Sutton stars lead the way

SUTTON Village Gymnasium are celebrating after gaining their best ever results at the East Yorkshire Floor and Vault Team Championships.

The Gymnastics club, based on Potterill Lane in Sutton Village, came away with six gold medals and a bronze for their efforts at the two-day event at the Gemtec Arena in west Hull.

The club, which has been in existence for 12 years, also dominated the Level 7 sections of the competition – with all their teams coming home successful after competing on the vault and then doing a one-minute floor routine.

The Level 7 boys open age team of Thomas Clark, Luke Humphrey, David Robson, Joseph Shahar and Oliver Thorn, the girls under-eights teams of Olivia Cook, Katie Crane, Megan Cusack, Venus Morgan and Clarice Noble, the girls under-10s squad of Georgie Smithson-Brown, Mikyla Dillon, Grace Killelay, Jade Kneeshaw and Megan Gray and the girls under-12s team of Georgina Cooper, Antonia Leggatt, Courtney Bedford and Charlotte Walker all won gold on day one of the competition.

There was further success for the club on day two, when the club won two gold medals at the higher grading of Level 6.

The boys open age team of Ryan Cane, Kane Fitzgerald and Scott Leggatt and the girls 13 and over team of Molly Bielby, Eleanor Mead and Ellie White added to the impressive gold tally for Sutton Village.

The seventh medal came in the form of a bronze medal for the Level 6 girls under-12s team of Megan Cook, Lauren Hall and Emily Trim.

Reacting to the fine achievements of her gymnasts, head coach Danielle Wright told HotShots: "I never go into a competition expecting them to do well, but they all worked really hard in the build-up.

"We got the most team golds as a club and it was the first time we had got so many gold medals and beaten all the other clubs.

"It was a great competition for us and for a lot of our kids it was their first time competing in such an event since starting the sport.

"All in all we were really chuffed and a lot of these youngsters now go on to compete a level higher the next time we compete."

Depending on the level of the competitor, there is different criteria for what is expected in a routine.

The level 7 vault, for example, sees gymnasts as young as six running up and performing a hand spring on the vault before landing perfectly.

Meanwhile, the floor routine sees the higher graded girls at Level 6 perform a routine to music including back flips and more complicated cartwheel movements.

Sutton Village Gymnasium was originally set up by Danielle's father Dave back in 1997 to try and give the community a gymnastics resource.

The club now boasts over 200 members from beginners, intermediates and more advanced gymnasts.

They have 50 who compete an elite level, with a few achieving a Level 4 standard in the sport.

Head coach Wright, 29, is supported by a large group of volunteer coaches and herself brings a wealth of experience to the club.

She competed as a Level 1 gymnast when she was younger and was a multiple Yorkshire Champion.

She also competed in an event in Russia when she was just 12.