Having the opportunity to learn from the best is something all athletes would love.
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And for Highlands gymnasts and coaches, the chance to train with some of the sport’s best next year is an exciting prospect.
PCYC Southern Highlands gymnasts will be hoping to travel to America in 2019 to take part in the International Gymnastics Camp.
Coaches Ember Lund, Evelina Castro and Rachel May will be spending two weeks at the camp.
While gymnast numbers have yet to be finalised, Lund said they expected about 10 girls to attend the camp as well.
It is an international camp held every year in America where gymnasts from across the world travel to train with professional coaches, world champions and elite Olympic gymnasts.
The camp has been running for close to 50 years in Pennsylvania and first started in 1971.
Lund went to the camp two years ago and said it was a great opportunity for gymnasts and coaches to increase their knowledge and skills.
“It’s a really good opportunity for them [girls] to meet different cultures and go into a big international gym,” she said.
“On the first days they give you time to choose what goals you want and what sort of things you want to start to learn and [then] they work you through progressions and drills.
“It was my first overseas trip so it was really good to meet people from different countries and get different coaches perspectives on things.”
The camp runs for 10 weeks but Lund said they would be attending for just two weeks in mid 2019.
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Attending as a coach this time round, she said her goals were to explore different drill ideas and different ways of spotting and techniques to bring back to the Highlands.
PCYC Southern Highlands club manager Krischan Keller said it was great that so many gymnasts and coaches from the area were interested in attending the camp.
“It’s a great training opportunity for the girls. Our coaches are top of the line [but] it makes me feel proud to know my instructors still want to learn,” he said.
“We want to provide as many opportunities as we can. We’re very fortunate to be in a position of the girls wanting to go. The girls are at a level where they’ll get something out of it.”
PCYC Southern Highlands recently held a charity golf day to raise funds in order to subsidise the cost to gymnasts.
Keller said the event raised about $2000 and hoped to get that total closer to $6000 before the camp next year.
He said he hoped Highlands gymnasts could become regular attendants at the camp.
