Competitive Tumbling Report: 04/08/2010

National Clubs 2010 Kingsborough Sports Centre, Tasmania

DAY 1: After a very early morning leaving the Northern Beaches at 5.30am the five team members, Lisa Bushnell, Alexa Collins, Megan Lutze, Emily Chalmers and Holly Ovenden were ready to embark on their trip to our very first Tumbling National Clubs Championships.

After landing in Hobart and travelling to Kingston by bus they were eager to get to the sports centre to try out the Tumbling track. With an hour to spare before hand, the girls settled into the hotel rooms and prepared for their first try on the equipment.

Training was only a short quick session as they were tired from such an early start but it was of great value to them. They had their run ups marked, adjusted to the different floor and spirits were high for competition. It was then back to the hotel for dinner and an early night.

DAY 2:  6.30am breakfast to start the day and straight to the venue with Lisa and Holly for warm up. The centre was buzzing with excitement for the first day of competition and there was a fantastic turn out of tumblers with competitors from over 10 different clubs from around Australia.

First up to compete was the level 4 groups where we had Holly Ovenden. Not up until the second round she waited nervously for her turn to perform. When the time came she produced an elegant first tumble giving her an execution score of: 26.80 with her difficulty of 1.4 added she finished with a total of 28.20. This placed her in 5^th overall with one tumble left to go, a fantastic start. The competition standard was high and unfortunately Holly’s second tumble lacked tempo, this gave her a lower score of 24.7 for execution, with difficulty of 1.6 the tumble scored just: 26.30. With an overall finishing score of 54.50 she gained a respectful 8^th place out of 17 competitors but sadly missed the finals.

It was time for the Level 6 girls to start competition, with a group of 14 tumblers Lisa Bushnell was raring to go after a great warm up. With her first tumble not going according to plan and a fall which left the last skill not counted Lisa was given a low score. With the finals out the question Lisa’s choice was to go all out and show everyone just what she is capable of. She performed round off, 3 flips, double tuck somersault. One of only 4 tumblers in the whole National Clubs Competition to perform a double somersaulting skill, with style and grace Lisa gained respect from fellow competitors and clubs.    

The last competition for the NBG team on Saturday was the Level 5’s with Alexa Collins, Megan Lutze and Emily Chalmers. Feeling confident, Megan was up first in round 1 of the level 5 girls, she did a nice clean tumble giving her an execution mark of 25.80, adding her difficulty of 1.7 she had a total of 27.50. Her second pass was even better; with flowing moves she scored 27.70 giving her an overall score of 55.20.

Round 2 brought Emily and Alexa to the stand. First up was a very calm and relaxed Emily, she performed a beautiful tumble with grace and height in somersaults, giving her 26.30 for execution and a score of 28.00 with difficulty added. Her second tumble was tidy but the flow was slowed down after her front somersault meaning a lower score on execution, she ended with 27.60 giving her an overall total of 55.60.

It was time for Alexa to step up with a shot at bringing home a gold medal. Nervously she started her first tumble smoothly but unfortunately without building enough power for her last skill she fell, giving her a low execution mark and a score of 24.20. She stepped up her second tumble to finish with 27.40 but with an overall score totalling 51.60 it wasn’t enough for the final. Learning from the mistakes Alexa was ready for day two of competing.

Emily finished in 7^th place, a fantastic achievement just 0.8 from the finals and Megan finished in a respectable 11^th place out of 21 competitors. 

DAY 3: The girls were ready for Sunday’s Age Event, feeling positive and well rested Holly was first to compete in the U13’s category. Up against tumblers up to two years older she felt the pressure. Her first tumble had slightly less power than normal, making a wise decision Holly simplified her end skill and performed a tuck somersault, sadly as she took a step back she tripped on landing mat and fell, leaving her with a score of 25.30. With the finals out of reach Holly upped her game and performed a tumble she has never done before, a great accomplishment. With front tuck somersault, step out to round off, flip, flip, layout she scored 27.60 and finished with an overall score of 52.90. All though disappointed to not make the finals she was all smiles and had a great experience competing at only her third tumbling competition.

The competition jumped up to the U17’s category, where we had Lisa, Emily and Alexa. The aim was to complete clean tumbles and reach the finals. The standard was high and the judges were marking harshly. Lisa and Alexa performed the same first pass, round off, 3 flips, full twisting layout. Lisa’s score of 28.70 put her into second place and Alexa’s score of 28.20 put her into 5^th. Emily was close behind after her first clean tumble scoring 28.00 putting her in 6^th. Pressure was on to maintain a good standard for the second tumble; it was the deciding factor for the finals. Alexa and Lisa both with a difficulty of 1.7 performed elegant tumbles with a smooth flow. Lisa scored 28.00 qualifying her in 3^rd position for the finals with an overall score of 56.70. Alexa scored a little lower with 27.50 giving her an overall score of 55.70 placing her 6^th and earning a place in the finals. Emily was only a few marks behind scoring 27.10 on her second pass, this gave her an overall score of 55.10, 7^th place, unfortunate to again just miss out on the finals.

There was no hanging around and it was straight onto the final pass. With Alexa qualifying in 6^th position she was up first, her twisting layout was a touch low giving her a harsh execution mark. She scored 27.60 which ranked her in 5^th position overall for U17’s in Australia, a brilliant achievement for Alexa who has competed just two times before. Lisa who qualified in 3^rd position was a total crowd pleaser; all though she had an unlucky landing on her double somersault she got cheers from the crowd for her enthusiasm and style. Her final pass scored just 25.40 without her double somersault being counted, without the small error there is no doubt she would have taken the title.

It was just the U15’s left to compete and what a tough few rounds. Megan was full of energy and enjoying the competition, she performed 2 tidy tumbles, one of which was decided on the day! Her first tumble scored 26.10 for execution and had the difficulty value of 1.6 giving her a total of 27.70, her second tumble was even better with a difficulty of 1.7. She totalled 55.60 overall ranking her 9^th in Australia for her age, a brilliant achievement for Megan.

The girls had a great experience, for Megan, Alexa and Holly it was their third competition, for Lisa her second and Emily her first, with that in consideration what an amazing job they did.

DAY 4: Our last day in Tasmania was spent exploring Hobart and Richmond, a well deserved day of fun for the tumblers. They enjoyed ‘Zoo Doo Wildlife Park,’ a historic maze, giant chess games and the old gaol. After a day full of laughter and short flight home they are now back safe and sound.

The girls along with 7 other tumblers are in training and preparing for competition next week, the State Tumbling Levels Championships. This is to be held at the State Sports Centre in Homebush on the 14^th/15^th August. Spectator tickets can be brought on the Gym NSW website, all support is very much appreciated and the girls will be performing some great tumbles.

Sam Palmer

Tumbling Program Manager