Wednesday
12th Jul 2006.
Esprit’s
Courtney secures the title
COURTNEY
Hows saw off the region's finest young gymnasts at Melksham's
Wiltshire School of Gymnastics to claim gold and the South
West Challenge Cup. The 11-year-old Esprit Gymnastics
member, from Wroughton, was up against 44 other rivals
from the South West but showed her all-round ability to
take the title.
This
event saw the South West's finest up and coming gymnasts
in attendance and the standard of gymnastics was exceptionally
high. All 45 gymnasts had to perform complex routines
on the asymmetric bars, the floor, the vault and finally
the beam. Courtney performed four solid and precise routines,
which were scored for the very first time under the new
Olympic FIG code.
Scoring
12.550 for a near faultless vault, 8.633 for an exceptionally
difficult bars, 11.067 for a dynamic beam and an equally
impressive 11.900 on floor, Courtney came out on top by
a massive 2.167 in front of her nearest rival to claim
gold and the coveted South West Challenge Cup.
Courtney's
coach and national judge, Katy Smith said: "Courtney
is an amazing character, always giving her best and never
giving up. She thoroughly deserves this title for all
of her hard work. "Courtney is an excellent role
model, showing how the sport can really bring out a child's
full potential. She spends over 20 hours a week in the
gym training and still finds time for her schoolwork.
"If
more children were introduced to sport in general and
gymnastics in particular, at a young age, we would see
a marked improvement in child fitness levels, as children
would quickly learn the benefits sport can bring, such
as determination, self-confidence, health and fitness,
as well as giving them an outlet for their boundless energy.
"We
know there must be more Courtney's out there just waiting
to be discovered."
