Honiton Gym Club acrobatic gymnastics - Press: SW champs, March 09

A trio of gymnasts from Honiton Gym Club are south west champions, after beating groups from across the region last weekend at the south west acrobatic gymnastics prelims in Yate, Bristol.

Thirteen-year-old Jes Kenaway, 14-year-old Shaylee Moore and 12-year-old Valentine Tutcher, won gold in the grade three girls' trio competition, scoring the highest combined marks of the whole two-day competition for the technical merit and artistic presentation of their routines. The victory secured the girls a place in the national finals, which take place in Stoke-on-Trent in May. The trio were closely followed by teammates Lauren Forsyth, Georgia Rooke and Rachel Palfrey, who also competed excellently and came in fifth in the same event.

These weren't the only successes for Honiton's elite gymnasts though, as other combinations brought back a further three silver medals. In the grade three girls' pair competition, Lauren Davey and Sarah Hodkinson led the field after the first round, but were narrowly pipped to the post by 0.2 of a mark following the second routine.

Danni Gillard, Faye Miles and Megan Moore took second place in the grade four girls' trio competition, with exceptional choreography in their balance routine, while Erica Podbery, Jessica Todd and Fiona Wood brought home silver in the International One women's trio event - competing a spectacular double somersault in their 'dynamic' routine.

In addition to the medal winners, strong performances were also put in by all other Honiton Gymnasts. These included: Jess Iley and Cerys Mack in Grade two girls' pair; Mylissa Jones, Daniela Hartland and Charlotte Hartland in grade one girls' trio; Louise Ilsley and Rebekah Lawrence in grade one girls' pairs; Sharna Curley and Danni Hartland in grade one girls' pairs; and Becki Fullard and Mylissa Jones in grade one girls' pairs.

Helen Nayler, high performance coach at Honiton Gym Club, said: "Honiton's gymnasts are going from strength to strength at the moment, taking top honours at all levels. Only two weeks ago our younger gymnasts took regional titles in the preparation grades, and now our gymnasts are showing that they are among the best in the advanced levels too.

"It's not just luck though," she added. "It's down to hard conditioning, steadfast resolution, and a huge amount of time in the gym perfecting their routines. They've been putting in extra hours wherever possible, sometimes upping their training from 13 hours to more than 20 hours of hard graft per week. We're so proud of all the gymnasts, and those that didn't win medals still shone out as performing with exceptional style and quality."

With the competitive gymnastics season now in full flow, Honiton Gym Club's performers will be looking to raise their game even further over the next few weeks. Eight gymnasts travel to Stoke on Trent on at the weekend (20-22 March) to compete in the British age group championships, and they will then go on to compete in the Flanders International Acro Cup in Belgium over the Easter break.

Acrobatic gymnastics is often described as the most fun and exciting form of gymnastics, where gymnasts work in partnerships, learn new skills, and make new friends. Training sessions take place at Honiton Gymnastics Club, which is based at Honiton Leisure Centre, four times per week. The club is particularly looking for new beginners who want to train for fun, but might one day become international level gymnasts. Anyone interested in learning acrobatic gymnastics should contact Helen Nayler on 07825 181693/hnayler@hotmail.com for further information, or pick up further details and flyers from Honiton Sports Centre.

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For further press information and to arrange photography, contact

James Reddy, 07967 835947; e: jamesreddy1@yahoo.co.uk