Gymnasts at Highbridge’s Monarchs Gymnasts Club enjoyed a weekend of success as they competed in the South West Preliminaries Acrobatics Competition in Taunton.
Over 20 clubs from across the South West came together to compete for medals and the Highbridge youngsters proudly claimed three golds, two silvers and one bronze medal.
The men’s four – comprising Sean McKenna, Conor McKenna, Jacob Baker and Joseph Blake – struck gold in Grade 3.
And Sean McKenna and Joseph Blake also claimed gold in Grade 3 Men’s Pairs after performing two solid routines with almost maximum difficulty.
Sophie McCardle and Sian Coogan claimed their well-deserved first gold medal for their partnership in Grade 4 Women’s Pairs after many hours of hard training.
Jacob Baker and Joe Reed also complimented each other in their routine and celebrated a silver in the Grade 1 Men’s Pairs.
Emily Shortland and Jazmine Bassett proudly received silver in Grade 3 Women’s Pairs after working within the partnership for only a few weeks, and Chloe Sadiq, Emily Shortland and Emily Woolley won a well-earned bronze for two well executed routines.
Poppy Broom, Shannon House and Mia Rowlands performed their routines fluently, with high difficulty and gained fifth place overall.
All the gold medal winners from the competition will be forming the South West team to represent our area at the finals in Stoke-on-Trent in May.
Monarchs Head Coach and Club Manager Tony Merrett told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “It was a great weekend for the club, and it’s all down to the hard work of the gymnasts, coaches, helpers and not forgetting the support of the parents.”
For some of the gymnasts this was their first competition, training between 11 and 18 hours a week, building up strength and flexibility, enhancing their confidence to compete in front of hundreds of people.
This is the first of many competitions this year. Fourteen of the Elite Gymnasts compete in Maia Portugal this weekend representing United Kingdom.
