Congratulations to our members James and Chloe, who have both recently gained new Trampoline Coach qualifications!

As well as being a competitor, James has been helping out in sessions and decided to take his Level 1 coaching course as soon as he was old enough this year. After successfully passing his practical assessment he received the good news that he is now a qualified Level 1 Trampoline Coach!

Chloe Foster was taking her Level 2 qualification, and after getting confirmation that she had successfully passed both her practical and written exams, she is now a certified Level 2 Trampoline Coach.

Both Chloe and James worked hard and deserved to gain their qualifications – a huge well done to them both! We would also like to thank everyone who provided support and mentoring to help them through, something we as a club we are proud to be able to offer.

We are thrilled to announce that Stuart Sharpe has retained his place in the Great Britain Disabilities Trampoline Squad for 2018!

Following a small setback in the British Championship qualifiers last year, Stuart showed brilliant motivation and determination, working incredibly hard throughout the year, and this has shown by his performances in other competitions and during his Squad training.

Stuart is a great advert for the club and its members, and we are so proud that he has been recognised for his ability and performance. The National Squad continues to improve under the guidance of its National Coach, Dawn Lawson, and we wish to congratulate every one of the deserving gymnasts and coaches who have been selected.

The full squad list is as follows:

Congratulations to Alex, Elliot, Lorna, Katherine, Hattie and Scott, who have all been invited to join the Southern Team following the results of the Regional Team Qualifier event at Eastleigh.

All six of them were competing in DMT and successfully achieved a top 2 position while also hitting the required qualification score for their category.

It was a day of mainly positive results, with 14 competitors from Alton having earned the opportunity to compete at the event, with some taking part in both Trampoline and DMT.

There were twists and somersaults galore, as in the DMT groups every single person completed all four of their passes. Spread across a range of age groups and levels, the results saw Elliot and Alex coming 1st and 2nd in the NDP Level 1 category, while Level 2 had Lorna coming 2nd, Ezri 5th and Scarlett 6th. Scott came 2nd in the Level 3 category, while Frankie came 1st in the 11-12 years group of that level although unfortunately didn’t quite achieve the qualification score. Hattie came 2nd at Level 4, and the highest scoring ATC was Katherine, who soared to 1st place in her Level 5 group!

In the larger Trampoline groups, Zaki is reserve for the Team as he scored well in the Level 1 group and came 3rd on the day. In the same group, Elliot almost managed to qualify in both DMT and Trampoline, finishing 4th, just one place below Zaki. In the girls 11-12 Level 1 group, Molly smashed her previous score and achieved 8th place.

In the Level 3 group both Frankie and Scarlett improved on their previous best to come 6th and 7th respectively. Lorna came 11th with Jasmine reaching 15th.

In the largest group of the day, coach and competitor Jasmine Sibley scored her best individual score in her first routine and while an unfortunate meeting with the mat in her second routine meant she didn’t score as highly in that one, can still come away pleased with her clear improvement as she finished in 24th in the NDP Level 4 13+ group.

Katherine, Hattie, and Eloise all completed their routines in a very competitive 15+ years Level 5 group, with Katherine and Hattie both being awarded form scores in the 8s for their first routines. Katherine finished 9th, Hattie 15th, and Eloise in her first season at this level came 18th.

Well done to all of our members, who did well to qualify for this event, and congratulations to the 6 who have been invited to join the Southern Team at the Regional Team Finals in June. Thank you as well to the parents and coaches who came along to support our members on the day, and to Judy and Alec, who gave their time to be officials at the event.

Elliot performed some terrific skills to come away with trophies in both Trampolining and DMT, as Alton members had a successful day at the final Southern Regional competition before the Regional Qualifiers.

This was the final opportunity for all Trampoline and DMT competitors to achieve the required qualifying score for the Regional Team Qualifier in March. Elliot, one of the our youngest competitors, scored well in his two Trampoline routines (including a perfect 10 for HD in one of them!) to come 2nd in the NDP Level 1 group. He then followed this by landing all four of his passes in DMT in the afternoon to win 1st place! His scores also meant that he qualified for the Regional Team Qualifier in both events. This was a great response from Elliot, who narrowly missed the qualifying score last year and was just one place away from qualifying for the Schools Zonals round a few months ago. His two trophies were a great reward for the hard work he and his Coach, Pete, have put in since then.

