12-year-old gymnasts bring back international medals to Honiton
Honiton Gym Club’s Ashley Wallis and Buster Tutcher have returned from the Flanders International Acro Cup in Belgium clutching bronze medals.
The two 12-year olds, who train four times per week in Honiton, achieved their feat just a few weeks after winning another bronze medal at the British Championships in Stoke on Trent.
Ashley, a pupil at Honiton Community College, said: “It was really exciting, because it was the first time we have competed in another country. We did good routines, and our coaches Helen and James said that it was the best they’ve seen us do. If we keep training hard I think we can get higher scores and do even better in our next competitions.”
Buster and Ashley compete in the 11-16 boys’ pair category of acrobatic gymnastics, which is the entry level for international competitions in their sport. Buster, the base, throws Ashley in the air for somersaults, and Ashley also balances on one hand on Buster’s head. They join their moves together with tumbling elements and choreography.
And Buster and Ashley weren’t the only ones who made Honiton proud. 22 gymnasts represented the club in Belgium – the biggest delegation the club has taken to an international competition – with two more partnerships making the finals in their events. Charlotte Beviss and Megan Moore made the final of the 11-16 girls’ pair event, and Mylissa Jones, Charlie Hartland and Danni Hartland reached the final of the 11-16 girls’ trio event.
High performance coach James Reddy said: “It was an achievement in itself to take such a big delegation to Belgium. All of our gymnasts had to reach a high standard to compete in the 11-16 age group, so enormous credit goes to our team of coaches who’ve prepared them. The level of acrobatic gymnastics in Honiton has improved enormously over the past 12 months.”
Other gymnasts who represented the club at the Flanders International Acro Competition were: Rosie Lyus, Saffy Herbert, Rachel Palfrey, Georgia Rooke, Kaisha Dessalines-Wright, Alice Hewstone, Becky Fullard, Becky Lawrence, Megan Cross, Faye Miles, Michaela Jones, Charlotte Bowen, Jess Iley, Jes Kennaway, and Valentine Tutcher. Gymnasts from Ivybridge Community College also joined Honiton’s gymnasts on the trip.
Honiton’s elite also got the chance while they were in Belgium to learn from some of the best senior gymnasts in the world, as the acrobatics world cup was taking place at the same time.
Parents of children who are interested in trying acrobatic gymnastics should contact Helen Nayler on 07967 835947, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.honitongymclub.org