Academy Gymnasts Become National Champions (From Crewe Guardian)

Academy Gymnasts Become National Champions

5:54pm Tuesday 23rd June 2009

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CREWE-based disability gymnasts Vicky Perez and Omar Haddad have become British Gymnastics national champions.

Their achievement in the sport of disability sports acrobatics, came during a triumphant weekend of competition at the British Gymnastics NDP finals.

The championships are one of the largest gymnastics competitions to be held in the UK and saw more 750 converging to complete for the coveted gold medals.

Although sports acrobatics has been well established in the UK for more than 30 years it is only since 2000 that gymnasts with disabilities have been able to compete.

And for wheelchair user Victoria Perez it brings with it a series of unique challenges which mainstream competitors don’t have to contend with.

Vicky’s mum Jane said: “Vicky, who is a wheelchair user, and her gymnastics partner Omar, who has Downs Syndrome, have to perform a series of complex and difficult balances and skills.

“The gymnastics routine lasts exactly two minutes 30 seconds in length and judged by a panel of eight different judges.

“The judges look closely how the gymnasts perform a series of specific skills and how they hold their balances, they examine how both gymnasts use the floor area and their interpretation of the music and they apply exactly the same set of judging criteria that they use for gymnasts without disabilities.

“I was so proud when Vicky and Omar collected their gold medals.”

Co-director and coach of the Cheshire Academy, where the gymnasts train, Iain Chalmers said: “I was very pleased with the success of both gymnasts at the national finals.

“You must understand that to wheel yourself patiently on the gymnastics floor before nearly a thousand spectators and gymnasts, with a bank of top international judges scrutinizing your every move, can be daunting for a mainstream gymnasts never mind a gymnast with a disability.

“However both Victoria and Omar simply relished the experience.

“They performed an outstanding routine, hitting their balances perfectly and following the complex floor pattern faultlessly.”

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