GALLERY: Gymnastics with a groove
BERARIO – Young gymnasts compete on an international stage and come out on top.
Gold Reef Rhythmic Gymnastics Club participated in the SA Gym Games 2015 that took place from 4 – 10 October and the girls performed exceptionally well.
Rhythmic gymnastics is a competitive girl’s sport that combines dance and gymnastics skills with the use of five different hand apparatus: rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon.
It is a great sport for developing all the basic physical skills including strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination and balance. Dances are done to music, which helps to develop music appreciation as well.
Maureen van Rooyen, head coach at Gold Reef Rhythmic Gymnastics trained at a rhythmic gymnastics club in Germany for five months in 1988. After she returned she formed the very first rhythmic gymnastics club in SA
The club has been using the Berario Recreation Centre for 25 years. Since then, Van Rooyen has started another branch at Wits University. She is a FIG level two qualified coach and the highest qualified judge in the country (Brevet 3 International)
The winners for the day were:
- Erin Wakefield, first in the hoop and ball finals and fourth in the junior Olympic individual all-round competition
- Jordyn Hawthorne, first in level eight over 15 years
- Danielle van der Merwe and Kerryn Cowper placed second and third, respectively, in level six U13 years
- Yasshmita Naicker placed first in level five U15 years
- Kayla Rondi placed third in level four U11 years.
Kayla Rondi, Daniele van der Merwe and Kerryn Cowper will compete at the Region Five International Competition from 10–13 December
Tchifularo Dhavula, one of the Gold Reef coaches, will accompany the gymnasts as the official pre-junior coach for South Africa.
Van Rooyen’s club has produced the majority of South Africa’s junior and senior national team members and she has attended two Olympic Games as a coach with her gymnasts both in 2004 and 2008.
There are many competitions every year where gymnasts have the opportunity to compete in their regions, as well as at national and international events. Gold Reef Rhythmic Gymnastics Club accepts girls from the age of four years.
Details: Gold Reef Rhythmic Gymnastics 082 227 2798.
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