SIX Hawkesbury gymnasts will head to Melbourne this week to compete in the Australian Gymnastics Championships.
The students train at South Windsor’s Greater Sydney Sports Academy, which will send seven total athletes to the championships, with four of the seven to compete there for the first time.
Greer Johnson, Brooke Ellison, Jack Favelle, Chloe Wilkinson, Piper Johnston and Jennaya Tarlington (not pictured) are from the Hawkesbury, while Isabelle Hayward is from Dural.
Londonderry’s Chloe Wilkinson and Cattai’s Jack Favelle have even been selected for an elite training squad, which will aim to turn them into top athletes.
Chloe, 12, said she was looking forward to competing in Melbourne.
“I was excited. Last year I tried to qualify and I just missed out, and this year I was happy to do it,” she said.
“I think I have put a lot more effort in this year, last year I was pretty upset not to make it, so I've put a lot of effort in.”
The Bede Polding student said she used to do artistic gymnastics, but had trained at GSSA for just over two years.
Over the past few months, she has slowed built up her routine so that she is ready to compete against Australia’s best this week.
“I progress a little bit more each day and build up my routines,” she said.
“The experience of competing with the rest of Australia is very exciting.”
Ten-year-old Jack said he too was excited about the competition.
“I am looking forward to training with other people and of course competing,” he said.
“I have been training really hard and it will be good to go.”
Jack, who trains at GSSA with younger brother Finn, said he used to do karate with his brother, but they became bored of it and took up gymnastics, which he said was much more exciting.
The pair’s coach, Kirsty Porter, said qualifying for the national competition was no easy feat.
“I am really excited to see how they compete at nationals over the next week,” she said.
“You are up against the best in the country, you have to qualify at a certain level so not everyone gets to go.”
