SIX Mornington Youth Club gymnasts are on the Gold Coast representing Victoria at the Australian Gymnastic Championships, 13-26 May.
Jordan Liang, Phoenix Petrovic, Jackson Findlay, Tom Hall and Will Shurey are competing in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics and Haylee Whitehead in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. The club’s Sarah Waterland and Ben Pocklington are coaches for the event.
The club’s gymnasts, competing in national level 7 through to senior level, are eligible for selection onto state teams representing Victoria at national events.
They compete at several trial events in March and April where the best are chosen to represent the state.
COVID saw Mornington Youth Club close from March to November with gymnasts only able to train at home via online classes. Only minimal outdoor sessions were allowed.
Since November, the gymnasts have had returned to full training. “Without their hard work at home, and that of their coaches providing online sessions, they probably wouldn’t have been able to get back into condition and be ready for competitions this year,” the club’s head gymnastics coach Kerry Angleton said.
“We are incredibly proud of these athletes … who have worked so hard to prepare for this event after such a long time away from the gym last year.”
First published in the Mornington News – 25 May 2021
