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| Our MxP Silver Medal pose :) |
"Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up..." - Chinese Proverb
This weekend we were further north than any Londoner would like to be - says the midlander. We were in South Tyneside, near Newcastle for the South Tyneside International Cup (SSIC) 2014. It was to be a long one - especially for the coaches whom were there Friday through Sunday.
It was more than we ever expected it to be.
Our Grade 3's travelled up on the Friday evening, creating the type of noise in a train carriage that would force you to roll your eyes at, and turn up your Belinda Carlisle, through your new trendy Beats by Dre headphones. (Waste of money, but you want to be "down with it"... I understand). We arrived and immediately descended onto our Premier Inn beds - which are still ludicrously big and comfortable for a budget hotel.
Saturday Morning came. We slipped a few queen's heads to the restaurant owner next door to the hotel, to open breakfast up 1 hour early. They obliged. After tea & toast, we headed to the venue. (I lie, the bribery part did not take place, that was utter boulderdash). The layout of the SSIC is very much that of an International competition - very ostentatious judging panel, a warm up area, and even access to a fully equipped gym for those competing at the highest of levels.
Our G3 WG's were first to compete. Both WG's competed clean routines (no falls). There were a few time faults to be seen, and some slightly less than amplified artistry. The judges took notice, and applied varying mediocre scores to the routines. Nevertheless, the WG's did not let the nerves unsettle them and competed in high spirits.
Next up - our G3 MxP and MP were to claim the floor. Our inexperienced MP also performed a clean routine with no falls, however, similar to our WG's, failed to display much in the way of artistry, although they are still learning and are extremely determined boys. They finished last in their category. Our MxP were up next, and continued their hard work of late, to claim the SILVER MEDAL!! They were beaten to the top spot by only 0.05... which is miniscule.
Our Elite 11-16 WG's and G4 WP all travelled up that morning, to join us in the afternoon, ready to compete their first routine of the weekend - their dynamic. Both groups performed great routines, in what could be argued as the toughest elite category of the competition. Our ACO trio finished in 10th after some dodgy tumbles, despite having some outstanding acrobatic moves. Our SSH trio finished in a very respectable 6th.
It was all going well...
After having been well rested after their routines, we decided to utilise the space in the warm up area to practice for their balance routines to be performed on Sunday. After around 15mins of promising practice, the SSH trio had a fall, with their top Hannah Tang unfortunately injuring herself in the process. Once in hospital, they revealed she had dislocated her left elbow and fractured her arm. She barely cried a tear in the process (unless she was being moved - and even then it was momentary). She was absolutely outstanding through it all. For this reason, she has now coined a new nick-name: "SUPER-BRAVE" or "super" for short. After speaking to her wonderful parents Bo & Wah this evening, I hear she is doing well with a plaster cast allowing the arm to fully heal. Her bases Sophie and Sadie were very supportive through the evening, but hat's off to Gordana (Tara's mum) for all the support she also provided to us. Hannah will be taking time off gym (and Cello), to heal, but no doubt she will be rearing to go once fully healed.. Super, we can't wait to have you back!
After this, we still had 2 (not 3) routines still to play out on Sunday. Our G4 WP were first, and honestly, personally, we thought they could medal. And it was to be, if they didn't have a very uncharacteristic fall on one of their moves! Having calculated their score if they hadn't fallen, we are certain they could have walked away with a Silver or Bronze medal. They walked away with a score of 24.72, which, with a fall is tremendous, considering we experienced 25-mark scores without falls! So, ironically... well done them! Our ACO 11-16 trio balance was our last routine of the weekend. They once again performed a clean routine, even though they doubt themselves! Their Balance was 6th overall, so they should be very proud!
What. A. Weekend.
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