Wirral Gymnastics Club

British Tumbling Tournament, December 2006

Hannah Saunders, Kate Haldon and Mica Parry represented the club at the British Tumbling Tournament at the Fenton Manor sports complex in Stoke on Trent on the 1st - 3rd December. Hannah and Kate both did brilliantly, coming second in their respective league competitions. Mica took it one step further with an incredible series of runs, taking the British Championship title in the 13/14 age group.

General Gymnastics Examination, October 2006

Congratulations to Rosie Blacklock, Alison Farrar, Janette Reynolds, Kelly Hammond, Josie Sedgewick-Davies and Stacey McGee for passing their Assistant Club Coach General Gymnastics examinations. Great job, and well done!

Anybody who is interested in helping out any of the squads, whether or not you want to take a coaching qualification, should speak to one of the existing coaches on how you can make a start.

Neston Sets, July 2006

Wirral Gymnastics Club has won the Neston Sets competition for the second year in a row!

Despite some great opposition from other clubs in the area, most notably Neston themselves, Wirral gymnasts managed to take the overall title. The coaches and gymnasts were delighted to lift the shield, knowing that they had been in a struggle with some really good gymnasts. Come on Wirral, we're on a roll now! Bring on 2007!

Club Open Day

Wirral Gymnastics Club held it's first open day on Saturday, the 17th June, 2006. Parents, Grandparents and other friends and family were allowed to watch a full training session with the various squads for the first time. To increase the sense of fun, a lucky dip, bonus ball competition and a raffle was held, as well as refreshments being made available in the club kitchen. One purpose of the day was to allow those who are not directly involved with the club to see a typical day in the life of the gymnasts and coaches who go there, and perhaps to de-mistify some of the terms and language used. Another purpose of the day was to raise cash for the equipment fund. Anybody who has ever had to shop for professional sports equipment will realise that it doesn't come cheap, so any contributions that were made were gratefully received. Derek Peberdy, Head Coach, said of the day, "It's been a really nice turn-out and there has been a fantastic contribution made by all involved. The cash will go towards helping the club develop its next generation of champions.".

Anybody wanting to help out with any fundraising activities, or with any good ideas should call the club and ask to speak to Sue Flanagan, Michelle Stalker or Alison Farrar. Alternatively, just e-mail us at the club mailbox at the bottom of this and every page.

NWAGA WA Floor and Vault Championships

Every Wirral gymnast who competed in the NorthWest Floor and Vault championships at the Matthew Moss High School in Rochdale on the 4th June came away with a medal. This remarkable feat was brought about by some fantastic work from all the gymnasts and coaches involved. Rebecca Blacklock took the overall Champion's trophy in the Novice Under 14s competition, having taken the individual Golds on both Floor and Vault on the way!

NWAGA WA Regional Grade 6, 5 and 4 Finals

Wirral gymnasts performed brilliantly for the Cheshire and Merseyside county squad in the North-West Regional grades finals, held at the Dialstone Sports Centre in Stockport on the 2nd April. Our highest congratulations of the day go to Megan Flanagan and Jade Le'Gall for becoming the new North-west Regional Champions in the out of age competitions for Grades 4 and 6 respectively. Megan and Jade also took a team gold medal alongside Wirral team-mate Hannah Saunders for their respective grades. Siân Foster won an individual bronze medal for a superb display in the Grade 6 in age competition, also taking a team silver medal in that category alongside Wirral team-mates Claudia Bartlett and Abbie Richmond. Abigail Blacklock and Sophie Gradden took a well-deserved team bronze for their hard work on the day. Cheshire and Merseyside took the overall team silver medal for the year, just being pipped for the gold by Greater Manchester in the closest run Grades finals in the history of the region. Well done to everybody who took part!

Mica! Mica! Mica!

Mica Parry took part in the British Tumbling Finals in Stoke in March, and came away with the Champion's medal! Many congratulations to our new British Champion in the 13-14 years age group.

North-West Boys NDP Grades

Many congratulations to Andrew Sherman who has qualified to represent the North-West in the National finals of the NDP Under - 9s competition in Newcastle in April. Andrew is the first gymnast from the Wirral area who has ever qualified for a Men's Artistic competition at such a high level. Good luck in the final!

Congratulations also go to Frazer Jeffries who came first in the beginner's competition after a hard contest against the 18 other best boys of the North-West region.

North-West Prelims, March 2006

Another good run out for the Two-piece squad in the North-West Prelims Tumbling competition at Liverpool Gymnastics Club on the 19th of March. Everybody performed well, and really helped to set the competition alight. Rebecca Blacklock took a great silver medal in the Level 2: 12 - 14 category, with Josie Sedgewick Davies taking the bronze just behind her. Aisha Stalker, Courtney Cliffe and Maddie Parnell all shone in the Level 1: 12 and under category, with Aisha taking a well-deserved bronze. Rhiannon Beckett took part in one of the most popular categories, the Level 1: 12 - 14, and came away with a creditable score of 26.1. Well done to everybody!

Regional Grades, March 2006

Congratulations to all the girls who took part in the Regional Grades examination at Southport Gymnastics Club on the 19th of March. All girls who took part passed successfully with flying colours (and we mean that quite literally..), so well done to Melissa, Sophia, Holly, and Stacy for their performances on the day in Grades 3 and 2 respectively. Mica also performed well in the Voluntary Grade 1 exam. Particular congratulations, however, go to Kate Haldon, who came first in the Grade 2 exam, becoming the North-West Regional Champion for 2006.

Phil Tighe Competition, March 2006

Wirral gymnasts had some great results on the 11th and 12th of March at the annual Phil Tighe two piece competition in Stalybridge. In the boy's competition, Michael Kelly took a well deserved Gold medal on the floor in the 6 years and under category. Daniel Barr also took a Gold for his superb vault in the 10 and under category.

In the girl's competition, Aisha Stalker and Libby Farrar continued the Gold run as they shared first place on the floor in the 10 and unders. Maddie Parnell just missed out on joining them in the top spot, but took a fantastic silver medal in second place. Aisha also went on to take a terrific silver medal in the Vault competition. This was enough to secure her the overall Champion's trophy, with Libby coming a close second. Kelly Hammond also had a great competition on the Saturday. No specific medals but finishing in overall second position. On the second day, the medal tally increased with Rhiannon Beckett taking a Silver on the floor in the 12 and unders, just being pipped to the Gold by Rebecca Blacklock who also took the Silver for an excellent vault. The Gold and Silver were enough for Rebecca to take the overall Champion's trophy for the category.

Congratulations to all the gymnasts who took part. It was a large competition, and there was some very stiff opposition. Many thanks go to the Tameside Gymnastics Club for a well organised and friendly contest.

County Club Grades, February 2006

Fantastic results from everybody who took part. Particular congratulations go to Megan Flanagan, Siân Foster and Jade Le'Gall for becoming County Champions in their respective categories. Overall, Wirral gymnasts have taken 11 of the 36 places to compete as the Cheshire and Merseyside county squad at the regional finals in April.