Gymnasts from across the region descended upon Alton as we once again hosted the now-annual Regional Novice and Synchronised Trampolining & DMT competition.

The event ran the novice Club Levels 1 & 2, alongside the lettered grades D-G, Double Mini-Trampoline, and also provided the first opportunity of the year for gymnasts to try the impressive spectacle that is Synchronised Trampolining.

For Alton, we had 9 members taking part in the individual categories, and for some it was their first ever competition. Among the highlights for this saw Molly and Jonty standing next to each other on the podium – coming 1st and 2nd respectively in their group, while elsewhere Federica achieved the 2nd place trophy, and Elizabeth continued to improve as she came 3rd in her group.

Ben took part in his first DMT competition, sticking each and every one of his landings and this resulted in him being awarded with 2nd place.

In the Synchronised event, there were 5 new pairs of Alton gymnasts in 5 different groups, who all performed well. Besides performing skills in the routines as well as possible, pairs have the added difficulty of performing these skills simultaneously with their partners, so routines are marked on both style and on synchronisation.

Despite small hiccups, the pairings of Jasmine & Scarlett, and Becky & Emily showed excellent synchronisation. Coaches Clare & Lauren could almost have been mirror images of each other, scoring almost perfect scores for their timing in their voluntary routine, while Hattie and Katherine scored 9s in both routines to win the 3rd place trophies in a closely fought group. Finally, Dan and Stu closed the day by performing the most difficult routine of the competition to captivate the spectators.

Thanks to DE Photos and to A-Star Leotards for attending the event, and it was great to see so many volunteers, especially younger club members, helping out throughout the day to ensure that the event ran. Thank you to everyone that gave up their time to assist with the competition, as it’s only through the effort of volunteers that days like this could happen.

Full results of the competition can be found by downloading the Spreadsheet below, while the ATC Highlights video of our members can be viewed below that.

Clubs from around the country travelled to Peterborough Arena to take part in the Regional Team Finals 2015. Alton Trampoline Club had five gymnasts selected to represent the Southern Region in Trampolining and DMT alongside gymnasts from all across the United Kingdom.

Spectators were treated to performances of Trampolining, DMT and Tumbling, with commentary provided by the charismatic Oli Monroe (albeit wihout his popular red suit!) For Courtney, Scott and for Claire Brewer this was their first ever experience at a National competition, and they showed wonderful composure to complete all of their routines in front of the crowd.

All three were competing in the NDP 1 Level, and all three completed their 20 skills. Courtney and Claire both finished in 17th place in their respective groups, while Scott scored 8s in both routines to finish in 5th position.

Katherine qualified for the 2014 Regional Finals, and this year was competing in both Trampolining and DMT. Stuart, fresh from his National Trampolining success earlier in the year, was jumping on the DMT.

Following the trend, Katherine came 17th in her NDP 6 group, and then followed it up by winning the Bronze medal in a very close NDP 4 group. She achieved joint-3rd place, and her performance was strong enough for her to qualify for the National Championships!

Stuart performed four excellent passes and took his place on the podium as he was announced as the winner of the Mens NDP 6 group! His scores in all of his passes also meant that he qualified for the National Championships as well!

It was a professional event and well done to all if the competitors and coaches. There was a great team atmosphere within the Southern team, who came 3rd in Trampolining overall, and thank you to all of the coaches for their support throughout the weekend. Thanks to Andy and Clare as well for taking the time to travel up and coach, and also for being an integral part of the Regional organising team. Congratulations to all five of our members for their performances, and for reaching these Finals – a really fantastic achievement!

Full results can be found on the BG website.

This weekend sees the Regional Trampoline, DMT and Tumbling Team Finals taking place at Peterborough Arena.

Alton has five members representing the Southern Region, with Courtney, Scott, Claire B and Katherine all competing in Trampolining, while Katherine will also be competing in DMT alongside Stuart. Ethan also qualified while competing as a member of Alton. A terrific achievement by all of them!

Best of luck to all of them & to all members of the Southern Region. We hope that everyone comes away having enjoyed the experience!

We look forward to seeing our friends across the region as we are set to host the Southern Regional Novice & Synchro competition on Sunday June 7th. This is going to be open to all ages and abilities, and includes Individual Trampolining aimed at Novices, the excitement of Synchronised Trampolining to those with the ability to somersault, and also a DMT competition for those that have not experienced any of the Regional events earlier in the year.

Further details can be found in our Events section, and the document sent out to clubs can also be downloaded below:

[wpdm_file id=37]

We were thrilled to be invited and attend another session with the Basingstoke Great Opportunities (GO!) group this past weekend and offer trampolining to their members.

Both ourselves and the children had a great time learning new skills and giving them an opportunity to try Trampolining, which included coaching new skills and using games to help improve co-ordination, balance and confidence. The crew at the Basingstoke GO! Club do a fantastic job at offering a range of opportunities to those children and families who have additional needs, and we are privileged to be able to go along and support this.

They wrote up a lovely article previously, which can be viewed on this link.

The AGM for Alton Trampoline Club is taking place on Friday May 8th from 7.30pm. We welcome all members and parents (& anyone else who would like to be involved), where we will be electing the club committee members and discussing all aspects of the club. We pride ourselves on being a family club and encourage everyone to come along. This is being held at The Crown Hotel, Alton (the address is available from the Events section of our site.

Our current committee list can be found on our website.

Once the meeting has finished we will continue as a social event for parents. There will be a pay bar and nibbles provided.

If you do have any questions about the AGM then please speak to one of the coaches or committee members during training sessions or email us on the usual address.

Mike was successful in passing his Club Coach Double Mini-Trampoline course last weekend. The course involved demonstrating safe and efficient coaching techniques, as well as passing a theory exam. Thank you to Hattie and Eloise for going along as gymnasts for the whole course.

The April 2015 Club Newsletter has now been sent out to all of our members and is available to download from our Downloads section or can be downloaded here: [wpdm_file id=36].

Please let us know if there’s anything you would like to be included in future issues. All feedback is greatly appreciated.

After 2 and a half years coaching at Alton, Louise has decided to move on. We’ve like to thank Louise for all of her efforts over the past couple of years, for travelling up from Portsmouth each time.

Stuart and Dan both competed in the 1st National competition of the year – the Spring Series 1. Stuart was competing in the Disability Category 1 Mens, with Dan in Category 2.

For Stuart this was his first National event in 2 years, and he held his nerve to impress those watching with the hardest routine in his group. Despite a little wobble at the beginning, Stuart regained his form and completed both routines to score well. It proved to be a successful return as Stuart came away with the gold medal in his group!

Dan jumped in the group following this, and was competing alongside his friends and fellow competitors from the British Championships back in September. Dan was keen to continue his good start to the year and complete both routines. While his parents held their breaths, he took to the trampoline in the Ricoh Arena and completed all 20 skills. This was mission accomplished for Dan, and as bonus he also gained the silver medal in his group for his scores.

The size of the groups in the Disability Trampoline categories is growing, and it was great to see coaches and performers showing great comradery and supporting each other out on the day. Congratulations to everyone who competed, and well done to Stu & Dan for an excellent start to their National season.