“Two of our six gymnastics teams came back from this year's Independent Schools Gymnastics Association (ISGA) National Championships with medals.” That's the headline but there is a world more to tell about the BSN gymnastics trip to England.
This year's theme has been "experience is everything" and we set out to this championship with a squad of 30 gymnasts, only 12 of whom had been before. The learning curve was always going to be very steep.
It's also been unique in that there were 6 age groups competing over three days, which has never happened before.
Ella van Zoest's 6th place medal is the reward for her talent, dedication and determination to succeed, and comes as her latest achievement on a gymnastics journey that has now lasted 13 years. Experience is everything.
She also led her Over 13 team to a 6th place, also earning a richly deserved medal for each of them.
The Under 13 team may have hoped for more than they actually achieved and, though their synchronised sequence was well performed, it only takes the slightest errors to bring the scores down. They worked tirelessly as a team in the competition in throughout the weekend, and captain Sara Gräber’s 1st place on Voluntary Floor is a chance for the whole team to share a bit of the glory.
The Under 15’s expectations were rather different. Three beginners in the five, and they wanted only not to come last. They succeeded!! Not only that, but they came away with a medal for their sixth place finish in the group sequence.
The Under 11 team were in the same position – inexperienced, and their result was more than enough for them to learn and grow from what they’ve done this time.
The Under 10s – also no one in the team who had competed at these Nationals before. Nowhere near the medals and trophies but we’re proud of the way they went into the event, and they’ll come back stronger.
Our youngest team, the Under 9s, competed with a maturity beyond their years, and again we’re proud of their performances. No medals, but Julia Lyngvi missed out on a 6th place medal by just 0.5 – well done.
In these two youngest teams were three Year 3 girls – this is rare, and Amélie, Romy and Nour have another year as Under 9s. They are already planning for 2018.
The trip is always about more than just gymnastics. The older girls look after the younger ones, advise and encourage them. It’s about living and travelling together, it’s about building relationships, it’s about learning and developing, and of course it’s about the last night games evening which the older girls always win, and it’s about a trip to Tesco.
The gymnasts were tired but satisfied on their return from a five day trip. They have grown and will continue to grow in a host of different ways, and we should be extremely proud of every single one of them.
Gordon Finch
BSN Gymnastics - Head Coach
More photos here on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHskSCA2YR
