“The New Zealand Gymnastics Championships is the most anticipated event of the year for all eligible gymnasts. The best athletes from across the country work hard all year to prepare before coming together to represent their Province and show off their best routines.

In order to be eligible for your provincial team, you must achieve the National qualifying score and also meet any provincial requirements. Scores are carefully tracked and scrutinised by everyone at competitions throughout the year before teams are named and final preparations begin.
2017 was my fourth year of making a team to the NZ Gymnastics Championships and although I always know the drill, it doesn’t change how the nerves attack as the date got closer.

Injuries, unfortunately, have been my best friend this year, still, I was determined to not let them bring me down, something I’m sure many other gymnasts can relate to. Pushing through these injuries is just one of the many things needed to be prepared for a big competition.

You know when it gets to that point in the year where you just want to stop routines after doing them over and over again for around 5 or 6 months, maybe more? I think we all agree that a break is definitely wanted, nevertheless, National Champions aren’t made from sitting around doing nothing. Discipline is without a doubt one of the most significant qualities gymnastics teaches an athlete and is something shared by everyone who ends up on the podium.

The preparation for Nationals is always worth it in the end. I have always been told that “how much you put in, is how much you get out,” and I’d like to believe that I put as much as I could into those last trainings leading into the competition and that this gave me confidence when it came to my turn up on the apparatuses.

For the most part, the Championships has a great suspenseful build-up to competition that drives anticipation to compete through the roof. It’s always an amazing opportunity to make new friends from other clubs in your province or from around our small country while presenting all your hard dedicated work at the same time.

If you were successful in making it to any one of the 2017 NZ Championship events, congratulations! I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I did. If it wasn’t your time this year for the results you wanted, keep working hard. It’s definitely worth it!” 

– Meg McInroe, WAG STEP 8, Canterbury