Honiton gymnasts return with medal haul from British Tournament

Honiton gymnasts returned from a high-level gymnastics tournament over the weekend with a haul of medals in the junior international age category.

Two of the club’s gymnastic partnerships finished in silver medal position and two finished in bronze medal position at the Pat Wade Classic, an international tournament in Stoke-on-Trent held in memory of the former world head of acrobatic gymnastics.

Men’s pair Buster Tutcher and Ashley Wallis, both 15-years-old, took silver medals ahead of bronze-medalist club mates Adam Fullick (17) and Matthew Beviss (11); while Josh Jackson (18) and Louise Miller (14) took silver in the mixed pairs event ahead of teammates Jamie Jeffery (17) and Megan Jones (13).

In addition to the medals, Sean Kingston (17) and Megan Cross (13) finished fourth in mixed pairs; and Charlotte Beviss (13), Kaisha Dessalines-Wright (16) and Sammy Britten (18) finished fifth in the women’s trio event.

“Every year our gymnasts’ level of performance improves, and this year is no exception,” said James Reddy, high performance coach at Honiton Gymnastics Club. “Our elite athletes have moved up through the ranks, increased their level of difficulty and shown that they can compete head-to-head with the best in the country.

“Buster and Ashley trialed for the World Championships earlier this year and, despite a couple of mistakes, competed excellently. Their routines were extremely dynamic and they certainly turned a few heads.”

Each Honiton partnership performed three dramatic routines over the weekend, including a balance routine, a dynamic routine and a final combined routine.

All of the partnerships competed in the 12-18 international age group category. The acrobatic tops are launched in the air by their partners for double and twisting somersaults, while the tops also balanced in handstands above their base’s heads.

“It’s reassuring to see how much the partnerships improve over a short period of time time,” added James. “Buster and Ashley started training as a men’s pair together when they were just nine years old, and have progressed from novice level elements to international level acrobatics. Some of our other partnerships, on the other hand, have only been training together for between four and six months, so we expect to see huge improvements over the coming months as they become more adept at working together. Over the coming months they will be looking to consolidate their skills, learn new balance elements and introduce new somersaults and dynamic elements.”

The Pat Wade Classic marks the final acrobatic gymnastics competition of 2014, and gymnasts at the club are not only focusing on learning new moves for the 2015 competition season but also preparing for the Honiton Gymnastics Club Christmas display on Saturday 13 December at Honiton Leisure Centre.

All photos courtesy of Anthony Beviss.

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