Gymnast Profile: Jessica Perry

Name: Jessica Perry
Club: South Staffs Gymnastics Club
Age: 17
Disaplines: Open Womens Groups and Womens Pairs (Grade 2)

Jessica started her gymnastics career aged just five years old at her local lesuire centre where she joined Penkridge Gymnastics Club. By the age of six her talents had be noticed by her coach, and she was asked to join Cheslyn Hay Gymastics Club, and quickly began to improve.

Her rise through the ranks of British Acrobatics was metrioric. In 1998 Jess and her partner then, Emma Strachan won the title of West Midlands Champions, only to be crowned British Champions the following year.

By now, Cheslyn Hay had joined forces with Nortan Caynes Gym Club to form, CHANCE. Jess and Emma continued to work together untill 2000, when the successful pair were split up in a club change around. From then Jess began to work with Amy Marsdon, and an even more dynamic partnership was born. The girls finished in silver medal possition in that years British, and went on to secure a place on the Great Britain Squad to represent the country in Poland , where they finished in a respectable fifth place.

In 2001 Perry moved to Stafford Acrobatic Gymnastics Club, became a base and worked with various combinations of partnerships, across womens pairs and trios, collecting medals on the way. Her best success whilst at Stafford was with Hannah Mellor in womens pairs, where the two took the title of West Mids Champions and took forth place at the National Finals.

2004 saw a new club and new partnerships for Jessica, she moved to South Staffs Gymnastics Club and teamed up with Claire Rutter and Onnah Brunskill (picture below) to form a talented and graceful open trio. The three girls won the title of West Midlands Champions at Grade 4 trio, and finished inside the top ten at the finals. Jess and Onnah (picture left) also work in pairs, and this year won gold in the West Midlands Qualifiers, and went on to finish in third place at the National Finals.

Looking to the future Jess has high ambitions to regain a place in the Great Britian squad, this time as the base of her trio and with the quality and consistancy of her gymnastic career so far, there is no doubting that she'll be able to manage it.