There were other members who were competing in both Trampoline and DMT on the day. This included Frankie, Lorna, Scott and Eloise. All four of them achieved the qualification score in at least one of the events, with Frankie and Lorna qualifying in both. Frankie, Lorna and Scott also all earned trophies for their DMT performance. Ezri and Scarlett unfortunately had to pull out, but both had already qualified at previous competitions.

Molly was successful in attempting a Back Somersault in a Trampoline competition for the very first time, as she secured the required score in the NDP 1 category, while the more experienced Hattie and Katherine both earning their place at the Regional Qualifier with their performances in the NDP 5 category.

With both her brother and sister also qualifying, Jasmine made it a full house as she qualified in the NDP 3 group.

Last, but by no means least, Alex went one better than his last DMT competition as he got to stand on top of the podium and was rewarded with a 1st place trophy for his performance!

Well done to everyone who took part, and we are pleased that there will now be an increased Alton presence at the Regional Team Qualifier.

Full results from the day can be found here:

The 2018 East Hampshire Sports Awards was held last Thursday at our members Pete Walley and Elena were both shortlisted for awards.

Recognising the sporting efforts and accomplishments of sports people throughout East Hampshire, this year saw Olympic legend Roger Black MBE presenting the awards and speaking with all of the nominees.

Both Pete and Elena were awarded Runners-up in their respective categories. Pete had been shortlisted in the ‘Senior Volunteer of the Year‘ category, while Elena was shortlisted as ‘Junior Disability Sportsperson‘. Roger Black spoke highly of them both, and Pete spoke well when interviewed in front of the audience consisting of sporting talent from throughout the region.

It was a fantastic evening for Pete, Elena, and their families, and we are delighted that they were recognised for what they have done. They have both been terrific ambassadors for the club and should be proud of what they have been achieving and hope that they continue. Well done to all those shortlisted at the awards.

An excited Zaki secured 1st place in the first Trampoline Regional competition of the year! This capped a successful day for ATC members as all four competitors achieved the qualifying score for the Regional Team Qualifiers in March.

Zaki, Hattie, Scarlett and Jasmine all headed North up to Milton Keynes in a bid for a successful start to their trampoline season and attempt to reach the qualifying score of 46.0 for their routines.

Zaki was competing in the boys NDP1 11-12 years group and started brilliantly, with a perfect 10 for HD (Horizontal Displacement) in his first routine. He then showed great confidence in his second routine which, when all of his scores were added together, saw him romp home to first place with an overall score of 49.1!

While performing different routines, Scarlett and Hattie scored virtually identical scores to each other in their respective groups. Scarlett scored 49.05 in the NDP3 group to come 7th, whereas Hattie totaled 49.00 in the NDP5 category to reach 6th place.

Jasmine Sibley was back at a regional competition for the first time in years, following her return to the club as a Coach. Despite a slight wobble in her second routine she managed to get it back under control and it proved to be a successful comeback for Jasmine as she came 26th and, more importantly, she qualified with a score of 46.8!

Congratulations to all of our members for their fantastic performances!

The next competition takes place on February 25th in Eastleigh, where both Trampoline and DMT will be taking place, and is the second opportunity for gymnasts to qualify for the competition in March.

Alton members were recognised at the Alton & District Sports Council Awards last week for their accomplishments throughout 2017.

Four members from our club were shortlisted for awards: Scott for Junior Sportsman, Pete Walley for Male Coach, Elena for Junior Disability Sportswoman, and Mike Wakely for Male Volunteer.

It proved to be a successful evening as Scott, Pete and Elena all won their awards, with Mike coming runner-up in his category.

Scott was recognised, among other accolades, for his success at the DMT National Finals last year, with his fantastic podium place in the NDP3 group.

Elena’s magnificent performance to come 4th at the National Schools Finals in her first national competition was explained to the audience, as were some of her other accomplishments, including learning new skills outside of her comfort zone and her Synchronised Trampolining routine she performed alongside her sister, Federica.

Pete has improved considerably as a coach over the past year, working towards his Level 2 qualification, and Head Coach Mike recounted a story about how Pete’s relationship with his group had grown so that recently one of his group, rather than celebrating her own success, had exclaimed how proud Pete would be of her when she learned a difficult new skill she had worked with him.

Mike had been secretly nominated by the club and showed surprise when his name was read out in the Male Volunteer category, for his efforts as Head Coach for us in a coaching, mentoring, judging and supporting role. He came runner-up on the night and said “We are so proud of our club and what our members do and achieve. There’s a fantastic atmosphere here and I’m so pleased for our younger members that have been recognised for their achievements. They fully deserve it!”

