CEO Update | Christmas 2021
As the end of the year approaches, Scottish Gymnastics CEO, Doc McKelvey shared his thoughts on another unique year for the sport.
I did not expect at the start of 2021 that we’d still be in the midst of the pandemic! However, there are so many positives we can take from the year, and I want to thank you for being part of it as a member of the Scottish Gymnastics family.
We started the year with the challenge of clubs being closed and thanks to the dedication of so many, gymnastics continued online along with other activities to keep club communities together. Thankfully indoor training resumed at the end of April and restrictions continued to ease allowing all age groups and disciplines to return. It has been an absolute pleasure for me to be able to visit some clubs this year and see the delight of gymnasts, coaches and all involved as activity recommenced.
It was not long before we saw the return of events at different levels, which was a joy to see as the community came back together and gymnasts showed their skills. A huge thank you to the technical committees and judges who help make the events possible. We have had success at British level, with teams representing Scotland, and gymnasts competing for Great Britain in World and European competitions in acrobatic, rhythmic, TeamGym, trampoline, DMT and tumbling.
> European TeamGym Championships
> Trampoline, Tumbling & DMT World Age Group Competition
> Northern European Championships
It has also been great to see gymnasts and coaches together for performance activities after our pathway coaches kept the programmes going virtually with our Let’s Talk Brilliant Basics CPD sessions and Let's Do Brilliant Basics videos on youtube.
Gymnasts and coaches have been selected and announced for our performance programmes in all disciplines except TeamGym, which will happen early next year. Face-to-face camps started in May following clear Covid protocols and our medical team helped us create guidance for returning to training post-Covid infection. Gymnasts have been selected for GB squads too and we look forward to seeing everyone thrive and develop over the coming year.
Our face-to-face education programmes resumed in June which included more than 450 members receiving the benefit of a 50% fee reduction on level 1 and 2 coaching courses which helps us rebuild the sport after the disruption of 2020, thanks to support from sportscotland. Safeguarding courses and coach and judge CPD have also featured heavily in our calendar.
> Look Back at Education in 2021
We launched the Rise Gymnastics programme in the summer with our partners across the UK which provides opportunities for younger children to discover, explore and excel in our sport. The nations are now working together to Shape our Future as we look to create a culture and strategy for gymnastics. We will share more details in the new year of how you can help us do that, both for the sport across the UK and for Scottish Gymnastics.
Although we are not fully back in our office, the team has continued to work on your behalf from dining tables, bedrooms and cupboards across the country! While we said goodbye to staff members who are pursuing new ventures, we welcomed Lindsey Booth in a new role of head of wellbeing and protection, and Patricia McGill as head of finance. Communications and marketing officer, Jacob Brydon has been a great addition to our team, as have our administrators Silvia Gherman, Kirsten Serneels and Kristen Wheeler in the performance, events and education teams respectively.
We have a lot to look forward to in the new year and hope we can avoid the reintroduction of Covid-19 restrictions. We will continue to support our clubs with guidance from sportscotland and information on any grant funding should it be made available.
On behalf of the team at Scottish Gymnastics, thank you for your continued commitment to the sport and we wish you and your family a safe, merry Christmas and a healthy, happy new year.
Doc McKelvey
CEO, Scottish Gymnastics