A gymnastics club from Selby are getting ready to represent Britain on the world stage as they form part of the largest ever team of gymnasts to perform at the biggest celebration of the sport on the planet later this month.
Selby Swans Gymnastics Club are sending a team of 20 gymnasts to the World Gymnaestrada in Amsterdam.
They will join over 20,000 participants from 50 other nations to create a spectacular festival of gymnastics.
Stacey Nixon, co-founder and head coach at the club, said: “We are extremely excited, it is our first time ever as a club, we only became a club six years ago, so this is our first time, one of the other coaches has been before with a different club, so we kind of have a gist of what it is about but we have never been together.
“I can’t wait and neither can the kids, I have already had pictures sent through of them all packed and ready to go.
“Parents keep telling me they are all packed and they have their sweets for the aeroplane.
“The kids are absolutely ecstatic to be going, when I see the smiles on their faces in the dress rehearsals and when it is all coming together, it makes it all worthwhile but as a coach, it is excitement with a mix of being slightly petrified at the same time!”
First staged in 1953, the World Gymnaestrada is a non-competitive and inclusive event held every four years that celebrates the joy of the sport, reflecting the new vision launched earlier this year for gymnastics in the UK to deliver an uplifting experience for all.
The event is open to everybody, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, culture, or ability or disability.
The 2023 edition will see participants wow the crowds with gymnastics displays in locations across the Dutch capital between 30 July – 5 August.
Selby Swans Gymnastics Club will perform up to five times throughout the week, including forming part of a mass group ‘Great Britain’ team performance alongside the other 30 British clubs in attendance.
The focus on providing an enjoyable and memorable experience for participants and the audience alike is what is at the heart of the World Gymnaestrada and why this year British Gymnastics is supporting a record number of gymnasts to take part.
“I am most excited about the kids being a part of the British team themselves, because we do performances as a team and we do go around and do performances but wearing the British kit and walking behind your flag and performing alongside the rest of the British team - I think that is just something that you can’t do very often.
“For the kids to experience it is amazing, when they all put the British kit on, their smiles are incredible, it takes it to a new level.
“It is such an amazing opportunity for any kid to do something like this, it does not have to be a just to be part of it - it is an amazing opportunity.
“My child has done it before and we have seen how great it is, this was a huge target for us and some of the kids have already started talking about the next one which in Portugal before they have even taken part in one!”
British Gymnastics will be bringing the joy and celebration of the World Gymnaestrada experience to life across its digital channels throughout the event, and you can read more about the new vision for gymnastics in the UK to deliver an uplifting experience for all at www.british-gymnastics.org/vision.
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