Well done to everyone nominated and it was again great to see and hear about the sporting efforts and achievement of people in the local area, and thank you to Brian Scowcroft, Joe Walters, and the rest of the Alton & District Sports Council.

Alex remarkably lost a tooth midway through his first DMT competition! Yet he still continued and finished on the podium, as Alton members had a successful start to the 2018 competition season.

The day was all about Double Mini-Trampoline as Alex, competing in the NDP 1 category, successfully completed his first two passes. “He just casually walked up to me and handed me his tooth to look after!” said Judy, who was Competition Marshall. The enameled object was not a result of the activity, so Alex continued on and finished in 2nd place, claiming his first ever trophy for competing in DMT! While he didn’t reach the qualifying score on this occasion due to a failed full twist, he came away with a lot of experience and enthusiasm for doing the next competition in February.

For the other seven Alton members taking part, there was less drama but just as much success. In the NDP2 group, Lorna, Scarlett and Ezri were all successful in achieving the qualifying score for the Regional Team Qualifier in March. On this occasion they finished 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively.

Frankie did well and got to stand atop the podium in her first Regional DMT competition. Unfortunately she landed on the pad during her final pass, meaning she didn’t reach the qualifying score on this occasion, although she was determined to come back and try again at the second event in February.

Returning from their successes last year, Scott, Hattie and Katherine all showed great confidence as they finished all of their passes, qualifying for the Regional Qualifier in March, and all of them came away 1st in their groups, capping off a successful day for Alton.

Well done to all of our members, and thank you to Judy, Vicky and Sylvia, who all gave their time to marshall, record and coach, and here’s hoping this is just the start of things to come for the 2018 season!

Four of our members took part in the Southern Regional round of the 2017-18 BSGA Schools competition this past weekend over on the Isle of Wight.

Elliot, Jasmine, Scarlett and Eloise were all taking part in the Intermediate level, and all did a great job of representing both the club and their respective schools, supported by our coaches Sylvia and Lee.

In the Boys Under 11 group, Elliot (Medstead Primary School) completed a good Set routine. Unfortunately after forgetting a skill in his Voluntary routine he finished just outside of the qualifying places in 4th place. It was his first time competing the harder routine and the judges allowed him an opportunity to try it again and, while it wasn’t scored, he completed it with aplomb and showed what he is capable of.

Jasmine (Ditcham Park) and Scarlett (Perins) both competed in the Under 14s, which proved to be the largest group of the competition! Both competed voluntary routines as practice for the upcoming Regional competition season, and the two girls finished in very respectable places – 20th and 22nd respectively.

The highest scoring Alton member of the day was Eloise (Ditcham Park), competing in the Under 19s. Scoring in the 8s for her Set routine, Eloise performed two good routines and finished in 7th place overall.

Well done to all four of our members, and good luck to all of the gymnasts who qualified through to the Zonal round in January. Thanks also to Janet Payne for her work in organising and co-ordinating the event.

The full set of results for the event can be downloaded below:

Congratulations our members Pete and James for their performances at the 2017 National Trampoline League Finals.

Held for the second time at the Lee Valley VeloPark, both lads competed routines having earned their place at the Finals with their results over the course of the year.

For James, this is his first season taking part in National competitions, and he produced his best routine of the season to score over 80 in the League 3 15-16 Boys group. It was a high scoring group, and James can come away incredibly pleased with his 13th place. ATC Coach James Acott, described his performance as “fantastic”!

Pete Walley was competing in the Finals for the second consecutive year in the League 3 Over 19s, and he held his nerve to complete a more difficult routine than before, qualifying for Sunday’s final round in 7th place. With the scores reset and one routine to determine the top 8 places, Pete started well but unfortunately his routine was cut short after hitting the side pad midway through, meaning he finished in 8th. This is still a terrific achievement and it was great to see him competing his double-somersaults after the work he has put into learning them.

Thank you to coaches James, Lee, and Sylvia for travelling up to coach on the floor and support the team, and to Alec for Judging all day on the Saturday after coming so close to qualifying himself. For a small club run by volunteers, we are so proud of our members and to see them performing at an Olympic venue is a real highlight and an idea of what they can achieve.

Thanks to everyone involved in the Trampoline League, and the full results from the Finals can be found here.