Sydney Hills Gymnastics compete with the best
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
Gymnastics is a huge sport worldwide . The Australian Sports Commission says that 11 per cent of all children that currently play sports in Australia participate in gymnastics which , comes in third behind soccer and swimming regarding participation rates . It is massive . Australia even has outstanding Olympic gymnasts such as Lauren Mitchell who came in fifth on the floor in London .
Sydney Hills Gymnastics started in 2012 . They recognised the need for a strong gymnastics club in a hub or north western Sydney , one of the fastest
Catie and Hana from Sydney Hills Gymnastics with their Acro gold medals . growth and development areas in all of NSW population-wise . And it hasn ’ t taken long for the club to become the biggest gymnastics club in all of NSW with over three thousand members .
The ages of the participants range from 6 – 18 years , and the sport is still mainly dominated by girls , but there are many particularly good young talented male gymnasts in the sport and club . A variety of programs are run , and you can tale part in a one-hour recreational which class or the competitive programs which are established for the male and female gymnasts at the club .
In the artistic apparatus category , both male and female gymnasts compete at the club with 76 males and 103 females participating in events such as rings , vaults and pommel horse . In the acrobatic apparatus there are 79 girls currently competing .
The club competes against other clubs . Match competition builds engagement with the club and community and prepares kids for competition . Gymnastics is a sport that you start early in life , normally around eight . There is a large commitment to be involved in the sport and it is long term . The gymnasts normally train for up to 25 hours a week .
There are many different levels in gymnastics , ranging from Level 1 to Level 7 in the club , and up to Level 10 in acro in Australia . To go further than that you will be competing in seniors or at international level . The men ’ s competition ranges from Level 1 – 4 . There are nationals and an international event coming up on 6 May at the Gold Coast . Young local Lucas Engesser will be competing in both events which is a huge feat for the Hills club .
There are three competitive programs in NSW Gymnastics . Competitions are monthly and gymnasts continually work towards making nationals . Europe and USA are big in gymnastics and Russia , America and China are the biggest gymnastics countries in the world .
The club had Level 9 women ’ s pair Catie Boffa and Hana Heo travel to Las Vegas to compete in the sixth Vegas Acro Cup . They were both making their international debut and did extremely well , coming away with the gold medal .
The pair qualified for this prestigious event in the American Acrobatics calendar by moving into Senior International levels . Catie ( base ) and Hana ( top ) have been performing as an acrobatic pair for three years now .
Catie started gymnastics at the age of five in a recreational program . She was selected for the Women ’ s Artistic Gymnastics program at the age of seven , where she stayed until she was almost 17 . Catie ’ s favourite apparatus was floor so her mum suggested she try acrobatics .
When asked about her proudest moment and why , Catie said “ becoming a National Champion in 2021 was unreal as I never thought I ’ d even qualify for the
Lucas Engesser . Photo credit : Sydney Hills Gymnastics .
nationals , let alone win !”
Hana will be making an international debut at 12 years of age . She joined the recreational program in 2017 for a few short weeks . Acrobatics Head Coach at the time , Jael Vazquez , saw the potential in Hana and asked her to trial for an acro squad .
The girls have done an outstanding job and made the club and district very proud .
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 95 // MAY 2023 13