Newcastle University Gymnastics Club attended the UGC North Manchester tournament on 24 November. This marked the season's first competition, and all 11 participants have been looking forward to this date since the start of the academic year.
The team's first competition was quite successful, as they came home with seven medals. Even though a few gymnasts fell off the beam, Ellie Prentice managed to steal first place in the Balance Beam category and crown herself as the winner of this edition.
This was not NUGC's only outstanding performance. Daisy Reay, an Intermediate gymnast, climbed to third place after receiving the fewest execution deductions in the category. With these excellent performances, the Intermediate team, formed by Ellie Prentice, Erin Cook, Daisy Reay and Sophie Topping, placed second overall.
Sophie Topping, a member of the Intermediate team, said to The Courier that she "felt really good and that it was fun to take part and win second place."
Amy Matthews, the club's president, states, "NUGC is very proud of all who competed, especially those who have never competed with us before."
She also mentioned Megan Turner, who competed in the Novice category and came second on Floor exercise and eighth overall, making this another incredible performance for the team.
Charlotte Moralee, who was in charge of the competition's logistics, stepped up to judge the FIC and Advanced+ Women’s Vault categories, and Ruby Beard, who was in charge of judging the Intermediate Floor category. Even though it was their first time judging, they did a fantastic job, showing their dedication to the club.
Following these excellent results, NUGC also participated in York’s UGC this past December 8. With teams in Women’s Adult Gymnastics (WAG) and Men’s Adult Gymnastics (MAG), they returned to Newcastle with 11 medals.
‘I am very proud of everyone that took part, and it was a pleasure to see so many of them win! I am so inspired by seeing everyone's confidence grow, noticing its impact on my own’.
The NUGC Novice team won their category, while the Intermediate squad placed third. One highlight of the competition was seeing Kit Maguire compete in the Novice MAG category and win first place in the All-Around classification.
We could also see Advance WAG gymnast Alex Boland place second in the beam and third in the All-Around classification, making this one of NUGC's most successful seasons.
Apart from coming home with many medals, five club members stepped up to judge different categories during the day, the first time judging for Erin Cook, Emma Shaw and Amy Matthews, president of the club.
The club has already started preparing their routines for BUCS Gymnastics, which will be hosted on the first weekend of February in Leicester. Could this be the year they return to Newcastle with a BUCS Championship on their backs?