A fantastic end to 2018 as sisters Federica and Elena both came away as winners at the Regional round of the 2018-19 BSGA Schools Competition!

Despite competing on the same day, both sisters attend schools in different regions, so while Federica was competing in the South-East round in Oxford, Elena was 120 miles away competing in the Southern round in Kent!

Federica was representing Alton College as she won the Category 1 Girls Novice Years 7-14 competition. She made some extra bounces in her voluntary routine, although with scores in the 7s across the board in her compulsory routine she can rightfully be pleased.

Elena was competing in the same group, but representing Stepping Stones in the South. Following her success at the recent friendly competition, she again completed her harder voluntary routine and like her sister she successfully finished in 1st place!

The results mean that both girls qualified for the Zonal round, due to take place in Eastleigh on Saturday January 19th, where both girls will be competing in the same group.

Well done to them both! This really was an excellent achievement, for them, their schools, and for the club. A huge thank you too, to Sylvia and to Lisa Lewis for supporting the girls at the competitions. A wonderful end to the year, and best of luck to them both in January!

Our members had a great time at a recent local friendly competition, hosted by Swallows Trampoline Club. With the individual categories aimed primarily at the more novice competitors, our members attended alongside our friends at other local clubs: Alpha, Portsmouth, P.S.Trampoline & Gymnastics, and Phoenix Trampoline Club.

5 of our members were competing in their first external Trampoline competition and they all did incredibly well. Following a stumble in her first routine, Erin came back brilliantly to complete her second routine to finish 6th in the Intermediate A Under 11s. The Intermediate B group was close, with just 1.35 between 1st and 8th! Imogen came 8th and Chloe 5th. Yasmine, who has completed in a couple of competitions in the past, produced two excellent routines and earned herself a place on the podium, finishing in 2nd place.

Elena was attempting her Disability NDP 1 routine for the first time in a competition, in preparation for both Schools competitions and Regional events in the upcoming months. She made a great start with it, as she finished both routines and claimed FIRST PLACE!

Despite a great season in Double Mini-Trampoline, this was Alex’s first external Trampoline competition. He did well in the mixed Advanced A Under 11 group and finished in 15th. In a highly competitive Over 13s group, Reuben scored the highest individual score of the day by an ATC member to finish in 5th place.

The event finished with the enjoyable Synchro competition, where there was success for our two pairs. Imogen and Jess, who have both only recently learned to somersault, completed their somersaults together and won the FIRST PLACE medals! In the older group, our more experienced duo of Lorna and Scarlett did very well to remain in time while performing a more difficult routine to achieve 2nd place and some well-deserved medals.

It was a great day, and we’d like to thank Swallows for hosting, along with our coaches who supported our members throughout the day, and our new judges Vicky and Judy, who did a fantastic job in their first competition!

Three Alton Trampoline Club members competed at the 2018 Trampoline & DMT League Finals this past weekend in Sheffield. Jonty, James and Pete completed all of their routines and finished in very respectable positions.

Having been set up in 2014, the Trampoline League provided a real spectacle as gymnasts in Trampoline and DMT from around the UK converged upon the English Institute of Sport. For ourselves, Jonty began the day in the League 3 11-12 years group, having qualified for the Finals in 24th position. He performed two good routines, achieving a personal best score of 73.78 in the process to finish in 17th.

Pete and James were both finalists last year. This time around, with the top 8 gymnasts in each group going through to the final, Pete narrowly missed out in the League 3 19+ category, finishing in 9th and just 0.1 behind 8th.

James was in 5th place after his initial two routines in the League 3 17-18 years category. With all the scores zeroed for the final, it meant the results came down to the scores of one last routine from each gymnasts. James improved upon his previous scores and it was a nervous wait as the remaining competitors all completed their routines, with very little difference between the scores across the majority of finalists. As the scores were confirmed, James finished in 4th place.

We’re proud of all of our competitors, who can all be pleased to come away with a 100% completion record at the competition. There was a great team spirit in action, as all of the members supported each other. Despite not competing until the afternoon, James and Pete both arrived at the start of the day to support Jonty, while Jonty stayed to support them. A huge thank you to coach Lee for her support over the whole event, to Mike for judging, and to Glenda and John for their support!

Stuart Sharpe capped off a remarkable 2018 season as he won GOLD at the Trampoline & DMT English Championships!

