On Sunday March 10, 2019, 15 members of the Splitz Gymnastics team travelled to Newtownabbey, to compete to see who the best Acrobatic gymnasts in Northern Ireland were.

Head Coach Jennifer Hanna said: “We went to these championships with an open mind, just hoping to put out clean routines. The other clubs in Belfast all have access to proper training facilities with sprung floors and unrestricted training time. We in Fermanagh sadly don’t have that but we weren’t going down without a fight!

“All our gymnasts produced amazing routines and we were the only club who incurred no penalties. We placed in the top five in all but one category entered and are delighted to have produced two Northern Ireland Champions in our mixed Pair of Dale Fisher and Emily Hanna.”

The women’s Pair of Sarah Rutledge and Naoise McManus also shone through on the day beating 16 other partnerships to take the silver medal position. The Grade Two women’s pair, Naoise Kerrin and Poppie Beddard, missed out on a medal position by only .3 of a mark placing fifth while the Grade Two trio of Phoebe Rutledge, Aoife McGuigan and Zara Fisher produced our highest artistry score securing fourth place.

The senior trio, Riona Dooris, Cara McDonnell and Jessica Hanna battled to fourth position within a large group and the senior pair, Orla Gilheaney and Kyra Duffy, produced a beautiful routine with complex gymnastics skills.

“We are immensely proud of each one of our gymnasts. This was a high-pressure environment and they all went out and produced their best performances. We would also like to thank our coaches and parents for their time and support, who without none of this would be possible,” added Jennifer.

Due to the talent shown by Splitz Gymnasts at the championships, some members of the team have been selected to go to Southampton to compete against the best that England has to offer.

Splitz Gymnastics Club will be hosting a display event on Saturday April 6 at Castle Park Centre, Lisnaskea at 2.30pm for anyone interested in seeing the art of Acrobatic Gymnastics in action.