CENTRE STAGE: THAT'S ESPRIT

ESPRIT Academy enjoyed a fine set of results in the first of this year's artistic gymnastics competitions. They collected a host of medals at the County Clubs' Grades competitions held at the impressive, Lottery-funded Wiltshire School of Gymnastics, in Melksham.

Since moving into their new home at Unit 3, the IO Centre, Stratton, at the end of January this year, the Esprit Academy students have worked extremely hard preparing for this prestigious annual event. Children between the ages of six and 10 from all over Wiltshire competed at various levels, and Esprit Academy gymnasts proved just how having excellent coaching in a proper training facility can improve performances.

In Grade 6 for eight-year-olds Esprit gymnasts swept the board with the top five placings. Ellena Foxwell led the way with an impressive first place, closely followed by Hayley Thomas, with Georgia Clements third, Hannah Curtis fourth and Jessica Shimwell fifth. Esprit only had one competitor in Grade 6 for nine-year-olds, but Ellie Barrett proved her ability by winning gold.

The club showed the way in Grade 5 for nine-year-olds with their trio of entrants filling the top three placings. Victoria Sutton won the event with Erin Milroy second and Daisy Rolt completing the clean sweep. Finally in Grade 4 for nine-year-olds, Esprit's only entrant Carla Williams, was locked in a close contest with Katherine Turner and Laura Kendrick from the host club, and had to settle for silver by the tiniest of margins.

In total 11 girls from the Esprit Academy competed in the grades competition and won eight medals. The reason the three missed out was only because their team-mates had already won the medals.

Katy Smith, head of artistic coaching, said: "For years we have been saying to anyone who would listen, `give the children of Swindon a purpose-built centre to train in and they will give you champions' and nothing happened. "But now the parents, coaches and helpers have done it themselves and everyone can see from these results that the children of Esprit have not let anyone down. "They have all worked incredibly hard for this competition and I, for one, am proud to be their coach”.

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