Home»All Photographs»2013 Acrobatic Gymnastics»2013 Southern Tournament, Inter-Regional Championships, BG National Finals & Race For Life!

Southern Region Tournament – 28 April. 3 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze!

The club was very strongly represented at the Southern Region Tournament, with possibly our biggest ever competition entry. 11 partnerships, from Grade 1 to Junior level took part with only our Senior Trio and Grade 3 Women’s Pair missing out due to injury. In the Grade 1, Tier 2 Women’s Pairs (Gymnasts that train up to 6 hours per week), there was an Oxford One-Two, with April and Lana taking the Gold and Ella and Bryony the Silver. In the Grade 1 Women’s Pairs, the success continued with Silver for Katie and Anna and a Bronze for Aysha and Elsa, who just edged Georgia and Esme into 4th place. The Grade 1 competition was rounded off by Elspeth, Kirsten and Charlotte winning the Silver in the Womens Groups category. Our 11-16 Womens Group of Freya, Emily and Grace gave a classy performance to take the Gold and Becca and Sophie took the Silver in the Junior Pairs competition, which unusually saw Mens and Womens Pairs across both Junior age groupings, pitted against each other. Finally, Gabby, Cossi and Nina took the Gold in the Junior Groups and while no one had been entered against them, the experience was extremely worthwhile as the event formed part of the build-up to their forthcoming GB Team Trial. Last but not least, our National Finalist Grade 2 and 3 Trio’s also performed routines as part of their preparations for their big weekend in the middle of May (as finalists, they were ineligible to compete for medals in the Tournament). Congratulations and a big well-done to everyone!

P.S. We need some photographs from the competition for the website, particularly of our Grade 1 competitors, so if anyone has any that they would like to offer, please contact Rich. Thank you!

Inter-Regional Championships – 5 May. Silver for Elspeth, Kirsten and Charlotte!

The Inter-Regional Championships, hosted by the South, attracted entries from 10 regions including Scotland, Wales and N Ireland, making it a truly national event. This competition is only open to gymnasts who finish 2nd, 3rd or 4th in their Regional Prelim’ competitions (held earlier in the year) and is a very tough event, with up to 20 partnerships in each category fighting it out for the medals. Oxford had 2 entries as part of the Southern Region Team and Georgia and Esme competed first. Looking fabulous in their competition leotards, the girls gave a sparkling performance, to the delight of their coaches and received the 4th highest technical mark out of the 20 partnerships in their category, a fantastic achievement. In the Grade 1 Womens Groups, Elspeth, Kirsten and Charlotte had worked hard on their artistry in the build-up to the event and it showed. The girls performed a great routine with confidence, accuracy and expression and were rewarded with a thoroughly deserved Silver medal! Congratulations to both partnerships – you were fantastic!

British Gymnastics National Finals. Silver and 4th Place.

The British Gymnastics National Finals took place over the weekend of 18 & 19 May, with 2 Oxford Trio’s vying for honours in a competition that is always tough, as it is only open to the winners of the 13 UK regional preliminary competitions which precede the Final. As such, all of the competitors are already Regional champions, which makes the Event particularly intense.

Abi, Eve and Lucy had to perform two routines in the Grade 3 Women’s Groups, leading off with their Dynamic routine, which they freely admit had tested them severely, both individually and as a Trio during their build up. The girls have worked incredibly hard and come a long way since winning the Prelims, but they knew that their Nationals competition result would be determined by their Dynamic performance. A roller coaster of a day began when an inexplicable 0.5 penalty in their Dynamic Routine left them in a disappointing 9th place. However, a request for clarification resulted in the penalty being removed (a computer error), lifting them into joint 5th place; a far more accurate reflection of their performance. Buoyed up by their change in fortunes, but knowing there was still a mountain to climb if they were to challenge the leaders, it was a determined and positive Trio that took to the floor to perform a confident routine, albeit with a couple of wobbles. Sadly, there was no fairy-tale ending, but their persistence was rewarded as they climbed to take 4th place overall; a really fantastic result which was only achieved because of their positive attitude and resolve.

For Xenia, Molly and Victoria, this was their first National Finals as a Grade 2 Trio. This was also one of the most competitive grades with a number of well known and respected clubs competing for their regions. The girls had an excellent draw, competing last, so there would be no agonising wait to find out how they had performed. Looking confident and assured, the girls performed a terrific routine, marred only by an uncharacteristic error with their signature move. As they came off the floor, they were struggling to hide their disappointment, not quite believing what had happened. However, to their obvious relief and that of the nervous Oxford supporters, the wait for the marks was mercifully short and frowns were replaced with big smiles, revealing that they had won the Silver Medal!

A big well done to both Trio’s, we are really proud of your achievements and in particular, by your professional attitude, continuing unfazed when things don’t quite go according to plan!


Race for Life Gymnasts Cartwheel for Cancer UK
Six Thame based gymnasts from Oxford School of Gymnastics, who are currently training 6 days a week in preparation for a major international event in Italy, took a brief pause from their intensive training programme last Sunday to join thousands of other runners in the Cancer Research UK, Race for Life in nearby High Wycombe. Swapping their customary leotards for pink t-shirts and trainers, the girls originally set out to raise £100 each, but easily smashed their target, raising a total of nearly £900. Not content with simply running the race, the girls, all of whom have won medals nationally or internationally, decided to put on a show and and entertained the large and appreciative crowd by performing a succession of gymnastics skills and somersaults as they made their way around the 5km course, finishing in grand style by walking on their hands and cart-wheeling together across the line. Interviewed by organisers after the race, they were delighted to be told that their sponsorship total was one of the highest achieved by any team. The girls said “We had such a fab’ time taking part in the race and are really proud of the amount of money we managed to raise. We all had very personal reasons for wanting to take part and are definitely going to make this an annual event. We hope to raise even more next year – and of course, we will be doing it in gymnast style.”