We recently collaborated with the men’s and women’s artistic codes to host a joint two-day national training camp at Christchurch School of Gymnastics.

For the women, this marked the first national team training in several years, proving an exciting step forward in re-establishing a performance pathway for the programme. For the men, it was the fourth national team training camp for 2025, with a focus on World University Games preparation and continued skills monitoring.

The camp began with an engaging athlete workshop led by High Performance Sport NZ Life Coach and Olympic medallist Anna Simcic. Her session, “How to Be Your Best at Training,” offered strategies for focusing on what athletes can control and letting go of what they can’t, both key mental skills for high-performance environments.

On day one, athletes and coaches trained together across apparatus, creating a collaborative and supportive training environment. That evening, a group dinner gave athletes and coaches a chance to connect socially and strengthen team bonds outside of the gym.

Day two included more apparatus work, alongside a coaching workshop led by consultant Richard Smith. The session, “Collaboration – Coaching Beyond Ourselves,” encouraged coaches to reflect on group dynamics, role clarity, trust, shared vision, and communication, laying the groundwork for stronger coach-athlete relationships moving forward.

We extend a sincere thank you to all presenters, coaches, and athletes who contributed their energy and commitment, and to Christchurch School of Gymnastics for generously providing access to their facility.