After a tricky 18 months, Axminster Gymnastics Club is back on track and winning medals once again.
The club was forced to close due to the Covid pandemic, but members and staff worked hard to run gymnastics sessions virtually, while also organising a move to a new site in Woodmead Road. Face-to-face sessions restarted in April this year, and the move to the bigger and better new venue took place in September.
October and November brought the first round of competitions the gymnasts had been able to take part in since February 2020. At the Falcons Hallowe'en Competition the club bought home an array of medals including golds, and the following gymnasts were placed first overall in their categories: Jasmine - 11yr Girls, Cally - 13yr Girls and Sam - O13 Boys.
At the Women’s Artistic Devon Levels Championships Evie was placed 3rd overall at Level 5 U11s, Cally 2nd overall at Level 6 U13s and Fern 3rd overall at Level 6 O13s.
Head coach Emma Rowe said: "These were fantastic results as we are one of the smallest and newest artistic clubs in Devon."
Emma founded Axminster Gymnastics Club in 2017. She had moved to Axminster in 2014 after leaving a career with the Royal Marines, and found there was little local provision for artistic gymnastics and tumbling.
Axminster Gymnastics began from the back of a van with Emma running classes in small local halls. By summer 2017 the club had moved to the local leisure centre, enabling the storage of larger equipment and allowing expansion of the club to run five days a week.
On January 1 2018 the club became a limited company, registered as not-for-profit, and its numbers continued to grow. It is affiliated to British Gymnastics, South West Gymnastics and Devon Gymnastics.
It now offers a variety of groups including free play for 0-3yrs, gymnastics lessons for age 2yrs upward to adults, children’s parties, and competition options for girls and boys.
Emma said: ‘We are excited to be back and performing and having the chance to offer gymnastics lessons to so many local children."
If you’d like to try out a class please get in touch via Facebook or 07717310198 or email info@axminstergymnastics.co.uk.
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