Following his success at the British Championships last month, Stuart traveled up to compete in Sheffield in the Mens Disability Category 1 Gold group, having qualified alongside his fellow GB Squad members. There was great support shown throughout by all of the members, and after all of the gymnasts had successfully completed their initial two routines, there was less than 2 marks separating the whole group, with Stuart entering the final in 2nd place. With the scores zeroed for everyone, it all came down to one routine to determine the placings and medals.

Stuart saved his best until last, with his final routine a significant improvement over his previous attempt, scoring 32.8 to achieve his highest score of the day and secure 1st place.

Commenting afterwards about his accomplishment, Stuart said “Shout outs to anyone who had a hand in coaching me as well as everyone at the competitions that helps make them so enjoyable and not as nerve racking as they could be.”

We are incredibly proud of Stuart and his work ethic and achievements this year. His enthusiasm is infectious and hopefully it will inspire others within the club. Thanks as well to Dawn Lawson and the other coaches and gymnasts in the Disability Category, who all help each other out and support one another. The standard continues to improve, and there is a great sense of friendship, as well as competition, that comes from being around all those associated with it.

Congratulations once again to Stuart, and Alton can celebrate having an English and a British Trampoline Champion!

Alton’s own Stuart Sharpe reclaimed his crown this past weekend as he once again became a BRITISH CHAMPION!

Stuart was competing in the British Championships in the Trampoline Disability Category 1 Mens group, following his excellent performances earlier in the year. Inside a packed Arena in Birmingham, and with BBC TV cameras surrounding the competition floor, Stuart and the top gymnasts in the country competed for the title across a full action-packed weekend.

Despite some heart-stopping moments, Stuart held his nerve to complete both routines on day one, qualifying into Sunday in first place. Stuart was pushing himself with his Voluntary routine being his hardest routine to date, beginning with three double somersaults. On the Sunday Stuart then showed great composure, improving on his previous display and receiving the highest individual score of the weekend in his group to claim the gold medal!

For Stuart this was an testament to the work he has put in since failing to qualify last year. He did incredibly well performing alongside a group of gymnasts in the Disability category who are all quickly improving and pushing one another.

We are incredible proud of Stuart and everything he has achieved. Well done to him, and to his family and coach Sylvia, who provided wonderful support to him and everyone in the group over the whole weekend. There’s no rest though, as he now prepares for the English Championships next month. One thing is certain though, he can now call himself a 2018 British Champion!

All of the results can be found on the British Gymnastics website.

THANK YOU to our amazing coaches Clare Wakely & Seren Irwin, who are now stopping their regular coaching sessions with us.

Seren, who began as a toddler, has grown up to be a great gymnast, coach & friend to everyone, and she is preparing for University in October.

Clare has been with the club since it first began and herself was a todder. She competed & represented us nationally, as well as becoming a fantastic coach. She has also given countless hours to support the club in so many other roles, earning regional awards recognising her work & commitment.

You’ll still see them both around occasionally, but we’d like to extend our sincere gratitude & appreciation for everything they have done for us and our members. Both have been absolutely fantastic – THANK YOU!!!

Our members Elliot and Alex can be extremely proud of themselves after competing at the 2018 National Finals in Nottingham.

Both boys were competing in their first season in DMT, and had earned their place in the finals having qualified through three sets of qualifying competitions since January, with only the top 8 in the UK in each group reaching this stage.

Neither gymnast displayed any signs of nerves as they marched out onto the competition floor of the Motorpoint Arena, with Alex finishing 7th in the 9-10 years NDP 1 category and Elliot achieving 6th position in the 11-12 years group. Both landed their first three passes, while Alex’s final pass concluded with his Front Somersault unfortunately receiving an extra deduction for putting his hands down, while Elliot’s spotter skill travelled a little too far meaning he wasn’t able to somersault off. This only cost them a place or two however, and each of them can hold their heads high with their excellent performances.

When asked, both of them came away having enjoyed the whole experience, and motivated to continue DMT and improve their skills.

We are incredibly pleased and proud of what each of them achieved this season – congratulations to both Alex and Elliot!

Visit the British Gymnastics website for the full set of results.

There was success for ATC members at the 2018 Regional Team Finals as both Alex and Elliot qualified for the NDP Finals!

It was an exciting weekend of Trampolining, DMT and Tumbling, as gymnasts from the whole of the UK travelled to the impressive Arena in Birmingham representing their respective regions.

