Beth Tweddle opens new Scarborough Gymnastics Academy

Froma Scarborough Evening News:

"Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle helped put Scarborough's aspiring gymnasts through their paces and offered some expert advice.
The 24-year-old world champion was in Scarborough over the weekend to officially open Scarborough Gymnastics Academy in Barry's Lane.

Beth said the Academy held "the potential stars of the future" and that the new facilities were something to proud of.

She said: "Seeing clubs around the country like this is one of my dreams. It is really nice to see so much enthusiasm for the sport, not just from the children but the coaches too. These facilities give the kids a safe environment to work in. They have a lot of talent here."

She added: "I have had an excellent time in Scarborough. Everybody has been very friendly and I have been made to feel very welcome. I have been impressed with the amount of talent there is here considering they had just been training in a school gym before now. They are all very enthusiastic and willing to learn which is the main thing."

Scarborough Gymnastics Academy moved from Scalby School to the new facilities in Barry's Lane in September. It is estimated the project cost more than £100,000 and has been funded from a range of sources, including grants.

Gymnast Beate Richings, 12, said: "It's been exciting having Beth here. I have watched her in the Olympics on the TV. She is really nice and has been helping us a lot."

Beth trained Maddie Jepson, nine, while she was on the bars. Maddie said: "It has been really exciting. She has been able to tell us what we can improve on. She told me to pike more when I was on the bars and to imagine there was something above me that I was trying to reach. It did really help and I will think about what she has told me when I am doing it in the future."

Head coach Nikii Walker said: "The new facilities here are excellent and much-needed. We have been wanting to develop something like this for the last six years. Beth is a fantastic role model for the kids. We have all been really overwhelmed meeting her, and the kids have really tried their best while she has been here."

The club treated Beth to a special gymnastic display and she was shown a short film about how the club had evolved, and the move from Scalby School to the new facilities. Beth accepted the club's invitation to open the new facilities after seeing a presentation on DVD made by the children.

Miss Tweddle was the 2006 World Champion and European Champion on the uneven bars. She was the first gymnast from Britain ever to win a medal at the World and European Champion-ships, and is considered to be the most successful British gymnast of all time."