More than 200 men’s (MAG) and women’s (WAG) artistic athletes have taken part in regional performance clinics across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, bringing athletes and coaches together for focused training, technical development, and education to support progression along the artistic performance pathways.

For WAG, the clinics marked the first regional performance opportunity open to athletes from STEP 6 and above, giving many athletes access to this type of development opportunity for the first time. Athletes completed approximately six hours of training each day, focusing on skill development and testing protocols ahead of national squad selections later in the year. Coaches also took part in a technical workshop alongside the practical programme.

Commonwealth Games athletes Courtney McGregor and Sienna Shields joined the WAG clinics, training alongside athletes and sharing their experiences during a Q&A. This gave younger athletes the opportunity to hear first-hand about preparing for and competing at a multisport event, and to ask questions of athletes competing at that level.

The MAG clinics also incorporated testing protocols, alongside a focus on high-quality basic movement and physical preparation. Commonwealth Games athletes Daniel Stoddart, Misha Koudinov and William Fu Allen contributed throughout the clinics, sharing technical insights during apparatus sessions and their Games experiences through a Q&A.

With more than 200 athletes participating across the two codes, the clinics demonstrate the value of providing development opportunities regionally, supporting more athletes to progress along performance pathways while giving coaches access to shared learning and technical expertise.

Thank you to Tri Star Gymnastics, Hutt Valley Gymnastics and Christchurch School of Gymnastics for making their facilities available, and to Michelle Woolf, Ailen Valente, Jordan Biggs, Alexander Pozdniakov, Misha Koudinov, Paul Fischetti, Ben Ellis and Cameron Beeton for contributing their time and expertise. A special acknowledgement also goes to William Fu Allen for making himself available to support athletes in both Wellington and Auckland over the same weekend.