Another crack at nationals

OVERALL CHAMPION: Gisborne Gymnastics Club member Keely Phillips was Step 9 overall champion at the Hamilton City Gymnastics Championships, a competition that attracted 210 senior gymnasts from around the North Island. On Day 2, Keely competed on only the uneven bars, where she also won gold. In Step 5, Jade Swann made her first qualification score for the national championships. She placed 14th overall and her best apparatuses were vault, where she came fourth, and beam, where she placed sixth. Gabrielle Wong was fifth overall in Step 5. She was first on the uneven bars, sixth on floor and seventh on vault. Hannah Scholefield, in Step 8, returned to competition after a long injury break and placed 10th overall. Her best apparatus was beam, where she placed fifth. Picture by Liam Clayton

NINETEEN-year-old gymnast Taylah Crago decided to have one more crack at the national championships, and she had her younger brother to help her get there.

Taylah started gymnastics 12 years ago, in a recreational class. When coaches spotted her speed and power, they recruited her for competitive gymnastics. She competed for Gisborne Gymnastics Club for several years until a knee injury forced her to ease up.

Taylah took on a coaching role with the junior competitive boys, but she missed being an active gymnast. She started moderate training, and at the start of this year decided to give the national championships one more shot.

Her brother Baylee has been doing gymnastics for eight years and competes in Level 7. When Taylah decided she would train to qualify for the nationals, Baylee decided to give her some moral support . . . and they both trained hard for two months.

At the Auckland Tumbling Championships this month they both made their qualification scores. Baylee won gold in the 15-year-old boys’ tumbling competition and Taylah won bronze in the 17-years-and-over category.

Now brother and sister will join the other Gisborne Gymnastics Club qualifiers for a trip to the national championships in Invercargill in October. It could be the last time Taylah competes in the national championships, as she plans to go to university next year.

Gymnasts representing Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay will be selected by a committee in August.