Gymnastics: City of Lancaster Club shine on international stage in Portugal

The University of Cumbria Sports Centre-based club took a team of 15 to Maia in Portugal for the International Acro Cup competition which included competitors from Russia, America and Japan.

For the majority of the gymnasts, aged eight to 16, it was their first time competing abroad.

That made no difference to their performance however as the youngsters achieved unprecedented success to somersault themselves onto the world stage.

Three trios and three pair routines entered the competition with half making it through to the finals.

Lucy Ip, Hannah Gallagher and Grace Ip finished ninth in the Youth Groups category and Yvette Evans and Edie Gilgun May finished 12th in the Age group 1 category.

The icing on the cake for the club was Youth Pair Jolie Pickles and Eva Stirzaker who delivered an outstanding routine of agility, grace and execution to finish in second place to take a well-deserved place on the podium.

Lauren Townson, Lauren Riggs and Hope Kerr performed two outstanding routines to finish 22nd out of 34 in a very difficult section.

Saskia Rudge Thompson, Chloe Macklin and Millie Gibson finished 16th after delivering their best performance to date and finally Savannah Brickles and Charlotte Turner finished 13th with their steady routine.

After success in the international arena the club now turn their attention to the British Championships to be held at the Echo Arena in Liverpool in July.

The club offers recreational gymnastics and trampolining sessions throughout the week as well as pre-school sessions on a Wednesday and Saturday morning.

Additionally disability multi-skills and trampolining sessions take place on a Saturday afternoon.

Call the Univeristy of Cumbria Sports Centre on 01524 590841 for more information.