Commonwealth Games athletes Havana Hopman and William Fu Allen have been announced as two of the new members of the Gymnastics NZ Athletes’ Council, a significant step in ensuring athlete representation in the sport.
The new Council was designed by athletes in partnership with Gymnastics NZ, and aims to ensure representation, promote athlete views, and advise Gymnastics NZ on athlete-related matters including wellbeing and performance.
The members of the council are
- Women’s artistic: Aimee Didierjean, Lucy Buick-Constable
- Men’s artistic: Ryan Moffitt, William Fu Allen
- Rhythmic: Havana Hopman, Beth Strickland
- Trampoline: Rachel Schmidt, Cam Robertson
- Aerobics: Jen Groom
Ensuring there is a platform for athlete voice was one of the key recommendations from the independent review into gymnastics. The establishment of the Council follows the appointment of Athlete Advisors to the sports’ technical committees in 2020.
“I’m stoked to be able to give an athlete voice on behalf of Rhythmic Gymnastics. I look forward to advocating for the needs and aspirations of all Rhythmic athletes.” says Havana Hopman.
William Fu Allen adds “Being a representative on Gymnastics New Zealand’s athlete council is a privilege. I aim to bring a fresh, innovative perspective through inclusive leadership and active listening to ensure the community’s voice is heard. By empowering athletes, we can create a future where every gymnast thrives.”
“The Athletes’ Council is a crucial step in ensuring athlete voices are heard and is a key part of delivering on the recommendations from the independent review into gymnastics.” says Andrea Nelson, CEO of Gymnastics NZ.
Read more about the council members below.
Havana Hopman
Havana is both a well-known and well-regarded athlete in our gymnastics community. Some of her favourite achievements include a top 30 finish at world championships, 2023 Oceania champion, a 4th place apparatus finish at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and multiple New Zealand Championships titles.
As a current athlete, Havana aims to address current issues that exist for athletes and bring some innovative ideas that may help to promote rhythmic gymnastics in New Zealand. Havana believes that we have our own unique style to offer the world and she feels privileged to be in a position to help inspire the next generation of gymnasts to showcase that style both on the domestic and world stages.
Lucy Buick-Constable
Lucy’s involvement in women’s artistic gymnastics has spanned more than a decade, having competed at ten NZ Championships, and been selected as a reserve to compete in Hawaii. Unfortunately Lucy’s time has included some negative experiences that led her to quit the sport, but returned with the realization that she was in a position to make it better for others.
Lucy has worn the team captain hat multiple times, is a junior women’s artistic coach, part of the Sport NZ Coaching for Impact program, and is part way through her Bachelor of Health majoring in health promotion, minoring in education. Her lived experience, passion for athlete advocacy, and unwavered passion for her sport uniquely equip her to contribute to building a supportive, safe, and positive environment for our current and future athletes.
William Fu-Allen
William (Will) has represented New Zealand multiple times in men’s artistic gymnastics including the 2022 Commonwealth Games, world championships, and several world cup events. Will brings with him firsthand experience of challenges that exist in the performance space, as well as broad and diverse approach to leadership as learnt through the University of Auckland’s Kupe Leaders Scholarship programme.
Will is an athlete leader at his club and runs several programmes for younger gymnasts. Through his position on the council, he aims to show athletes that their voice is integral in the sport and provide safe ways to discuss any and all matters of concern.
Rachel Schmidt
Rachel started trampoline at a young age, and competed for New Zealand a number of times. She stepped back from the sport for a few years and has since returned to a world championships level, supporting her holistic understanding of the sport. She is also a coach and judge, managed athlete teams, and has worked with Gymnastics NZ on several athlete wellbeing projects.
Rachel is passionate about athlete wellbeing, voice, and advocacy and aims to create a strong collaboration with the council and the community, and safe accessible communications spaces online and offline. Her multi-role knowledge and experience makes Rachel a valuable asset to the council.
Jennifer (Jen) Groom – Aerobics Athlete Advisor
Jen competed in aerobics from 7 – 21 years old, representing NZ multiple times in Australia, USA, and Japan both individually and as part of a trio. She is now a senior judge and has held the athlete advisor role on the technical committee for the last two years.
Ryan Moffit – Men’s Artistic Athlete Advisor
Ryan’s introduction to gymnastics was PlayGym at 18 months old. He continued to recreation and into competitive which he retired from after 14 years. He is a senior MAG coach and senior advanced judge, and has held the athlete advisor position for the last two years.
Aimee Didierjean – Women’s Artistic Athlete Advisor
Aimee started recreational gymnastics at age 6 and moved on to competitive where she spent 11 years in the STEPs and IDP programmes and represented NZ in 2020. She has been judging since 16, has coached, and has commentated the artistic livestream at nationals the last three years.
Through her gymnastics journey, Aimee has fostered a keen interest in athlete advocacy which has led to her appointments on the Gymnastics NZ Training Guidelines Working Group and her role as an athlete advisor.
Beth Strickland – Rhythmic Athlete Advisor
Beth has been involved in gymnastics since she started rhythmic 16 years ago in Australia, moved to NZ and continued competing until 2016, earning national titles in levels 8 and 9. Beth then began coaching, judging, and commentating at nationals, and last year returned to competing.
Campbell (Cam) Robertson – Trampoline Athlete Advisor
Cam has been involved in gymnastics and trampoline for more than 20 years, and remains a competitive athlete, having represented NZ at three world championships in double-mini.