Saull Thomas in 14^th, Cilan Thomas in 19^th and Ben Dennis 22^nd.

The artistic competition re-started with the Women’s event at 4.30pm. The Welsh girls pushed themselves in each of the four pieces of apparatus to challenge team England for the gold spot. In the end England finished 1^st with 204.250 and Wales in 2^nd with 188.900.

In the all-around results Elizabeth Dare of Phoenix Gymnastic Club was short of the medals in 5^th place with 48.500, Sasha Winton scored 46.550 to take 8^th, Eloise Aitken placed 9^th, while Rhyannon Jones took 10^th, Rebecca Moore was in 12^th, Harriet Moore in 13^th and Annaliese Evans, who contributed to the team score with 10.700 on the floor finished 18^th.

In the individual Elizabeth Dare placed 5^th twice in the Vault and the Beam. Team mate Rhyannon Jones went one better to agonisingly miss out on the medals with two 4^thplace finishes on the Floor and Vault.

Jac Davies of Swansea GC was also a reserve for the Welsh men’s team and scored a respectable 23.150 on Pommel Horse and Floor.

The multi-sport event was being held in London at four Olympic venues, hoping to build on the excitement and inspirations for the 2012 Games.

The competition presents the UK’s elite young athletes with the opportunity to thrive and perform at the highest level. Around 1,600 athletes are expected to compete in front of 35,000 spectators.

The competition features twelve current and future Olympic and Paralympic sports: Fencing, Rugby Sevens, Gymnastics, Hockey, Badminton, Athletics, Cycling, Judo, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Wheelchair Basketball.

(Source: welshgymnastics.org)

THREE Welsh gymnasts have been selected to represent Great Britain’s Junior Team at the 2012 Women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championships in Brussels.

St Cyres pupil Angel Romaeo, as well as Raer Theaker and Georgina Hockenhull, make up three of the British squad of five gymnasts who will compete for the all-around and individual apparatus titles on May 9-13.

This is the first time that gymnasts from Wales have dominated a British Gymnastics Team.

Angel is currently the 2011 Youth Commonwealth Games all-around winner, and she is also the BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Raer, from Cardiff, is the current Junior British Vault Champion and all-around Welsh Champion.

Georgina was a member of the Welsh Celtic Cup team who were successful in winning the team gold. She currently trains in Telford, Shropshire.

Angel and Raer are members of the Women’s Academy Programme based in the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff.

They will be leaving for Brussels on Saturday (May 5)

(Source: penarthtimes.co.uk)

SOME of the Cynon Valley’s most promising young aerobic gymnasts are heading to Bulgaria next month to compete at the world championships.

Kayleigh Silva, Georgia Davies, Ceri Payne and Phoebe Cheung from Martine’s Action Pack in Aberdare, will be representing Great Britain at the World Age Group Aerobic Championships in Sofia between May 29 and 31.

“The girls are over the moon,” said head coach Martine Griffiths.

“These championships are what the girls train for. Our girls have got that competitive instinct.

“They have great focus and concentrate on what they need to do on the floor to reach the expected outcome.

“It’s a fantastic achievement not only for me, but for my daughter Caryl.

“We only have six elite competition squad gymnasts, and for four of them to be involved in the world championships proves that the last few years of hard work, coaching and training are paying off.”

The announcement comes on the back of great results from two selection events in February and April.

In the selection event in February – the Alex Strachen Cup – the quartet showed why they are in the GB squad, with Kayleigh Silva picking up two gold medals and a bronze, Georgia Davies winning silver in the individual female and silver along with Ceri Payne and Phoebe Cheung in the Trio.

Kayleigh Silva, OCS Young Sports Person for Wales in 2011, has been an aerobic gymnast since she was just six.

She is now regarded as one of the best in the country after being crowned Welsh Aerobic Champion.

In 2013, 16-year-old Kayleigh will be moving up into the senior category, but coach Griffiths knows she is more than capable of making the grade.

“Kayleigh is very determined. She’s a very technical gymnast and will have to contend with the several changes that are coming into place at senior level, which include a larger floor and harder technical elements.

“But she’s got the talent to make the physical adjustments needed.”

Georgia Davies, a fellow GB squad member who is also performing in the individual female category an age group below, is benefiting from Kayleigh Silva’s experience and guidance.

“Georgia is a consistent performer and her selection for the World Championships has come much sooner than it did for Kayleigh,” added Griffiths.

“But Kayleigh is a very good role model and is able to teach Georgia and the rest of the girls that competitive outlook.

“In terms of expected outcomes at the worlds, I expect Kayleigh to make the final along with the trio.

“As this is Georgia Davies first time in this competition at this level and has an early draw I believe she will gain a more than credible score.

“The four will all do us so proud.”

