British Championships 2009

This year’s British Championships were always going to be a fascinating one, following the retirement of some of the country’s top acrobats after the World Championships and the debuts of new partnerships from all corners of the country. Over 270 gymnasts representing 26 clubs took part over the course of the weekend, which also doubled up as a control event for selection to the Great Britain teams that will represent the country at the European Championships later in the year.

Spelthorne Elite Acrobatics won seven out of the 15 British titles in the Senior, Junior and Age group levels in Acrobatic Gymnastics at this year’s competition. Five of the Acrobatic titles went to Deerness Valley, two to South Tyneside and one to King Edmund. Harefield Gymnastics Academy, Saltney, Oxford, Wakefield, Horsham, Heathrow, Wigan and Norwich also celebrated medallists in the various categories, providing very tough challenges to the champions.
The event was the more polished and smoothly-run than ever before, with electronic scoring the same as at international events and the big screen updating scores instantly for the audience, with a live leader board. BGtv also had an increased presence at the competition and plasma screens in the warm-up area allowed competitors and coaches keep up-to-date on the competition from the backroom.

The city of Stoke-on-Trent also used the event to launch their ‘green paper’ for Sport and Physical Activities and the competition welcomed a whole host of VIP guests and speakers to promote it. Rumours were also whispered around the warm up room, hotels and audience about the current ‘Number 10’ petition circulating to promote Acrobatic Gymnasts and Tumbling as an Olympic Sport.

11-16 Age Group
The popularity and standard of this year’s Age Group competition demonstrated the ever-growing popularity of the discipline and the continuing high standard of acrobatic gymnastics in Great Britain. This year there was no final for the event, and both the Balance and Dynamic routine counted towards a combined score which would decide the medal positions. It was going to be tough.

In Womens Pairs, defending British Champions, Abigail Ralph and Amy McKenzie from Spelthorne had to fight of tough competition if they were to retain their title. After two routines they were pushed right out of the medal positions after South Tyneside pair Butler and Moscrop scored a combined 56.750 for their clean and impressive routines. Ralph and McKenzie’s team mates, Geogria Sturt and Megan Garraghan took the silver medal and Wakefield’s 11-16 pair, Sykes and Whitfield took the bronze with a score of 55.450. After such a close competition and with so many high-quality partnerships, the control competitions for international events are sure to be exciting.

The quality of the 11-16 Mixed pairs was extremely high, and with no defending champions it made for another tough competition. Spelthorne, continued their domination of mixed pairs through all age groups, with Christopher Longley and Alice Upcott taking the gold medal with a score of 56.250, way ahead of everyone else. Deerness Valley Gym Club partnership - Maxwell and Thomson took silver with 53.800 and the youngest competitors in the acrobatic competition, Connor Bartlett and Millie Spalding, aged just 11 and 10 years old, from Harefield Gymnastics Academy in the London region took the bronze medal.

It was Deerness Valley versus King Edmund in the Mens Pair competition, after two routines, defending British Champions GB squad members, Houston and Pritchard from Deerness took gold, with a score of 56.800 with May and Underdown from King Edmund taking Silver for their routines.

The record number of entries to this year’s 11-16 Womens Group categories, and the departure of the 2008 British Champions to Junior, made the competition all the more exciting. The competition ended with joint first and joint third places, and only 0.8 separating them, making it even closer than the Womens Pairs. The unusual podium places were shared between Deerness Valley and South Tyneside in gold and Oxford and Wakefield taking bronze. Spelthorne trio - Bigmore, Lancaster, Regan, were unable to match the success of their predecessors in the group, but are sure to challenge the top four in the future. Trios from local club, South Staffs Acrobatics and from King Edmund also looked like they could push for medals in the future.

Three 11-16 Mens groups battled it out and the final results saw Deerness Valley ahead of King Edmund in another men’s event, with Dempsey, Martin, Pendlington, Sneath taking gold. The bronze medal went to Saltney’s boys, Booth, Hanley, Scott, Yue. The increasing amount of boys involved in Acrobatic Gymnastics is great for the development of the sport in the country.

Junior 12-19
With over 30 partnerships taking part in the 12-19 Age Group, and amongst them World Champions, World medallists and defending British Champions, as well as champions from 11-16 moving up to junior, it was always going to be a strong competition in all categories.
Both new and returning partnerships made up the Womens pairs competition at this year’s British, with last year’s Champions Thorne and Grehan now at senior level, the title was anyone’s. Johnstone and Lee, from South Tyneside, who missed out on a World Championship finals place last October were back looking stronger and more polished, but had to settle for silver behind Deerness Valley’s Danby and Fisher who took gold with a score of 28.400. The bronze medal went to new partnership, Ely and Walduck from Heathrow in the London region.

