Back in gold for a gymnastics master
When gymnast Helen Tanner competed at the New Zealand Masters Games in 2017 she returned with medals and a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
In 2019 she still got the medals — but remained in one piece.
Competing in the trampoline two years ago, Helen suffered the injury while warming up.
“I got back up and finished off my routine with no ACL left — and won it still,” she says.
She also won gold in gymnastics — a feat she repeated on her return from injury at the recent 2019 games in Whanganui.
After an operation to repair the ligament, Helen was out of action for 18 months, returning to training in October last year.
“It was a bit of a mental game, to make sure I could go back and defend my title,” she says, adding she was probably in better shape this year than she has been for a long time.
“I’ve just started doing yoga because I’ve decided the yoga helps with your flexibility.
“I’ve had lots of rehab after my operation. My legs were more strengthened than they have been in a long time.”
Whanganui had the biggest contingent of gymnasts at any of the seven games Helen has attended, 76 in total, with 16 in her 40-50 age division.
She competed in the floor, conditioning, bar and vault disciplines, achieving first place in the vault and the bar and second in the floor competition — giving her the outright overall gold medal.
She also repeated her gold medal in the trampoline competition — but was the only competitor in her age group.
Helen began gymnastics when she was 11 and continued until she was 16. That’s when she tore her ACL for the first time — in a snow skiing accident.
“I ran the Te Puke Gym club after I injured myself until about 10 years ago when we moved to Tauranga.
“But my daughter decided to do gymnastics. It didn’t feel right to go anywhere else so, because of my long association [with Te Puke Gymsport]. We travelled backwards and forwards to Te Puke while she was doing it.
“We had a couple of years where we’ve been away, but came back a few years ago.”
Helen is a life member of the club and started competing again when she was 37.
“I always say the gym is my happy place — the adrenaline, the fun and not many people can do at this age what I can do — I just love it — I don’t know what it is, it’s in my blood and it just keeps me going.
“Then when you go to the competition it’s the camaraderie — its just so much fun. Everybody’s really encouraging.”
For fellow Te Puke Gymsport club member Paul Jones, this year’s games in Whanganui were his first. He competed in the 50-plus age group and also won gold.
“He and I got combined with two people from other districts and our team ended up getting second — so I came away with two golds and a silver and he came away with a gold and a sliver.
“Paul said he was hooked so we are looking at maybe doing the Australian masters in October.”