Deerness Valley prepared for British battle

 

 

 

Ahead of the Acrobatic British Championships this weekend in Stoke on Trent, British Gymnastics caught up with Deerness Valley, a well-established acrobatic and tumbling club based at Deerness Gymnastics Academy in County Durham.

Having produced numerous British, European and World Champions and become winners of the ITV talent show ‘Let’s Get Gold’ with the group Acropolis in 2012, head of acro at the club, Stuart Thompson is now looking forward to 2013 and beyond. Stuart is excited about the upcoming talent at Deerness and knows with many gymnasts retiring that hard work is essential and this weekend we can look forward to seeing the stars of the future.

“In terms of competitions, the club has taken a break since the Worlds in Florida last year and my aim has been to build up the squads again. We have development groups coming through now and I want to make sure I develop them because they are the future – there is a great deal of talent in the club. The British Championships will be our first focus as we have had a lot of moving around with a few people retiring from Florida. You have to crack on and push yourself; we will work hard and see what it brings.”

For a lot of the gymnasts competing this weekend it will be their first British Championships. It’s a time for new talent to shine as fresh partnerships and groups are formed and it will be a key competition for gymnasts looking to be selected for the World Games this summer in Colombia. Club member, Abbi Greaves is looking forward to the weekend.

“It’ll be my first British Championships this year in a pair with my teammate Chelsea. It’s a big competition but I don’t mind, I try not to think about it so I don’t get nervous. I love doing acro, I like travelling to different places and meeting new people, you’re never alone – you always have someone to compete with.”

World Champion and ‘Let’s Get Gold’ winner, Richard Hurst has now retired from the sport and is a full time coach at the club. He achieved outstanding success at international level and although he was also successful in the talent show world he knows the importance of the British Championships and other competitions and how the feeling of achieving in your sport will always be the best.

“Acro gymnastics has always been great for display; it’s fascinating for people to watch. I however still prefer the competitions; the talent show was completely different experience to worlds for example. The high you get from winning competitions and hearing the national anthem playing is a completely different high that you get when you do a display. The applause is still the same and it’s great, but nothing beats competing.”

For the full article ‘For the love of acro’ on both Richard Hurst and Stuart Thompson, check out the next issue of the GYMNAST magazine coming soon.

via Deerness Valley prepared for British battle.

Acropolis win ITV’s Let’s Get Gold talent show | ITV News

Acropolis have been named as winners of the ITV 1 talent show “Let’s Get Gold” and have won £100,000.

The group of acro-gymnasts wowed the judging panel of Rio Ferdinand, Freddie Flintoff, Martine McCutheon and Una Healy with their technique, skill and creative flair.

The programme was hosted by Vernon Kay and combined sport with entertainment in a mini-series of three pre-recorded programmes shown this week on ITV 1.

Over the three nights the programme was shown, groups competed to impress the judges in an attempt to win the trophy and £100,000 prize fund.

This is the latest achievement for the group who have previously already won a selection of European and worldwide competitions for gymnastics.

They train at Deerness Gymnastics Academy in Ushaw Moor, Co. Durham and are planing to use the prize money to encourage more people to take part in sport.

via Acropolis win ITV’s Let’s Get Gold talent show | ITV News.

Acropolis – Deerness Gymnastics Academy wins £100,000 on ITV’s Let’s Get Gold

Acropolis – Deerness Gymnastics Academy wins £100,000 on ITV’s Let’s Get Gold

A QUARTET of North-East gymnasts have bagged £100,000 for their club by becoming the first winners of a new TV talent show.

The four acro-gymnasts from Deerness Gymnastics Academy, based in Ushaw Moor, near Durham, wowed judges on ITV’s Let’s Get Gold, picking up the first cash prize in a show broadcast on Saturday night.

Competing as Acropolis, Matthew Evison, 19, and Richard Hurst, 21, both from Esh Winning, Dorian Walker, 21, from Durham City, and Jesse Heskett, 17, from Seaburn, Sunderland, showed off their skills to a judging panel of footballer Rio Ferdinand, cricketer Andrew Flintoff and singers Martine McCutcheon and Una Healy, with host Vernon Kay watching on.

Over recent years, the club has won a string of British, European and world titles, producing more than 60 Team GB athletes. However, Saturday’s cash jackpot completes a remarkable turnaround its recent fortunes.

Just last year, it was threatened with homelessness when Durham County Council announced plans to close its leisure centre base.

However, the club took over running the facility itself and now offers community classes, courses and meeting spaces.

Karl Wharton, the academy’s director of gymnastics, said: “As a charitable body and volunteer-led club, the prize fund is going to make such a big difference to our future.”

Mr Walker, 21, said: “It was just incredible. I didn’t really believe it was happening. You were on stage and all of a sudden people were congratulating you.

“We were up against people doing other sports and the aim was to find the one with the most entertainment value, so it was a bit different to competing in a championship.”

Jesse said: “When they said we’d won it was really a shock. We went into the competition a bit bare, not really knowing what it was all about. I was just astonished to think we’d won.”

Team coach Stuart Thompson added: “It (the academy) costs about £7,000 a month to run and while we could have managed without the prize money it will give us a handy buffer while we build up membership.”

For more information, visit deernessgymnastics.org.uk

via Durham gym club wins £100,000 on TV talent show From Durham Times.