2007 British Women’s Gymnastics Teams Championships
The Guildford Spectrum, Parkway, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1UP
Saturday, 31st March & Sunday, 1st April 2007
The new format of the British Team Championships, 5-4-3 (5
gymnasts in the team, 4 compete on each piece of apparatus
and only the top 3 scores count towards the team’s total),
will make these Championships more open than ever before.
One year ago Heathrow G.C. finally managed to put an end
to Liverpool’s four- year domination, winning the title
in this most prestigious event for the first time since 1997,
thus rounding their winning record to 12 over the last 20
years.
They were expected to fight fiercely to defend their title,
but a week before the event, the Club’s Head Coach Vince
Walduck does not sound very optimistic: “We have never
before experienced a blow as bad as the one in the middle
of March, when three of our best gymnasts, suffered injuries:
Danusha Frances (knee), Nicole Hibbert (neck) and Leigh Rogers
(ankle). Now it seems that we might be scrabbling around and
frankly, I don’t think we have much chance to win”,
concludes Walduck.
One of the biggest assets of the mighty Liverpool (as of
the whole nation!), the World and European A. Bars Champion
Beth Tweddle, seems to hold, once again, the key to her club’s
success; Liverpool were British Champions from 2001 until
2005.
Having gone through a shoulder operation in January and looking
forward to the European Championships in Amsterdam (end of
April) and to the World Championships in Stuttgart (GER),
which will also serve as Olympic Qualifications (beginning
September), the best British gymnast ever will certainly have
to prioritise.
“Beth is back in the gym, working hard as always, and
we hope she could reach her best form for the European and
the World Championships, but we feel it is still early for
her to compete on all the four apparatus. Most probably, in
Guildford she will support our Team on a couple of apparatus”,
says Amanda Kirby, the Head Coach of Liverpool and Beth’s
personal coach.
In this situation, Notts G. C. (the Bronze medallists in
2006) and Huntingdon, who both have a number of very talented
national competitors in their ranks, seem to be in a good
position to challenge for the title and medals.
All will depend on the Teams line-up by Saturday, 31st March
and most importantly, on the consistency of the their performances.
In all cases this is an event well worth seeing!
Competition Time Table:
Saturday, 31st March (Round 1): 16.25- 18:00
Sunday, 1st April (Round, 2,3 and 4): 10:50- 16.15
Presentations: 16.25
Ticket Prices:
Adults 1; day £7.50, both days £12.50. Under 12;
1 day £4.00, both days £7.00. Block of 10 seats
@ £60/day. Block of 20 seats @ £110/day.
Tickets Available from The Gymnastics Box Office, The Guildford
Spectrum, Parkway, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1UP. 01483 443322
.All major credit cards accepted, cheques made payable to
'Guildford Spectrum'
2006 Results:
1. Heathrow
2. Liverpool
3. Nottingham
4. Wigan
5. Park-Wrekin
6. Bristol Hawks
7. Wiltshire
8. South Durham
9. Vernon Park
10. Dynamo
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