A Team East competitor in action with coaches looking on

Team East 3rd in UK

Team East’s trampoline and DMT gymnasts punched above their weight once more, winning 24 medals at 2017’s Regional Team Finals held last weekend at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena. No fewer than 42 of the team’s 70 gymnasts also qualified to compete at the NDP Finals; these take place in Telford on the weekend of 8th and 9th July.

On trampoline there were 18 medals spread across age and difficulty levels with the East Team finishing 3rd of the 13 regions. Wins ranged from Emma Ellis winning gold in 9-10 NDP1 to Elliott Innocent a winner in the 17+ NDP7 category. There were golds too for Sydney Kelly and for Jennifer Liu in NDP 6 competitions.

Silver medalists included Tabby Howard, Noah Collins, Olivia Collier, Harvey Bell and Shannon Waterman who, along with all the gold medallists, deserves special mention for the high execution marks that she achieved. There were bronzes for Miles McTighemoore, Ruby Curley, Daniel Surridge, Heather Cannon, Zoe Cooper, Chloe Harrison, Max Felton and Chloe Caley as well as for Ipswich Four’s Jack Wilkinson, a double medallist as he won bronze in DMT too.

NDP Finals Qualifiers

32 trampolinists finished in the top 8 with qualifying scores that enable them to compete in Telford. They will join Cambridge Cangaroos’ Matthew Burson, Rotations’ Hannah Morris, Ultima’s Joe Harris and Brentwood’s Ashleigh Doyle, Jared Smith and Lilia Kearney; these all qualified at NDP level 8 via the Spring Series. Brentwood has 6 gymnasts through to the Finals with HBS Trampoline Club and Flight having 5 and 4 respectively. Flight had a particularly good competition with their gymnasts winning 4 medals.

On DMT there were wins for Charlotte Webb and Lucy Bevan both from Pegasus. Pegasus dominated the East Team’s results with their gymnasts winning 5 of the team’s 6 medals. Edward Parkin and Max Gaeta received silvers and Madeleine Strevens got bronze. Pegasus fielded 9 of the 13 East Team’s DMT competitors who made top 8 and qualified for NDP Finals. Cambourne Comets were pleased that two of their gymnasts qualified whilst Ipswich Four and Run DMT clubs had one apiece.

It couldn’t have happened without…

Huge thanks must go to the coaching and support team of Amanda Robson, Crystelle Mills-Smith, Emma Payton, Francoise Odette, Helen Winter, Nicki Weller, Sonia Verdicchio, Gary Lewis, Garry Leach, Paul Kitchen, Paul Verdicchio, Phil Dodson and Tony Fagelman. They put in long, hot hours facilitating the team’s success and helping make the event so enjoyable and memorable.

Pat Dodson, Trampoline and DMT Team Manager

(Webmaster comment – thanks to Pat Dodson as well for great organisation!).