ISGA Girls 5 Piece Premier National Championships 2019, 1-3 March 2019
The 2019 ISGA National Championship gymnasts departed for the U.K early morning Thursday 28th February. After a long bus journey, the girls relaxed in the hotel pool and enjoyed a three-course sports banquet in their own private conference room – VIP treatment indeed. After dinner, the U15 team then began competition preparations – a two-hour process of hair styling.
1 March - U15s
The U15 team were the first team to compete for the BSN. The team began their rotation on set floor, an apparatus which is all about precision and technique – unsurprisingly, the U15s stayed strong under the pressure and all performed fabulously followed by a great set of voluntary floors with smiles to rival Olga Korbut. No rest for the girls who then had to move to the auditorium for their group sequence performance – easily the most difficult segment of the championships. The team pulled out a top-notch routine and the auditorium erupted with applause in appreciation for their show-stopping performance. Straight from the group routine, the girls had to perform on both set vault and voluntary vault. The girls kept the momentum high and pulled out some cracking vaults including Sara scoring a 9.9 (out of 10) for her set vault performance, securing her 1st place out of 63 gymnasts! An incredible score and amazing achievement at the National Championships. The medal ceremony came around and the team eagerly marched into the auditorium to await the results. In the individual-all round event, Rebecca received a 4th place medal with a huge score of 36.25 – an incredible performance and a well-deserved spot on the podium. Additionally, the team’s performance in the group sequence secured them the second highest score for synchronisation and a 5th place medal overall. Finally, the overall team finals: the U15s received a 5th place medal to represent their efforts throughout the day and the girls walked off with the sound of medals clinking around their necks.
Once back at the hotel, the girls enjoyed another three-course dinner and some downtime in the pool while the U11 and U13 team began their hair preparations for the following day.
2 March - U11s and U13s
Saturday started with the U11s on group floor followed by the U13s – both teams performed excellently but the competition was fierce. Caterina is a new member to U11 competition team and Lupita is a new member to the U13s competition team after only beginning gymnastics last year as part of the BSN development squad – a fantastic achievement to be competing at the National Championships, a real reflection of their talents. The girls then moved on the apparatus rounds and rotated around the competition together. The teams started on voluntary vault, followed by set floor, voluntary floor and finished with set vault. The medal ceremony came around and both teams were awarded endeavour trophies, a trophy that symbols a team’s improvement and is what we call a ‘nearly-podium’ trophy. The ceremony continued with Julia making the podium with a 5th place medal out of 83 medals – an amazing result. The U11 team and Miruna just missed out of the podium coming 7th place. It was another fantastic display of gymnastics from the BSN girls.
3 March - U10s and O13s
Sunday, the final day – the U10s and O13s (U19) had their moment to shine. The day began with the U10s individual all-around apparatus events. Maya, another brand new member to gymnastics after joining the BSN development squad last year, has taken to gymnastics like a fish to water and will no doubt continue to represent the BSN in future years. The U10s were a strong team but unfortunately made a few mistakes in three separate events resulting in them just missing out on a podium place by 0.5 points. The girls were disappointed: however, gymnastics requires determination, discipline and perseverance. The competition experience of performing under pressure is invaluable and the team will learn from this experience for future events. The O13s comprised of three 6th formers and two GCSE students. The girls trained two after-school sessions, one lunchtime session and early Sunday mornings in preparation for ISGA in addition to the pressures of their academic work and other co-curricular and CAS commitments – this is a fantastic display of commitment! The standard of the O13 category is always outstanding with many of the independent schools offering gymnastics scholarships. The roster of elite gymnasts performing, including GB junior development team gymnasts, made for fantastic entertainment but tough competition for our girls. Regardless, our girls performed with poise and grace. Even though they missed out on a podium place, the team automatically qualified for the National Championships 2020!
All teams returned to the hotel for dinner and games night, easily one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the trip (baring Tesco of course).
The ISGA trips are always special in the way that senior gymnasts in Y13 look after the U10 gymnasts – they build friendships across different year groups and different campuses in a one-school fashion that is inspiring to see. The girls returned to the Netherlands in high-spirits and more motivated than ever.
Finally, a special mention to our Y13 Toni who will be leaving the BSN at the end of the school year. This year, Toni took on the role of team Captain, leading warm-ups, coaching juniors and generally being there for all her team-mates during the ups and downs. You have been a fabulous gymnast over the years and will be truly missed by all. We wish you luck at university and appreciate your continued commitment to the team.
