Young Jude is the golden girl of mat Gymnast wins top prize at her first attempt
Lanark gymnast Jude Hilson bagged a gold medal in her first appearance at the annual Lanark Gymnastics Club competition earlier this month.
The competition was held at Lesmahagow High School on December 10-11, with the weekend split into tumble and acro.
The tumble competition ranged from club level gymnastics right up to higher-end FIG levels, which saw Jude compete for the first time and take the top prize.
Tumblers from clubs like Dynamite in Glasgow and Irvine Bay brought along their best gymnasts, and in total there were 158 competing across the board.
Lanark held their own and managed a winner in most categories, long with a few Lanarkonly podiums.
Sunday saw over 200 gymnasts pack into the school for the acrobatics competition, with several partnerships or trios battling it out to be top of their grades from clubs such as Glasgow, Irvine Bay and Dynamite.
Gymnasts went from Grade 1 partnerships right up to Grade 5, and Lanark once again battled their way to more than a fair share of the medal haul, meaning a lot of them were medalling throughout the weekend in both disciplines.
In this vein, young Madison Watson won four medals over the weekend.
During the weekend the club also fundraised to put money towards a new facility which they need for training purposes, as they have outgrown the YMCA hall they are currently using.
Parents and helpers pulled together, with raffles, guess the bear’s birthday, tumble and tuck shop/cafe bringing in over £8000.
Lanark Gymnastics Club’s Clare Hilson said: “This was a first competition for many of the young gymnasts and what a competition it turned out to be, with many of them winning their first medals. “That was the first competitions of the new gymnastics season, so it was a first for many at the new levels and it was a fantastic result for the club.
“This is great preparation for when the kids will compete in the British qualifiers in February, which is the next big competition.”
Lanark Gymnastics Club will run their own festival of gymnastics in March, aptly titled ‘Gymtastic’, which will include a massive display for different disciplines, featuring clubs from up and down the country who want to show off their skills.
They hope several Lanarkshire clubs will take part.