Wow, what an incredible Australian Gymnastics Championships our Delta gymnasts had!

Our youngest Brisbane gymnast at the event, 12 year old Isabella Wilson gave us a run down of her very first Nationals.  Bella was part of the winning Level 7 Queensland Team and placed 2nd All Around in the Level 7 Under 13 division!

Thanks Bella, looks like you had an amazing experience!

My First Nationals

Wow!! What an amazing experience my first Australian Gymnastics Championships has been!  The day I found I had made the Queensland level 7 team and knowing that I had just reached my only goal was probably the best day of my life. Competing in a Queensland team was one of the only goals I had when I was younger and to say I have competed in maroon is a real privilege.

Leading in to Nationals was very nerve racking because I knew I was just about to spend a whole week with girl’s I had never met before. But now that 2018 Nationals is finished, having met new people has truly created friends for life.

We kicked off nationals with a Queensland Team Training Camp at Kedron where I got to meet my team mates for the first time since State Championships. Each day we trained, grouped in our levels teams to help build team spirit and achieve the hit rates we were wanting to have a successful competition. Although the three days were tough and challenging, we never let a girl in our team fall behind. We always pushed each other’s limits and never let anyone in the team give up.

After the three days of training camp we had our Control Test (mini competition) in preparation for the competition in Melbourne. Control Test was the day where we could show family and friends what we have been training for, for a very long time. Our Level 7 team was very consistent, hitting most of our routines. This helped us feel confident to head off to our first Nationals.

The next day was Sunday morning and time to head on tour! Qld track suits on, I headed to the airport to meet up with my teammates, excited and ready to fly to Melbourne. When we arrived at the hotel we unpacked quickly and sorted out the gear we needed for our first round of comp the next day.  The first day of competition was the next morning and first up was our team event.

We all got up bright and early and put on our maroon leotards.  We were all very excited and ready to compete. Our level 7 team all had an amazing first day and we brought home the gold medal for Queensland!

After competing day 1 we got told very special news – we had all made the Finals. Everyone was very excited to wear their own optional Leos in the Individual All Around event!

Next up was day 2 and I got to put on my own optional leotard which was very exciting. I was very nervous, but I knew what I had to do to make sure I was confident while competing. I was very happy with the way I performed and was lucky enough to come home with the Silver All Around Medal and a Bronze medal on Bars!

With the Level 7 competition complete, the next couple of days in Melbourne was spent cheering on the other levels and exploring the city. We went to the markets, graffiti lanes, Lindt cafe and did so many other cool things.  It was so great to see the senior gymnasts compete and spend time with my new friends outside of training and competing.

The final day in Melbourne was an early wake up, to get the bus to the airport. Although my first Nationals experience was so much fun, I was pretty excited to go home and sleep in my own bed.

My favourite part of my time in Melbourne was bonding with my team mates and competing in the Finals. Being able to wear my own optional leotard, which was exciting to choose (I chose a red one), was pretty exhilarating as well!

Competing at my first Nationals has created everlasting memories that I will treasure forever. All I have to say is never give up on your dreams, even on those really hard days. Hard training pays off in the end.

By Isabella Wilson

For full wrap up, results and photos of the Australian Gymnastics Championships, check out our blog!