Aerobic gymnastics is a dynamic discipline which combines the agility of gymnastics with dance.

It requires strength and flexibility, with the girls training four days a week at the Michael Sobell Sports Centre, in Aberdare.

The discipline is one of the few non-Olympic, non-funded disciplines under the gymnastic banner.

Although senior competitors get funding, age groups one and two have to pay their own way.

Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/south-wales-news/cynon-valley/2012/05/03/aberdare-gymnasts-to-represent-great-britain-at-world-age-group-aerobic-championships-in-bulgaria-91466-30878365/#ixzz1uwFUIJiL

Three times World Champion and double Olympian, Beth Tweddle, will help springboard the ambitions of gymnasts and coaches at Ruthin and Denbigh Gymnastic Club on Sunday 27 May 2012.

The inspirational visit from arguably Britain’s most successful female artistic gymnast will give excited young gymnasts from Denbighshire the chance to be coached by Tweddle in workshops and then perform a display for the Liverpudlian tumbler.

Beth Tweddle will also be presenting graduation certificates to 15 young gymnasts who have successfully completed the Ruthin and Denbigh GC Leadership Mentoring Course, which now qualifies them to help with coaching at the club.

Beth, 27, said, “The Olympic year is a real opportunity to show that gymnastics is a fantastic sport for people of all ages and abilities.

“Ruthin and Denbigh Club’s Mentoring Scheme is a great example of the part gymnastics plays in developing gymnasts into young leaders and giving them skills that they can use in other parts of their lives, this is why I am so pleased to be visiting. Gymnastics is a fantastic sport; the opportunities that it provides within local communities are an important part of creating the Olympic legacy.”

The Mentoring Course, which is in its first year - and supported by funding from Sport Wales - was the brainchild of Ruthin and Denbigh’s Head Coach Tamsin Jones. With an expanding club and an enormous waiting list for gymnastics in the community, Tamsin was finding it increasingly difficult to give the coaches and gymnasts the best of her time.

“It was proving difficult to teach thirty children in a class and then mentor the up and coming coaches at the same time, so I set out to create an environment that gave us ‘time out’ to concentrate on their coaching development,” said the 37-year-old, from Ruthin, who is Welsh Gymnastics’ reigning Participation Coach of the Year.

“By creating a leadership academy linked to the club the leaders can gain confidence in a familiar environment and offer real support to the busy events programme we offer to our recreational gymnasts.

“All in all it’s been a pleasant experience for myself to see the development of these youngsters. Some of them are thinking about a career in teaching now. The Sport Wales funding basically enabled us to do it, we couldn’t have done it without it simple as that.”

Joy Sumner, Welsh Gymnastics Development Officer for North Wales, has been instrumental in the success of the programme, providing the link between Ruthin and Denbigh club and Welsh Gymnastics and securing the Sport Wales funding for the academy to launch.

“She has been there since the club began and has a real understanding of what our clubs needs are to take us to the next stage of development. Joy has also shared the delivery of the workshops giving it a Welsh Gymnastic professional stamp,” Tamsin added.  

Tamsin somersaulted into gymnastics coaching ten years ago whilst studying a sport degree at Glyndwr University in Wrexham. Since then her club has gone from strength to strength with 300 current members in Ruthin and Denbigh, 50 in her newest satellite club in Llangollen (which opened in September) and a further 200 gymnasts engaged in schools through after school clubs and PE.

Sport Wales Regional Manager, Graham Williams, said: “We want to see strong and thriving clubs that are hubs of activity right across Wales. Ruthin and Denbigh GC is a great example. Their strong links with local schools and their excellent mentoring scheme are helping hundreds of youngsters in Denbighshire to get hooked on sport for life.

“We know that young people, particularly girls, are at risk of losing interest in sport in their teenage years. So the mentoring programme is a pleasingly innovative approach to help keep young gymnasts engaged and retain their enthusiasm and knowledge within the community.”

Beth Tweddle’s visit, which comes with less than two months to go before the Olympics, will be an exciting distraction for Tamsin and her club, but with the close vicinity of the Olympics and Beth’s relentless schedule how did the visit materialise?

Meeting Beth’s team, Total Gymnastics, at a British Gymnastic conference last year Tamsin was able to see similarities between her own ideas of club expansion and the work Beth was doing; providing satellite provisions to the clubs in her area.

“Total Gymnastics explained that Beth often does club visits. With the Olympics coming up coupled with a healthy event we are hosting and the first graduation of our Leadership Academy members, it seemed like a perfect time for Beth to be part of our developments, said Tamsin,

“The gymnasts are very excited to hear and be taught by Beth. For those gymnasts involved in performing for Beth will be an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.”  

(Source: welshgymnastics.org)

(Source: walesonline.co.uk)