IT wasn’t just shopping weighing down the Tamworth Gymnastics Club’s touring team when they returned from the US this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They also returned laden with medals.
It’s the first time in a few years the club has embarked on an overseas tour, and first time to the main part of the US, club coach Jan McGinnity said.
Eight gymnasts from the Tamworth club and one girl from Newcastle took advantage of the opportunity.
“They just had a wonderful time,” McGinnity said.
And achieved some wonderful results.
The highlight was placing second in the teams event on Level 6 and Level 7 at the Vitaly Scherbo Invitational.
“They exceeded expectations,” McGinnity said.
All of them won several medals, with Georgia Pryer placing first overall on Level 7 at the Vitaly Scherbo meet, and Julia Hannaford second overall on Level 9 at the Lady Luck Invitational.
Both tournaments were held in Las Vegas.
The idea behind going on the tour was to give the girls experience competing overseas and experience gymnastics outside of Australia and, as well as competing, they also visited a couple of universities and clubs to watch them train.
They went to Brown University and the Jag Gym Club, and watched the UCLA gym team in action.
Hannaford is the club captain and said it was a great experience.
“Everything in Vegas is big,” she said.
Some of the gyms had virtually three gyms inside the one gym.
“And there’s lights everywhere,” she said.
“Even the competitions were like that.
“The competitions were loud and lively.”
One of the biggest lessons she took away was that once you step onto the floor you can’t be shy.
“You’ve got to show yourself off,” she said.
She said the trip had given them more of an open mind to gymnastics and agreed with McGinnity that their results exceeded expectations.
“We expected to go and have a good time and go well, but not that well,” Hannaford said.
Pryer for her overall win was first on bars and beam, second on floor and fourth on vault.
She also medalled at the Lady Luck event, winning vault and picking up second on bars for fifth overall.
Hannaford also medalled in both and was sixth overall at the Vitaly Scherbo after placing second on floor and third on beam.
At the Lady Luck she was second on all her apparatus.
“I was pretty happy with that,” she said.
She had more honours awaiting her when she returned after being awarded the Mitchell Brady Encouragement Award in the Tamworth Australia Day awards.
She was still en route back and wasn’t able to make the ceremony but did write a speech which her grandparents read out.
Next on the agenda for the gymnasts is the state trials in late February/early March.