Squad Championships - Sunday 29th September 2024

What: Our Squad Championship competition takes place in Hilsea twice a year, in March and September. The competition is open to all gymnasts, regardless of age or ability. All you need is an active membership plan and an excited gymnast!

When: Each gymnast will participate in a 2-hour round that will run between 10am-4pm on Sunday 29th September 2024. The timing of your gymnast's 2-hour round will be decided once ticket sales have ended (ticket sales end at midnight on 15th September) and you will be notified shortly afterwards by email and also via our new members' page (click here to check it out).

Where: Unit 8B, Skill Centre, Limberline Spur, Hilsea, PO3 5LF

Cost: £15 per participating gymnast, 1 free spectator ticket, a second spectator ticket for £2. (In comparison, British Gymnastics charges £35 per gymnast with 1 free spectator then £5 per spectator. Please also note that Viva Gymnastics coaches, helpers and judges are volunteers who take no payment for the time they donate to running Squad Champs.)

Spectators: We will likely seat the first spectator on the floor area and the second spectator may be in the viewing area where there is a possible partially-obstructed view. Please note that seating is limited and priority will be given to people with mobility concerns. If you have an issue that limits your mobility, please message us via Chat so we can try to accommodate.

Parking: There is limited Viva Gymnastics Club parking, however on a Sunday the Skill Centre should be reasonably quiet so you should be able to park in the former Basecamp spaces next door. There are also alternative parking options within walking distance nearby. Viva Gymnastics Club takes no liability for charges incurred when parking outside of Viva Gymnastics Club designated parking bays.

What can I do to help my gymnast prepare?

As well as training their skills and routines during normal sessions, we will be offering participating gymnasts the following additional, optional training at Hilsea for the month leading up to the championships (on Saturdays 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th September). Click below to find out more and book:

10am-12pm - Skills Training: for gymnasts wanting further training in skills on the bars and beam, as well as tumble, vault and range

12-2pm - Routine Training: for gymnasts who wish to have a choreographed routine to music (choose from 3 pieces of music)

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ALL ABOUT SQUAD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Squad Championships are structured like all British Gymnastics competitions, working the same skills and routines, with gymnasts competing on 5 pieces: floor, bars, beam, vault and range. Gymnasts do not compete against each other, but support one another in competing against the British Gymnastics scores.

The competition is aimed at those wishing to progress and showcase their five-piece routine. Participating gymnasts may already train in our squads, may aspire to follow our squad route, or may simply wish to showcase the skills and routines they have been learning.

If it’s your gymnast’s first ever competition, please don’t worry - it’s a starting point, and everyone starts somewhere! We will be celebrating your first ever routine with you :) Floor routines for new competitors will be completed without the addition or music so that they can focus more on their skills.

Our existing squad members are expected to participate in Squad Championships, as this is the measure of their achievements :)

Squad championships complement our John Pounds novice competitions. During our novice displays, participants are encouraged to take part with a participation medal. At Squad Championships, the focus is more on preparing for the next phase of competitive gymnastics. This means that we don’t award participation medals or certificates at Squad Championships, and instead the children focus on showing off the routines they’ve learned and improving their scores against British Gymnastics standards.

Championships gives gymnasts the chance to demonstrate a routine comprising all the skills they work on in every session and gives them the chance to share their hard work, training and skill routines with their families. Holding our Squad Championships twice a year helps to measure gymnasts’ progress and assess their readiness for British Gymnastics competitions. BG competitions score gymnasts as ‘working towards’, ‘working at’ or ‘working above’. At the point our gymnasts achieve the ‘working above’ score, we will know that they are ready for progressing to British Gymnastics competitions.