Gymnastics: 'Grandfather' still in the swing

Mark Holyoake entered the <i>Guinness Book of Records</i> for 63 double leg circle revolutions on the pommel horse in a minute. Photo / Greg Bowker

Next time you see a pommel horse in a gym hop up and give it a try.

Just for a laugh. Then try and swivel, twist and spin your body round while holding the bar with one hand.

Now consider that Mark Holyoake entered the Guinness Book of Records for completing 63 double leg circle revolutions in a minute.

It should be no surprise Holyoake, at 27 and nicknamed "grandfather" by his Commonwealth Games-bound teammates, favours the pommel of the artistic gymnastic disciplines.

And it's there, and on the parallel bars, where Holyoake is hoping to make his biggest contribution to the New Zealand cause in New Delhi.

He finished 11th overall at Melbourne four years ago but knows he is better prepared this time.

He fell off the pommel on the first day and had targeted a top eight finish. But the memories of the parallel bars competition stuck with him.

"It was an eye opener for me, walking out there by myself, with 16,000 there and I was first off. Looking back, I rushed it a bit. I feel I could handle that a lot better now."

Holyoake, who started doing gym at 7 and was making national development squads within three years, moved from Wellington to Auckland at 17 to further his sporting ambitions.

He's been working as a personal fitness trainer out of Les Mills Gym for over three years, and it's a good fit with his training timetable. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in sports science and exercise and acknowledged a large part of his life revolves around fitness and health.

Holyoake first made the New Zealand team in 2002, has been to three world championships, and what he's particularly relishing at New Delhi is being part of a team.

Strange as it sounds, the Games squad which will go on to the world champs in Rotterdam later in October will be New Zealand's first in about 20 years. Holyoake has never been part of a proper competitive men's team group in his eight years as an international.

At New Delhi, there will be competition on the individual apparatus - parallel and horizontal bars, rings, pommel horse, floor and vault - a teams event and overall.

The women contest the floor, vault, beam and uneven bars. Four compete in each discipline, with the best three scores counting.

Holyoake pointed to his teammates as having distinctive strengths which all form part of the team picture. Patrick Peng and Misha Koudinov are top all-rounders, Matthew Palmer is a rings man while the team 'baby", Brandon Field, has made rapid strides to get in the team and has a bright future.

Holyoake would like to help the team dynamic as a father figure.

Coach David Phillips, a Games medallist 12 years ago in Kuala Lumpur, oversees things, but as Holyoake pointed out "David can only watch one perform at a time".

"The team is not super experienced and do need to learn from guys who have been there."

Holyoake knows the end is approaching, but won't ink in a departure date. What he will do is savour his time in India as the elder statesman of a team hoping to make an impact.

MEDAL HOPES
* New Zealand will have teams competing in the rhythmic, men's and women's artistic events.

* There will be individual apparatus competition, overall finals and teams events. The men will vie for medals in eight events, the women in 12.

* New Zealand's last Commonwealth medal came at Kuala Lumpur in 1998, from current team coach David Phillips on the floor routine.