Sport
10 July, 2023
Gymnasts set for Amsterdam
A TEAM of young gymnasts will be taking their talents to the international stage on 30 July to participate in the largest non-competitive gymnastics events in the world.
A TEAM of young gymnasts will be taking their talents to the international stage on 30 July to participate in the largest non-competitive gymnastics events in the world.
Travelling to Amsterdam, the team will don the green and gold at World Gymnaestrada Amsterdam, performing an artistic display inspired a fun and wacky party.
World Gymnaestrada is the largest of its kind, attracting artistic gymnasts from all over the globe of any gender, age, race, religion, culture, ability or social standing.
The event has been held in many countries, but this year is returning to its place of origin in Amsterdam and is expected to have the highest level of participation since the first event in 1953.
Alongside many other affiliated clubs in Australia, Mareeba gymnasts are hoping to put Mareeba and Far North Queensland on the map, being the only club north of Mackay selected to compete.
The club got involved with the competition in an unusual way, travelling to Brisbane in 2020 for a competition and learning of GymFest happening at the same time.
Coach and director of Mareeba Gymnastics, Kelly Tulloch, said she took the team down a day early to perform in GymFest for fun.
“The GymFest competition was on, so we put together a display with the gymnasts that were going down to compete and we performed it,” she said.
“Little did we know we would come second and qualify for World Gymnaestrada, which happens every four years.
“When they told us we qualified for the 2023 event, I remember back then being unsure it would even go ahead because of how big Covid was at the time but yet here we are, both excited and scared to head over.”
This is the first time the club has taken their talents to an international level, and the first time that many of the gymnasts have travelled overseas.
Performing their display to Redfoo’s hit song “Juicy Wiggle”, the team of young gymnasts and ex-gymnasts have banded together to showcase their strength, acrobats and flexibility.
“We have been training at least two times a week since April,” Tulloch said.
“We have been putting our routine together and refining it ready to perform.”
Last Friday night, the team also performed for the first time to the public, being the first time many of the members have performed in front of a crowd.
“It’s a huge learning curve and it is different style of gymnastics we are learning with all the regulation and technical terms,” Tulloch said.
“It’s interesting to be travelling with parents who are doing gymnastics for the first time as well for this competition and this is a lot of their first times performing. They are starting quite late in their career unlike some of the kids who started very early.”
With only a few days left before getting on the plane, Tulloch is confident her team will shine bright in green and gold.
She encourages the community to support their team through encouraging words and any donations to their Go Fund Me page.
“It is a completely self-funded trip so any donations to our Go Fund Me will really help,” she said.
“We will also be walking in the Mareeba Rodeo downtown parade in our green and gold uniforms so just come along, get behind us, support us with messages on Facebook.
“Any encouragement is great because we have some nervous participants.”
