2017 Taranaki School Festivals and Competitions

Anna Robertsone-News, Midlands, Recreational Gymnastics

Taranaki School Sports Association (TSSSA) Artistic Competition hosted by Gymnastics Waitara
On Saturday 12 August Gymnastics Waitara hosted the TSSSA Artistic Gymnastics Competition. This event was run as part of the Waitara Opens and saw 8 Taranaki competitive athletes compete for secondary school titles.

It is great to see local athletes competing for their schools as well as their Clubs and with the addition of competitive tumbling in 2018, this event is set to grow.

Taranaki Schools Sports Association GymFunk Competition hosted by Gymnastica
Now in its 4th year, GymFunk (a participation event for TSSSA) took place on 17 August 2017.  Local high schools have limited gymnastics equipment but often have ex competitive gymnasts, cheer leaders, recreation gymnasts and others keen to give the sport a go. GymFunk was designed to create opportunities to increase involvement in gymnastics in this age group. By offering tumbling/acro lines, mini trampoline and group performances the sport becomes more accessible to high school teachers and students.

Being participation focused the event always has a relaxed and very supportive feel about it, however, with medals and trophies on offer, there is still that element of competition to encourage great performances on the day and it was great to see over 50 kids from Taranaki high schools taking part.

Taranaki Primary & Intermediate Schools Festival hosted by Gymnastics Waitara
On 20 September Gymnastics Waitara hosted the Taranaki Primary and Intermediate Schools Festival. This is the first time the event has been hosted out at their new facility and it was great to get so many children, teachers and parents into the building to see and try it out.

The event is always a big one for schools in the region and this year was no exception with 23 schools and 591 kids taking part on the day.
It was great to see so many kids enjoying the sport and to see just how many competitors plus spectators can fit into the facility creating a great buzz of excitement and enjoyment. Being able to set up within an existing facility rather than setting up and packing down in another location was also a bonus for the Club!