MLC’s High Performance gymnasts have kicked off the year with the GA/AIS Olympic Squad National Team training camp in Canberra last week. The first National camp for 2010 was used to assess the fitness level and skill acquisition of the gymnasts over the last 6 weeks.

As members of the GA/AIS Olympic Squad and Senior and Junior National teams, Georgia Wheeler and Amelia McGrath were expected to attend the 5 day camp. Clare O’Donnell, Chloe Turko and Alex Byers Armstrong (Senior National team) also attended the camp by invitation from the National Coach. (Alex declined so she could recover from a back injury and work on her fitness.)

Chloe was able to show that she has recovered 90% of her competition program skills, working her releases on bars and double dismounts on beam and bars. She is turning vaults on the soft boxes and uphill as well as tumbling on the floor and building up fitness. Chloe is looking forward to strong year, having spent the last 6 months of 2009 building her strength and working her new skills. As a Senior gymnast she is eligible for World Championships and Commonwealth Games and is aiming for full fitness by the trials at National Championships in Perth in July.

Clare was also able to demonstrate some big improvements with a second release on bars, adding a Jeager to her Tkatchev and ranking 9th in the strength testing out of all Juniors and Seniors. She is working her full out dismount on bars still in the pit to keep the landings soft so her foot injury can fully heal. Clare’s next target will be the Junior camp at the end of March where she should be ready to show upgrades on Vault and Floor.

Amelia was selected to the AIS / GA Olympic Squad and Junior National team in December last year. She has been working hard on her fitness over the break whilst recovering from a sprained ankle on the first day of training in January, and ranked 7th in the strength testing. Amelia was able to show her full program on vault and floor, but on soft surfaces. She has put a gainer layout on the high beam in connection and working Onodi and Korbut full with her quality on bars has shown good improvement. Amelia's next clear target is the Pacific Rim trials and National team camp in 9 weeks time.

Georgia not only topped the camp in the strength testing, but has continued to pick up new skills on bars and added an Arabian double pike ½ out on the standard bars this year. Her front Layout, double front on floor is improving and her vaulting continues to develop working the second half of her new vaults. Georgia will build her competition program for the Pacific Rim trials in March and in preparation for World Championships and Commonwealth Games trials in Perth in July.

The camp involved some long hours, but the MLC gymnasts did a fantastic job, with 3 of the 4 gymnasts ranking in the top 9 Juniors and Seniors in the physical testing results. With the trial for the Australian team for Pacific Rim Championships in nine weeks time, the girls will take a couple of days off over the weekend to get ready for the next month to build their program for the next National Camp and trial at the end of March. This year is a big year, with Commonwealth Games and World Championships being conducted at Australian Championships in Perth in July.

For the full report from the National coach refer to the link on the latest news on the GA Website.