Five members from Alton had qualified to be part of the Southern Team. Zaki was the lone gymnast on the Trampoline, while Alex, Elliot, Lorna and Katherine had all earned their place on the team through DMT.

Zaki and Katherine competed on the Saturday. Zaki, in his first national event, showed no signs of nerves to complete two solid routines in a very close NDP1 11-12 group, with less than 5 marks between the top 16 gymnasts. Zaki finished in a very respectable 15th place, and can take away a lot from his performance.

Katherine, in the DMT NDP5 15+ group, was competing in her 5th consecutive Regional Finals. Unfortunately she failed to land on her feet in her first pass, denying her the opportunity to compete for the medals this time around. She showed great attitude and competitive spirit though by subsequently producing three excellent passes, ultimately finishing in 13th.

On the Sunday, Lorna took the floor in the NDP2 13+ category. She hit every one of her passes, never landing in any of the penalty areas, and achieved her season’s best score while finishing in 20th place. It was a group of high quality, with every competitor completing their passes, and out of nearly 100 passes, only 3 saw any of the judges scoring less than a 9.

For Elliot and Alex, this was their first season competing in Double Mini-Trampoline, with both boys competing in the NDP1 group. Neither of them was phased by the scale of the competition and they each successfully completed all of their passes. Elliot finished in 6th place in the 11-12 group, while Alex came 8th in the 9-10 group, meaning that both of them have now qualified for the NDP Finals in July! For both of them it is an incredible achievement and will be an amazing experience.

Congratulations to all of our gymnasts and to the whole of the Southern Region, which finished 7th in both Trampoline and DMT. There was a fantastic team attitude shown throughout the whole weekend, with gymnasts and coaches all working together and supporting each other, and all were excellent representatives for the region.

Good luck to Alex and Elliot on the weekend of the 7th and 8th of July, as they now move on to the NDP Finals in Nottingham!

Full results and videos are available at https://www.british-gymnastics.org/event/8899/trampoline-and-tumbling-regional-team-final-and-ndp-qualification-2018.

Five intrepid Alton members made the trip over to the Isle of Wight to take part in the annual Novice and Synchronised Trampoline competition.

All of our members were taking part in the individual categories, which had been designed primarily for those gymnasts that had not had an opportunity to compete at the regional events this year, and offered the lower level routines.

Medals were awarded to competitors throughout the day based on their scores as opposed to placing. Achieving the first target score earned a bronze medal, with a higher target score earning silver, and the top scores earning a gold medal.

Sisters Elena and Federica both competed new routines in the Disability CDP4 category. Both did so well, and with Federica taking additional bounces it finished with Elena in first place and Federica coming second.

It had been almost a year since Reuben last competed, although he used his experience to pull off two solid routines. He finished 7th in the group, but scored high enough to earn himself a much-deserved bronze medal.

Brothers Calvin and Archer had never part ins regional event before. They both showed great composure and can take away a lot from their experience. Archer unfortunately was only scored out of 2 in his routines, but Calvin successfully completed his, securing third place in his group.

All of the gymnasts received fantastic support from their families, along with our coaches Stuart and Sylvia. Parent Melanie Lust commented “We had a lovely day, and big thanks to Stuart for coaching Reuben, and Sylvia for her support too. Super proud of Reuben getting a bronze medal today.” Cassandra Bos also praised the coaching team: “What a fun day! Thanks Stu and Sylvi for your fabulous support for the boys’ first competition”.

Well done to all of our members and hopefully they will all use the experience to continue to improve and enter more events in the future.

Stuart Sharpe confirmed his place in the British Championships with his fourth victory of the year at the second Spring Series event of the year in Sheffield!

Stuart produced two excellent routines to win the Disabilities Performance Category 1 Men group to earn his gold medal, to go alongside the others earned this year in the first Spring Series event and the two English Championship Qualifiers.

The competition is getting tighter, and Stuart admitted it wasn’t “such a considerable margin”, with some good routines from his fellow GB Squad members, including William Morton-Hall and Christopher Bermingham, who were ahead after the compulsory routines. It’s great to see the improvement of the group as a whole as the season continues, and the support everyone shows each other is sporting and genuine.

For Stuart, he has a few months to prepare for both the English Championships and the British Championships, and we hope he continues performing at the level he is now. Four wins is a fantastic achievement – congratulations!

All of the results can be found on the British Gymnastics website.