Members of Burnham-On-Sea’s Monarch’s Gymnastics Club have this week struck gold at the British Acrobatic and Tumbling Open Tournament in Stoke-On-Trent.
Gymnasts Sean McKenna, Connor McKenna, Jacob Baker and Joseph Blake (pictured) returned to the town proudly holding their gold medals.
After qualifying for the finals with a combined total score of 51.4, they gained a fantastic 26.9 points for their final balance routine, complemented by a high artistry score.
The boys are growing from strength to strength and this time next year will be performing at junior level where the demands for their acrobatic ability will be at a very high level.
Over 101 partnerships consisting of Pairs, Mixed Pairs, Men’s Groups and Women’s Trios, all of different age groups and abilities, competed against each other within their categories during two full days of competition.
A total of 39 clubs from all over England, Scotland and Wales and international clubs from the USA and Canada took part in the weekend as they competed and performed to a sold-out audience.
Women’s trio Sophie McArdle, Emily Shortland and Katie Hoskins (pictured right) also competed in the junior category, running in seventh place out of 16 after a confident balance routine looking to qualify for the finals on Sunday.
Unfortunately, due to a fall at the end of their tempo routine, they did not manage to qualify and gained 49.65 points overall.
Recently-formed women’s trio Crystal Hale, Ellie Cater and Mulberry Watkins, also competed at Junior Level. It was Mulberry’s first time at Fenton Manor where the British Competitions are held.
The girls performed two excellent routines in Balance and Tempo, gaining an overall mark of 49 points however, due to the Junior category being of a very high standard, they were unable to qualify for the finals.
The competition was filmed live by BGTV found on the British Gymnastics site online, where all the routines and coverage for the day were available to a global audience.
Pictured: Top, Sean McKenna, Connor McKenna, Jacob Baker and Joseph Blake won gold, and, above, Sophie McArdle, Emily Shortland and Katie Hoskins in action (Photos: Submitted by club)
