Attleborough’s Norfolk Academy of Gymnastics off to a flyer
Attleborough's Norfolk Academy of Gymnastics has made the perfect start to 2011 – with 12 medals from 12 girls.
The short trip to Norwich for the Norfolk Championships for Compulsory and National Grades saw the Academy's dozen return with a medal each and continuing TNAG's proud unbeaten record against anyone outside their own club.
Grade eight saw the first clean sweep, with Jessica Scarlett followed by team-mates Olivia Syder in silver and Laura Glover in bronze – success that was repeated at compulsory four level, where eight-year-olds Emma Hill, Grace Luckhurst and Miriam Lowe took gold, silver and bronze respectively.
The youngest gymnasts competing were Francesca Scarlett and Lucie Peck, at compulsory five, and the two seven-year-olds took gold and silver, while compulsory three saw Caitlin Baker earn her first overall gold with good scores.
She was followed by Laura Rose Cooke in second and Eleanor Parsons third.
You may also want to watch:
Bethany Harmer, the only gymnast competing at the highest compulsory two grade, produced a stunning floor routine to take the final gold of the day.
Francesca and sister Jessica also brought double success at their first competition together, the Norfolk Compulsory and National Grades Championships.
Most Read
- 1 Norfolk's first mass Covid vaccination centre to open in food court
- 2 Stunning images capture Cromer in the snow
- 3 Norfolk wakes up to snow with more expected to fall
- 4 'Anti-social rider' has quadbike seized in the snow
- 5 Jailed in Norfolk: Burglars, domestic abuse and threats to kill
- 6 Are you in our Norfolk school photos from the 1970s?
- 7 Drivers face non-essential travel fines after spate of snow crashes
- 8 Londoners fined for travelling to stay at second home in Norfolk
- 9 Floral tributes left to driver killed in A148 crash
- 10 Government must step in to help 'desperate' Norwich hospital, says MP
Jess, 10, was the resounding grade eight winner, while Francesca took gold in her level.
Elsewhere, the inaugural Miss Alpha Factor Open competition broke with a number of the traditions of regular gymnastics competitions – and plenty of fun was had by the 230 gymnasts that competed over three days at the Ipswich Gymnastics Centre.
The long list of TNAG's successes included: Erin Houlihan, Isabella Lamberti, Esme Ladds, Kimia Taghaddod, Charlotte Donnelly, Rhianna Wyer, Poppy Brown, Melissa Brown, Jessica Scarlett, Olivia Syder, Laura Glover, Emma Hill, Miriam Lowe, Caitlin Baker and Bethany Harmer.
The final tally was four overall winners, six podiums and five top-six finishes, as well as four special award rosettes.
The club has also enjoyed national success already in 2011, after Polina Poliakova took her first individual national medal at the English Championships, in Stoke on Trent this month, with bronze thanks to a personal best floor exercise.
Of her team-mates, Emily Crowe finished 10th overall, a place behind Polina, while Angel Kenzitt was let down by her bar routine but posted some excellent scores on her national debut.