First
published February 2006
Six
of the Nations best!
The
competition season for gymnastics has now begun in earnest
and top Swindon club Esprit Gymnastics has started exactly
where it left off last year – with Gold winning
performances!
Just
weeks after it was announced Esprit Rhythmic gymnast Jade
Faulkner (12) would be joining Laura Halford (9) as a
member of the British Squad yet another young club star
made her mark at National level.
Harriet
Evans (9) from Tetbury and another with Welsh connections
has been selected for the Welsh National Squad. Harriet
trailed recently with her coach in Barry for the preparation
squad, a starting point for budding Welsh Internationals,
but the judges were so impressed with what they saw they
bypassed the preparation and even development squads and
moved her straight into the Full National squad along
with team mate Laura, who retains the place she won last
year.
“It
was an amazing day”, say’s proud mum Sue Evans
(the Welsh connection), “Harriet travelled to Barry
with her coach Deb Hows, the head of Rhythmic Gymnastics
at the Esprit Academy of Gymnastics and Trampoline in
Swindon, now one of the top clubs in the country. She
spent the day being tested on various routines and body
skills and then had to wait for 2 weeks before hearing
the news”.
“We
were stunned when her coach phoned to tell us, continued
Sue, “and Harriet was speechless, she just couldn’t
stop smiling. To get in to the preparation squad would
have been a feat in itself, but to be asked to move straight
into the full National Squad is the stuff of dreams, everyone
is so proud of her”.
However,
things then got even better for Harriet, on the day she
received the news about her Welsh selection she travelled
to The National Duets & Trio’s competition in
Burton-on-Trent and with her 2 team mates Alicia Veveris
(9) and Laura Halford (9), won GOLD in the under 10 competition,
national squad selection and national champions in the
same day.
The
National Duets & Trio competition is one of the highlights
of the Rhythmic year and to win one gold is really special,
but Esprit gymnasts went one better with Trio specialists
Micia Falaki, Jade Faulkner and Laura Halford matching
the under 10’s by winning Gold in the Junior Ball
section, the second year in a row they have won medals
at this event.
“Harriet’s
news was great” said coach Deb Hows, “she
really deserved her place. But the achievements of all
six girls in the National Finals at Burton-on-Trent is
fantastic news as well, they are all true champions and
their results just keep getting better and better. One
selected to a National squad, and two National championship
medals in one day, days don’t come much better!”
