Azaria Tai is eight years old and is showing a lot of potential in her gymnastics. She hopes to one day go to the Olympics and represent New Zealand. Video / Ayla Yeoman
After wowing the judges in her first competitive season, Tauranga’s Azaria Tai is determined to continue her path to the Olympics, however, one thing is holding her back.
The 8-year-old Selwyn Ridge School student is a kind, bright, smiley kid with a great passion for gymnastics. Shelikes school and works hard – her favourite subject is math.
Her supportive mum Kelsey Gaby is in awe of Tai’s talents and wants her to achieve her dreams.
“She’s really talented. She’s wanted to do gymnastics since she was really little. She used to search and copy gym routines at home on the laptop, since she was 3. We put her in when she was 5 for after-school fun.
“Then the club said that she was really talented and has lots of potential and asked if she could join the competitive team.”
Azaria Tai and her awards from her first competitive season.
Tai’s first competitive season finished up in September where she collected more than 10 awards and took out first in the region overall.
“She just blew everyone away and came away with so many awards. She’s a natural and she spends every single moment practising,” said Gaby, beaming with pride.
“She’s in love with it. I just want to do everything I can to keep her in the sport that she loves and has so much potential for,” said Gaby.
When asked why Tai loves gymnastics so much she said it’s because she gets to do hard tricks. She said if she can’t do a trick she tries again and again until she gets it, and her favourite is a back handspring.
Tai said everyone at the competition was really good, and she was surprised and really happy when she received her results.
Azaria Tai goes to Selwyn Ridge School in Welcome Bay. Photo / David Hall.
Tai practised her gymnastics on the lounge floor at home. She also did six hours a week of training after school at her gymnastics club.
“At her first competition, she came second on the bars, her team came second, she got third overall and second in the floor routine,” Gaby said.
“At her second competition, she came second for her floor routine, third on bar, first on vault, second overall, third for her team …,” said Gaby and the list went on.
Azaria Tai doing her favourite trick, the back handspring. Photo: David Hall.
Tai said her favourite is her floor routine, “because we do lots of fun tricks”.
Tai wants to be a professional gymnast and go to the Olympics one day.
Gaby wants to do everything she can to get Tai to achieve her dream, but competitive gymnastics is an expensive sport, and she is struggling to keep up with the costs on top of looking after her other children.
Azaria Tai said her favourite part of a competition in prizegiving. Photo: David Hall.
Tai has an older brother, two little half-sisters and two older stepbrothers.
To support her family, Gaby started a small seamstress business while pregnant with one of Tai’s sisters to help cover the costs.
Now on maternity leave, she was restricted with how much she can work.
Gaby’s partner was trying to help out, but she said she did not want him to hold the full responsibility of paying for the kids that were not his.
Azaria Tai practices 24/7 in her loungeroom at home. Photo: David Hall.
Tai’s competitive training sessions cost $214 a month and rising as she went up levels, and annual competition levies cost $180.
She said other gymnasts had donated a tracksuit and leotards, and she fundraised to buy an $800 package that included competitive costumes, a team bag, the hair ties, and a tracksuit.
Gaby was fundraising constantly to keep up with it all by doing things like raffles and selling chocolates.
Gaby said the club has been supportive and understanding of the situation. It had donated some sessions and in exchange for seamstress services.
“They’ve seen her potential and don’t want to see her slip through the cracks,” said Gaby.
“The Welcome Bay community have been really supportive as well, in their assistance with fundraisers, and the school allowing us to hire the hall for free.
“We have great community support which is amazing.”
Gaby has set up a Givealittle page to try and raise some money to help keep Tai in gymnastics and she hopes to raise $3000 to cover the next competitive season.
“But anything is a super amazing help because the costs just keep piling up every month.”
