Shore Champs is held at the North Shore Events Centre, home of the champion Breakers basketball team and is a good venue for video.
So for you loyal followers, here's footage of the girls from the weekend:
No individual routines of Tink sorry - the L3s competed in the small gym next door and the audience area there is not conducive to filming, a bit like Counties. I'll rectify that at her next comp in early July - Auckland Champs held at ASB Stadium Kohimarama which is a similar venue to the Events Centre.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
My kind of rapture
Us gym moms, after spending what felt like the whole weekend incarcerated in the windowless building that is the North Shore Events Centre, decided that we wouldn't have noticed if the world had ended anyhoo. Far too much bling and bright lycra where we were, teehee.
This weekend just gone was the largest gym comp this side of Nationals - the annual Shore Rhythmic Champs. Margaret Woolfe manages to get, every year, gymnasts to turn up not just from around NZ but from Australia and the likes of Malaysia and Cyprus. The Cypriot girl who came 2 years ago was just amazing. The Malaysian girls who came this year were delightful - their Grade IV group in particular were very "squee" (and very good). The Australians were nice, very tidy with clean routines. The god of dropped apparatus was very even handed in his attentions - no cultural barriers for him!
As for the rapture:
Groups - this hasn't been a good season so far for the Xtreme groups. Tink's Grade II group hadn't even competed as the routine wasn't finished til last week, and having all 4 of them at the class at one time was not a regular occurrence. Jess' Grade IV group kept having drops of apparatus and hadn't managed to make the qualifying mark for Nationals; with the same for the two Grade V groups. Needless to say, it was very tense in the warm up area at the comp - as this was the last chance to get them all to qualify (not Grade II, they don't go to Nationals). Anyhoo, Tink's group went out, remembered the routine, didn't have the splat fest that over anxious Evil Gym Mom thought they would (the potential is there, no matter what the level of the gymnasts - that's the joy of rhythmic gymnastics!) and got two ok scores, for the silver medal. OK, there was only two Grade II groups competing, but they earned that medal rather than getting it for simply showing up.
Grade IV went out, did two much cleaner routines and got just over 30, well over the qualifying mark of 24. The Grade Vs did much the same. Much relief all round amongst the evil gym moms, I can tell you!
Now for the individual competition:
Tink went out and did her perky freehand, a fully remembered rope, and a fumble ball (3 drops) - but that was ok because up til now, she's been sooo cautious with ball that her routines look cramped and awkward. This time she "opened up" and actually had the ball away from her body like you're supposed to! As Marnie, the head coach, says "I don't mind you dropping your apparatus if you actually throw it in the first place."
Net result? A very happy Tink and Evil Gym Mom because she was 15th overall, with a 10th for free and a 10th for rope. Yeehaa.
Jess went out, did her usual clean routines (no dropped clubs still! yay!), ok scores - nothing startling and a bit down on previous comps. So prizegiving was a lovely surprise with 6th overall and 1st hoop! She was over the moon with that (especially as she still has a couple of difficulties that aren't getting counted).
Prizegiving at Shore is always held right at the end with all the gymnasts in attendance (if they haven't left to catch planes!) and while it's a pain to have to go back to the venue, it's rather cool to see that many gymnasts all lined up and have them all cheer the place getters. Very encouraging for the little girls to have the big girls clap for them, I think.
Time to breathe again, as the next comp for us isn't till the end of June. Might actually get some housework done...
This weekend just gone was the largest gym comp this side of Nationals - the annual Shore Rhythmic Champs. Margaret Woolfe manages to get, every year, gymnasts to turn up not just from around NZ but from Australia and the likes of Malaysia and Cyprus. The Cypriot girl who came 2 years ago was just amazing. The Malaysian girls who came this year were delightful - their Grade IV group in particular were very "squee" (and very good). The Australians were nice, very tidy with clean routines. The god of dropped apparatus was very even handed in his attentions - no cultural barriers for him!
As for the rapture:
Groups - this hasn't been a good season so far for the Xtreme groups. Tink's Grade II group hadn't even competed as the routine wasn't finished til last week, and having all 4 of them at the class at one time was not a regular occurrence. Jess' Grade IV group kept having drops of apparatus and hadn't managed to make the qualifying mark for Nationals; with the same for the two Grade V groups. Needless to say, it was very tense in the warm up area at the comp - as this was the last chance to get them all to qualify (not Grade II, they don't go to Nationals). Anyhoo, Tink's group went out, remembered the routine, didn't have the splat fest that over anxious Evil Gym Mom thought they would (the potential is there, no matter what the level of the gymnasts - that's the joy of rhythmic gymnastics!) and got two ok scores, for the silver medal. OK, there was only two Grade II groups competing, but they earned that medal rather than getting it for simply showing up.
Grade IV went out, did two much cleaner routines and got just over 30, well over the qualifying mark of 24. The Grade Vs did much the same. Much relief all round amongst the evil gym moms, I can tell you!
Now for the individual competition:
Tink went out and did her perky freehand, a fully remembered rope, and a fumble ball (3 drops) - but that was ok because up til now, she's been sooo cautious with ball that her routines look cramped and awkward. This time she "opened up" and actually had the ball away from her body like you're supposed to! As Marnie, the head coach, says "I don't mind you dropping your apparatus if you actually throw it in the first place."
Net result? A very happy Tink and Evil Gym Mom because she was 15th overall, with a 10th for free and a 10th for rope. Yeehaa.
Jess went out, did her usual clean routines (no dropped clubs still! yay!), ok scores - nothing startling and a bit down on previous comps. So prizegiving was a lovely surprise with 6th overall and 1st hoop! She was over the moon with that (especially as she still has a couple of difficulties that aren't getting counted).
Prizegiving at Shore is always held right at the end with all the gymnasts in attendance (if they haven't left to catch planes!) and while it's a pain to have to go back to the venue, it's rather cool to see that many gymnasts all lined up and have them all cheer the place getters. Very encouraging for the little girls to have the big girls clap for them, I think.
Time to breathe again, as the next comp for us isn't till the end of June. Might actually get some housework done...
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
On the road again
It was the lovely Spiralz competition this weekend just gone - held at the fine ASB Stadium in Te Awamutu. Once again, it was a well run, friendly and happy event.
Check out this photo of the L5 prizegiving - I think the girls look very friendly and happy to be there (and it had been a looooong day: 7am warm up for Group, then wait till 3pm to warm up for L5)
Yes, that's Jess - 5th overall and 3rd in hoop. She was happy as she increased her scores.
It's a bit fuzzy - make that very fuzzy- but here's Tink about to go on for L3 ball (1pm of the next day - I did a lot of driving!)
The lovely leo is one we picked up at the 2nd hand sale - it was one of Clemmie's from her first year of Stage 3. Her grandma made it; she makes the most AWESOME leos for Daisy & Clemmie, absolutely stunning.
I wish I'd video'd Tink's freehand cos she rocked it for a 9.12 - very cool score for a routine she only got a week ago!
Check out this photo of the L5 prizegiving - I think the girls look very friendly and happy to be there (and it had been a looooong day: 7am warm up for Group, then wait till 3pm to warm up for L5)
It's a bit fuzzy - make that very fuzzy- but here's Tink about to go on for L3 ball (1pm of the next day - I did a lot of driving!)
The lovely leo is one we picked up at the 2nd hand sale - it was one of Clemmie's from her first year of Stage 3. Her grandma made it; she makes the most AWESOME leos for Daisy & Clemmie, absolutely stunning.
I wish I'd video'd Tink's freehand cos she rocked it for a 9.12 - very cool score for a routine she only got a week ago!
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