Injury no obstacle for Lauren

Lauren Chambers on the beam with her lucky mascot. Picture by Paul Rickard

TEN-year-old Gisborne gymnast Lauren Chambers was back in action less than two months after a neck injury that required her to be taken to hospital by St John ambulance.

Her first competition after the injury was the Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay Open Championships in Hastings this month.

Lauren had returned to the gym as soon as doctors gave her the OK for light exercise, Gisborne Gymnastics Club head coach Nicola Ludwig said.

“Her goal was to compete at the HBPB open champs, as she needed this event to get another qualifying score towards the selection for nationals,” Ludwig said.

Although still a little unsure on the uneven bars, Lauren went into the competition with the attitude of a champion, Ludwig said.

She finished third overall in Step 5 and on Day 2, the day for apparatus finals, she was third on the vault and uneven bars, and fifth on floor.

Coaches Keely Phillips and Ludwig had told their gymnasts that the only way to succeed in the Step 5 field of 41 competitors was to adopt an “I can do this” approach.

Gymnasts had to concentrate from the start as little time was given for warming up.

A few mistakes cost Jade Swann a medal in Step 5, and she was ninth overall. But the next day she returned for the apparatus finals with renewed focus and was first on vault and uneven bars. These had been her weaker disciplines, but she and her coaches had worked hard to improve them. Jade placed sixth on floor.

Silke McNaught, also in Step 5, placed ninth on uneven bars and seventh-equal on vault.

In Step 4, Gloria Allen was sixth-equal on vault in a field of 52 competitors.

Lukas Ludwig, the only Level 4 boy in the club, had his first sanctioned event, with strong competition from Wellington and Hawke’s Bay. His best result was second on vault.

The next event is the Auckland Manukau Champs on August 12 and 13. This will be the final event before selection for the four spots to compete at national championships. Sixteen girls from HBPB have their eyes on those four spots.