Dynamite Hat-Trick at Scottish Gymnastics Awards 2017
Dynamite Gymnastics Club was the big winner at the Scottish Gymnastics Awards on Saturday, coming away with three awards.
Stuart Langan set the ball rolling with the Young Coach accolade, for the way in which he has adapted his extensive knowledge of tumbling to innovate his trampoline coaching, and for his infectious passion for gymnastics.
The club’s second success of the evening was Scott McCormack winning Junior Gymnast of the year, after his unrivalled success in tumbling.
The whole team capped their evening when they won Club of the Year, for the way in which they create opportunities for all, through their performance and recreational classes in West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow & Renfrew.
Michael Kerrisk, who coaches trampoline and recreational gymnastics at Dynamite, summed up everyone’s feelings on their success, joking that they were going for the hat-trick.
He said: “I love the passion of all our coaches and gymnasts. With Scott winning junior gymnast and Stuart Young Coach of the year, the club has excellent role models for the future.
“We are developing all the time, introducing new disciplines, and have just started floor and vault, DMT and trampoline, and we are building on our acrobatic gymnastics section. Sometime in the future, we hope they become as successful as our tumble and display sections which we’ve built from the ground up over the last few years and achieved international success.”
The senior gymnast of the year was awarded to Shannon Archer from City of Glasgow Gymnastics Club, who won the Scottish women’s artistic senior all-around champion last March after being side-lined by injury for almost three years. She said: “I am very proud to win the award because we train day in, day out and we don’t do it to win awards, but it is a nice bonus to get this recognition.
“It is very special because my injury was very bad. A lot of people doubted me and didn’t think I could come back so it’s nice to be back at the standard I was and now challenging for a place in Team Scotland for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.”
Dynamite’s Scott McCormack echoed Shannon’s feelings, saying: “It is a great recognition because we train five days and week and put our life and soul into it and being recognised for all your work and dedication means the world. It also gives credit to our coaches, so I accept this on behalf of me and my coach, Ellena Devitt. The club is advancing all the time and I love it.”
Scottish Gymnastics thanks BBC presenter and Deacon Blue’s Dougie Vipond who hosted the evening at the Hilton Edinburgh Carlton, our sponsors, and of course, our members and clubs who came along for the celebrations. We look forward to seeing you all – and many more – at next year’s award party!
Congratulations to all the winners, and well done to the finalists in each category.
The 2017 Scottish Gymnastics Awards
Club of the Year sponsored by Milano Pro Sport: Dynamite Gymnastics Club
Runners-up: Garioch Gymnastics Club, Saltire Team Gymnastics, West Lothian Artistic Gymnastics Club
Coach of the Year, sponsored by Gymnova: Marius Gherman (City of Glasgow Gymnastics Club)
Runners-up: Fiona Fyfe (Astro Gymnastics), Lauren Jeffrey (City of Edinburgh Trampoline Club), Angela Turner (City of Glasgow Gymnastics Club)
Young Coach of the Year, sponsored by Stanger Pro: Stuart Langan (Dynamite Gymnastics Club)
Runner-up: Erin Thomson (Saltire Team Gymnastics)
Volunteer of the Year: Val Purves (West Lothian Artistic Gymnastics Club)
Runners-up: Steven McKinnel (Dumfries Y), Jean Walker (Saltire Team Gymnastics)
Official of the Year, sponsored by Gymdata: Katrina Harper (Zodiak Gymnastics Club)
Runners-up: Tracey Findlay, Sara Politakis (Dundonald Gymnastics Club)
Senior Gymnast of the Year, sponsored by W Denis Insurance Brokers: Shannon Archer (City of Glasgow Gymnastics Club)
Runners-up: Kelvin Cham (City of Glasgow Gymnastics Club), Adam Souter (Saltire Team Gymnastics)
Junior Gymnast of the Year, sponsored by PSB Photography: Scott McCormack (Dynamite Gymnastics Club)
Runners-up: Keir Davidson (Tiggers Trampoline Club), Erin Henderson, Sacha Muir and Chloe Rowlands (Acrobay), Pavel Karnejenko (City of Glasgow Gymnastics Club & Notts Academy), Ellie Russell (West Lothian Artistic Gymnastics Club)
Special Recognition Awards: Penny Kilbane, Phil Langstaff, and Sinead Lyons (Cumbernauld Gymnastics Club)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Sandy Richardson (West Lothian Artistic Gymnastics Club)
You can read about the finalists in the programme below.
Image: Dougie Vipond with award winners (copyright PSB Photography)