With current World and British Champions, Joshua Simpson and Kim Hunter competing in the mixed pair category, they were certainly the ones to beat. However, with immaculate routines and a score of 28.530, for combined, they were able to retain their British title and show why they are World Champions with gorgeous choreography and an impressive variety of skills. Horsham Gymnastics Club’s partnership – Cranfield and Stewart-Croker were close behind in the silver medal position with a score of 28.010 and Oxford’s Hale and Davies took the bronze.
The ever-expanding force of Spelthorne was also felt in the junior trio’s with 11-16 trio World Silver medallists, Burgon, Matthews, Seabourne now joining team mates Cowler, Kemp, Wood in the junior age group. The two Spelthorne partnerships took the Gold and Silver medals after two very clean and excellently performed combined routines, with the older partnership eventually taking Gold. Deerness Valley scored 27.710 to win bronze in the popular trio competition. All three medallists can expect tough competition later in the year, when trios from Harefield, Wakefield and King Edmund are back on form after a few mistakes were made this weekend.

Robert Chambers and Gareth Wood, World 11-16 Age Group silver medallists from Spelthorne Elite Acrobatics made their impact on the junior mens pair competition by taking the gold medal with a score of 27.750 ahead of partnerships from Horsham in the South East and Wakefield.
Like in the 11-16 Age Group, the mens group competition was a battle between Deerness Valley and King Edmund. Defending British Champions, Bates, Llewellyn, Wilmott, Wright from King Edmund eventually had to settle for silver after a slightly refined version of the junior mens group who represented Great Britain at last year’s world championships, Heskett, Hurst, Raine, Walker, from Deerness Valley took the gold medal. Deerness Valley, now hold two of the three mens group British titles.

Senior Championships
The senior competition is always a highly anticipated one, with the high level of balance and dynamic skills impressing both the audience and the younger gymnasts. This year’s competition was awash with new faces, following the retirement of many and new partnerships being formed after the World Championships last autumn. Although Spelthorne continue to dominate the majority of the senior categories, including Mens Groups, Mixed and Men pairs, all their partnerships are new.

Last year’s Junior Women’s pair World Silver medallists and British Champions, from King Edmund in the South West, Maiken Thorne and Mollie Grehan, have moved to senior this year and showed an abundance of potential ahead of the coming internationals, with strong dynamic and balance skills in all their routines, taking the Gold medal with 26.920 awarded for their combined offering.

There has been a change of clubs and partnerships for the Mixed and Women’s pairs. After the World Championships, Sarah Cameron (former mixed pair top) and Elizabeth Oliver (former women’s pair base) retired leaving their partners, Katie Axten and Nicholas Illingworth free agents. Nicolas has now moved from Wakefield to Spelthorne and they have combined to form the only mixed pair in the senior competition. The two very experienced gymnasts are definitely one to watch out for at this year’s Europeans, already performing a difficult full-twist re-catch and double arabian to wrap, double tucked overhead sequence to open their combined routine.
World Mens Pair bronze medallist and British Champion, Edward Upcott also made his British debut with new base Doug Fordyce, a former Age Group mixed pair World Champion, after Mark Fyson retired earlier this year. Despite only being together ten weeks the men are beginning to look great together, gel as a partnership and are improving at a fast rate. They are sure to be strong competitors in Portugal later this year.

Following the retirement of the Emily Grove, Casey Morrison and Vicky Lamkin, the senior Womens Group from Spelthorne, and no senior trio from Spelthorne, the battle was really on between the six now in the group. Amongst them, experienced bases from Harefield Gymnastics Academy in the London Region, Grace Blacklock and Claire-Louise Thompson, who represented the country at the World Championships in 2006 and 2008, made their first outing with new top, Robyn Birch, and despite a few minor wobbles, show great potential ahead of the coming trials and international competitions. This year’s British title and gold medal however went to the well-polished trio from South Tyneside. Richardson, Slater, Young scored 27.250 to take the title and performed a clean routine with strong skills displayed throughout, including a three high column with top planche. Third place went to the women from Wigan Seaguls.

The ever-popular Mens Group from Spelthorne in the South East region, also debuted their new top, Jonathan Stranks, former junior mens pair British Champion. Despite only being together a couple of months, World bronze medallists and defending British Champions, (plus new top!) are already clocking up an impressive amount of difficulty, with Stranks showing why he was chosen as Sturt’s replacement, with his one-arm flag combination on stack and impressive range of dynamic skills. A notable score of 28.706 was awarded by the judges for Buckingham, McAssey, Stranks, Uttley’s near-perfect combined routine.

The event as a whole continued to demonstrate the strength and depth of talent in acrobatic gymnastics in the country and a full audience throughout the weekend highlighted the popularity on both Acrobatic and tumbling gymnastics. Another successful British Championships wrapped up, and the start of what could be the most exciting year ever in acrobatics.