Event Reports
TeamGym Scotland Summer Camp 2012
This is the 3rd year that Scotland has hosted training camps for National and Regional level gymnasts and coaches to attend, to enhance their TeamGym experience and motivate them to achieve higher levels of skill and performance.
Previously held at Midlothian School of Gymnastics, Lasswade, this year’s Camp moved a short distance down the road to Meadowmill Sports Centre, near Tranent – home of Saltire Team Gymnastics Club.
The lead coach for the National Camp for the past two years has been Danish. This year’s National camp saw Jimmy Ekstedt passing on his Swedish TeamGym influences to the gymnasts and coaches in attendance.
Innovative ways of creating work stations were required as there were no pits available at this year’s venue. Over the three days of the camp, the gymnasts were introduced to a variety of warm-up styles, tumbling, vault and trampet preparation work leading to performing full skills.
Coaches also had the opportunity to gain additional knowledge and expertise from Jimmy as they worked alongside him, with their gymnasts, during the very full training days.
The Regional camp was led by Tan Jai En and he was kept very busy with an unprecedented number of gymnasts attending this year’s event. A number of new groups attended with a view to obtaining a greater understanding of the TeamGym format and style. The gymnasts were able to work towards achieving a greater range of skills and streamlining their techniques.
As the gymnasts and coaches worked hard on the apparatus, a new batch of enthusiastic judges were being tutored on the Regional Level qualification by Margaret Kerr of TeamGym Scotland. The gymnasts attending the camp were happy to provide practical examples of what the judges might expect to see at a competition, including some deliberate errors to test their knowledge of the Code of Points.
Preparation for next year’s camp is already under way. Jimmy is returning as lead coach and will be bringing a team of experts with him to the new McTaggart Gymnastics facility opening in Dundee. You can take a virtual tour of the venue on youtube!
It is also hoped that another judging course or clinic will run alongside the 2013 Camp.
Further information and application forms will be available shortly but the dates for your diary are that the National Camp will take place 29th – 31st July 2013 (Monday to Wednesday) and the Regional Camp will be run 1st – 2nd August 2013 (Thursday and Friday).
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Donna Crowther
TeamGym Scotland
Northern Open TeamGym Qualifier 2012 – Event Report
Venue: Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh
Date: Saturday 3rd March 2012
This was the 5th occasion that the event has been hosted in Edinburgh. With not only places at British Finals at stake but also places for European Championships potentially on offer, the excellent preparation of teams was evident from the outset.
Podium training on the Friday evening was well attended and injury free. Groups were ready for the onslaught of the competition day itself and whatever that might bring.
The competition day came round all too soon and the day still began fairly early on, with the main difference this year being that micro teams had been excluded from the event. This meant that there were only 3 competitive sessions covering Primary, Junior and Senior age groups plus Disabilities.
The standard of teams entering at both Regional and National levels has risen greatly and the battle for medals was closely fought in each age group.
The Primary (Level 3) Regional girls competition saw 1st and 2nd places separated by only 0.1 with Saltire having the edge for the gold medal position. The National event in this age group was almost as close, this time with Scarborough taking the gold with a total score just 0.15 more than 2nd place Crewe and Nantwich. Scarborough and Crewe and Nantwich won gold medals in the Mixed and Boys Team sections of competition respectively.
With scores of 35.00 required for those Primary National level teams wishing to qualify for British Finals, a number of groups were successful in gaining the magic number needed. Final confirmation of the teams selected to attend will be issued by British Gymnastics shortly.
The Junior (Level 2) event saw Goole win the Mixed Team event at Regional level and Carnegie Spartans took gold in the Men’s event at National level. The Regional Women’s competition was even tighter than the Primary round before, this time with only 0.05 separating 1st and 2nd places. A solid performance from Crewe and Nantwich saw the team snatch gold from Leeds Esprit. In the National Women’s level of competition the gap between 1st placed Scarborough and the rest of the field was much larger than the preceding round.
The qualifying score for the Junior age group is 40.00 and this round saw 5 teams successfully attaining the required mark. Again, however, final confirmation is to be issued by British Gymnastics.
Only Junior and Senior teams can qualify for European Championships in October 2012 so ensuring attendance at British Championships is imperative. The North Region teams have really shown the desire to do just that with quality performances across the board at the event in Edinburgh.
The final round saw the Disabilities team from Crewe and Nantwich along with 2 Senior Womens teams from Crewe and Nantwich and Saltire plus the Mens team from Carnegie Spartans competing at National level.
Crewe and Nantwich ran away with the gold medal place with a qualifying score of 45.90. The Disabilities team also ensured qualification with their score of 34.05 across the three pieces of apparatus.
The day ran almost half an hour ahead of schedule, which is almost unheard of for gymnastics events and was a bonus for those with planes and trains home to catch!
I am looking forward to Scotland hosting the event again in 2013 and will look to improve on the few aspects of the event that I feel could still be better so as to add to the overall experience for spectator and participant alike.
Well done to everyone on a successful start to 2012 and good luck in all your events in the coming year ahead.
Donna Crowther
TeamGym Scotland
