Leicester Acro & Tumble Comp Nov 2014

Medals Galore!

Deja Vu (noun) - a feeling of having already experienced the present situation.

We've definitely been here before... the annual dual-discipline invitational in Leicester, East Midlands. The last time we were here was the first real Acro competition we ever attended! The surroundings were familiar to us, and it was a competition we hoped to achieve some good results.
For the first time.. it was a 12pm start to the day instead of the normal 8am!!! That was nice on the eyes... not having to wake up at 5:23am in the morning as per most competitions.

As soon as we got to the venue it was down to business. We used this competition as the starter block for some gymnasts as they have never competed before. First up was our Grade 3 WG of Saya, Jemma and the tiny Sara! They performed a very simple and clean floor routine with good execution which was good to see - clean routines are the most important thing!

Not too long after the WG competed, we had our MxP's competing - Mika & Natalie and the new pair of Yunus & Sofia. Our G4 pair did well since they had not competed together before, and we had completed their routine the day before! Still, there were no major errors, just needs some polish :) Our G3 MxP proved they are becoming veterans in this - they performed a stunning routine to claim another GOLD medal! Not only that, they achieved the HIGHEST ARTISTRY, EXECUTION AND TOTAL SCORE OF THE ENTIRE COMPETITION! Thats 3 golds in 4 competitions!!! Well done guys.

Next on the floor was our last partnership of the acro competition - our G4 WP of Layla & Tara. All I can say is... FINALLY!!!!! They have always performed a great routine regardless of major errors in previous competitions... but today was their day... they conducted an almost faultless routine winning the GOLD medal. Behind Mika & Natalie, they achieved the 2nd HIGHEST ARTISTRY score of the competition! ... As I said... FINALLY!! Very proud of those two!

On the other side of the room we had our gymnasts fly down the tumble track rebounding and flipping left, right, and centre. We have always done well in tumbling, and today was no different... well done to Layla, Alix, Sadie (GOLDs) Ashira, Jemma, (SILVERs) and Sophie (BRONZE)for all coming away with their medals. Alix especially pulled it out of the bag with her last 2 tumbles as we were scared her first tumble was to be dismissed!! Well done her. Special recognition to Sophie who had also had a week off gym due to back injury, and still decided to compete - well done Soph :)

RESULTS HERE

Pat Wade Classic 2014

Alix, Cassie & Olivia - balance

Silent Disco anyone?

The Pat Wade Classic (formerly known as the British Acro Tournament). We took 3 discerning little ladies and one of their mothers on a journey of enlightenment.

Silent, it was not... Disco themed - it was. It was like a stage fresh out of XFactor! Hats off to British Gymnastics (BG) for putting so much funding and effort into creating what was much more than any competition setting we've ever been to. There were twirling lights, smoke screens, you name it, they had it.

Friday was an amazing day for the trio of Alix, Cassie and Olivia (ACO).... Simply due to the fact they got to miss some school to do something they love! We arrived at Stoke in good time ready for Podium Training (the warm up training at the Venue the day before any competition).

Surprisingly to us, it was the most relaxed and chilled we'd ever felt at a competition - everyone was very friendly and very helpful. Very well organised with plenty of room for warm ups and tumbles and routine practice. We settled down afterwards in the hotel and got to bed nice and early (for once).

As 6:00am struck, on a cold Saturday morning, the alarm went off (at which point I'm sure Felicia was half way thru the girls' hair)... At which point I snoozed it thrice. It was game time.

The girls had their dynamic routine first which was due around 9:30. We then realised their balance routine had been pushed down to 6:30pm! Less than happy. The girls went out on stage... Literally on stage... To perform their dynamic routine. Wow. What a surprise. 11th out of 28 partnerships in the country after their first routine!!! We were all extremely happy and feeling wildly and justifiably optimistic. This meant we could possibly still qualify for finals (top 8 to go through).

As our balance routine was pushed back longer than a Roman road, we headed back to the hotel for snacks and snoozes. This turned into ferocious games of Monopoly Deal. Alix was particularly bad at this game. Please don't hold her accountable for any of your financial investments. The girls got some well deserved chill out time.

Then it was 4:30... So we upped and left, returning back to the competition venue ready for our balance routine. It is worth noting that the girls had only learnt this routine THREE WEEKS before the competition, which is a tall order for anyone! Still, despite not having as high a mark as their dynamic, they still improved on their last balance competitive score, finishing with a 12th place overall, which would have been 10th without a small technical deduction! So, really well and truly, ACO are amongst the top-10 11-16 trios in the country! And lest we not forget, UK is one of the most successful Acro countries IN THE WORLD!!!

Very well done to the girls. Round of applause!