Hills Sydney Gymnastics win their third NSW Championship
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
They say success breeds success . This is definitely the case for Sydney Hills Gymnastics who not only are one of the biggest gymnastics clubs in NSW but have also been awarded the title of Gymnastics NSW 2024 MAG Grand Prix Champion Club for the third year in a row !
The talented men ’ s gymnastics team have delivered exceptional performances this year at state , national and international competitions , proving again that we are a leading force in the gymnastics community .
Sydney Hills Gymnastics ( SHG ) proudly celebrates its outstanding success in Men ’ s Artistic Gymnastics ( MAG ), as the club has once again been awarded the prestigious title of Gymnastics NSW 2024 MAG Overall Grand Prix Champion Club .
At the recent 2024 NSW MAG Junior
2024 MAG Overall Club Championships . Credit : Hills Sydney Gymnastics .
State Championships , SHG ’ s talented young gymnasts demonstrated their skills , achieving impressive individual podium finishes with all 50 gymnasts contributing valuable points to the club ’ s overall score across multiple age and skill levels .
Highlights include Vivaan Shah ( Level 1 Under 7 ) – 2nd All Around Noah Saad ( Level 4 Under 10 ) – State Champion Ronny Chiu ( Level 4 Open ) – 2nd All Around Oscar Rogers ( Level 5 Under 11 ) – State Champion Zachary Olic ( Level 5 Under 11 ) – 2nd All Around Krishna Manoj ( Level 6 Under 12 ) – State Champion Luke Slemint ( Level 6 Open ) – State Champion Daniel West ( Level 6 Open ) – 3rd All Around .
“ We are incredibly proud of our gymnasts and what they have accomplished . This year ’ s success is a testament to their hard work , perseverance and growth ,” shared Vassili Trofimov , Sydney Hills Gymnastics Director and MAG Head Coach .
“ Their dedication to training and teamwork makes this win especially meaningful .”
Sydney Hills Gymnastics ’ club spirit also shone brightly in September at the Gymnastics NSW State Clubs Championships , where the club celebrated its third consecutive title as NSW MAG Overall State Clubs Champions . This prelude highlighted the efforts of SHG ’ s skilled coaching team , including MAG coaches Vassili Trofimov , Sasha Kazhamiakin , Yiheng Wang , Tim Hawken , Saeed Keikha ,
Jad Kheir , Tim Corey and Jack Hobson . Their guidance and expertise have been key in developing these athletes . SHG ’ s choreographer , Celeste Warren , also played a crucial role in preparing the gymnasts for competitions .
SHG ’ s commitment to nurturing talent from a young age has also led to impressive results this year amongst their senior gymnasts . At the Australian Gymnastics Championships in May , 11 of their senior men ’ s athletes represented NSW , bringing home an impressive haul of medals , including 12 gold , 11 silver and six bronze .
In addition to their national achievements , Ritam Malik , Daniel Chalabov and Julian Tavares represented Australia at Junior International competitions and returned medallists . Lucas Engesser also made his mark as a Senior International gymnast , reaching the apparatus finals in his senior debut and proudly representing Australia on the world stage .
SHG is more than a club ; it ’ s a community where dedicated athletes , supportive families and passionate coaches come together with a shared vision of excellence . This year ’ s incredible achievements have shown what the club can accomplish together , with so much talent and heart in their team , they are looking forward to an even brighter future in the world of gymnastics .
This leading gymnastics club is committed to helping young athletes realise their potential and passion for the sport . Through high quality coaching and a
Julian Tavares in the national team . Credit : Hills Sydney Gymnastics . family-oriented environment , it encourages gymnasts of all ages to strive for excellence . It was a massive achievement for the club who are in Tier 1 in the MAG category along with six other clubs . There were 50 gymnasts who competed across Levels 1 – 6 at the Gymnastics NSW Junior State Championships , plus HSG have 76 athletes competing in an additional 27 different pre-levels . In the Men ’ s Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus there are six different events including floor , pommel horse , rings , vault , parallel bars and high bar .
Hopefully the club will see more people compete in the world championships and win gold medals representing the club and Australia with pride .
Nikki O ’ Neill - Young Leader of the Year in NSW AFL with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
AFL is a sport well known for its inclusion and diversity . It provides opportunities for everyone to play and enjoy or exceed at a sport they love . It also helps develop interpersonal skills as a coach and mentor to younger players learning the fundamentals of the game .
Nikki O ’ Neill is another young talented female athlete in the world of AFL who has taken the bit between her teeth and stepped into the world of coaching and development of young female and male players in the game .
Nikki is only 17 years old and has played for seven years with North West
Nikki O ’ Neill motivating her team .
Lightning after starting out playing in the under 12s girls at Rouse Hill Magpies . She fell in love with the game and knew that she wanted to give back . Nikki plays all over the field but mainly plays in the forward line . She scored an impressive 12 goals for the 2024 season playing in the Sydney Harbour competition .
North West Lightning are a girls only club in the Sydney AFL competition and Nikki said they are always trying to get everyone involved in all elements of football . The club came about as a joint alliance between Westbrook , Hornsby / Berowra and Pennant Hills .
In the women ’ s game under 16s goes to full senior rules so this has seen Nikki take her playing and coaching to another level . Nikki would like to play in AFLW in the future or work in physio to help people . She loves coaching kids and inspiring them to bring out their best . It is these character traits that saw Nikki nominated as the Young Leader of the Year in NSW AFL . Nikki had to show incredible commitment , leadership and generosity in winning this award .
Nikki started her coaching journey when one of the coaches approached her to help with academy teams in the club with kids under 12 .
She wondered if that was something she could do through the season , and 2024 was her first full season coaching .
The team did have a team manager and three coaches . A lot of stuff that Nikki does is based on sports in the future . She currently holds her First Aid , Working with Children , and Level 2 coaching certificates that help underpin her knowledge and skills and demonstrate her passion to learn and help others .
In Nikki ’ s school they do a program called Clinic every Wednesday where they coach primary school kids in AFL . She is hoping to build on the coaching experience with kids . The school also spent time teaching kids at a disability school . The key focus was working on finding activities that the kids like such as chasing them around , throwing a ball , playing hand games . Nikki absolutely cherishes working with children .
Nikki is hoping to get a lot of girls joining and participating in the sport in 2025 . Under 9s is the youngest age that kids play games and the training skills based as opposed to fitness based .
Nikki O ’ Neill celebrates with her players .
Nikki has excellent communication skills and understanding and easily builds positive relationships with the girls . She loves being a role model for the and her favourite part of coaching is watching the girls improve and develop higher confidence levels . Her mum loves to see her working with the kids and giving back to the sport and community .
Nikki would like to develop her coaching skills into the higher levels and hopefully move up with the team and would love to coach in the AFLW in the future . Nikki encourages people to get involved ; there are many benefits to meeting a lot of people and developing life skills .
Nikki truly is an outstanding young leader !
28 ISSUE 114 // DECEMBER 2024 MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT