Aerobics athletes from Dunedin schools are doing more than just jumping for joy after winning 19 medals at the 2015 New Zealand Competitive Aerobics Federation national schools aerobics and hip-hop championships.
They are also doing jumping jacks, the splits, flamingos, grapevines, helicopters, horseshoes and A-steps, among other high-performance manoeuvres.
Of the 63 medals to be gained in Wellington at the weekend, a third of them were won by pupils from Balmacewen Intermediate, Bayfield High School, Grants Braes School, Kavanagh College, Otago Girls' High School, Queen's High School, St Hilda's Collegiate and Tahuna Intermediate.
Queen's High School did particularly well, with Alannah Taggart and Christina Ashton (both 17) winning the senior secondary teams (year 11-13) category; Judah Kelly (16) winning the senior secondary open novice (year 11-13); Rebecca Fisher (22) (adult student) winning the adult open; Riley Haugh (16) winning silver in the senior secondary open novice (year 11-13); and Claudia Douglas-Bell (14) winning bronze in the junior secondary open (year 9-10) category.
The Queen's High School community aerobics programme also trained Balmacewen Intermediate pupils Abby McMullan (13) and Jessie Penhey (12) who won the intermediate teams (year 7-8) category; and Grants Braes School pupil Katie Child (10) who was second in the primary (year 4-6) category.
Queen's High School pupil Kerry Hockley-Remon (18) privately coached Tahuna Intermediate pupils Ali Bloem (12) and Amaya Leslie (12) who were second and third, respectively, in the intermediate (year 7-8) category.
Queen's High School aerobics team manager Helen Lowther was delighted with the results.
''I think they're an amazing group. All but two of the team got into finals.
''The community coaching programme is going from strength to strength. It's very successful.''
Results. - Balmacewen Intermediate: Abby & Jessie, intermediate teams (year 7-8) 1. Bayfield High School: Bayfield Babes, secondary rookie teams (year 9-13) 1. Black Forest Butterflies, junior secondary teams (year 9-10) 2. Grants Braes School: Katie Child, primary (year 4-6) 2. Kavanagh College: Jessie Murphy, secondary novice (year 9-13). Otago Girls' High School: Six in the City, secondary fitness teams (year 9-13) 1. Hannah and Kendyl, adult open teams 2. Gabi, Fallon and Holly, senior secondary teams (year 11-13) 2. Alyssa Shelton, secondary novice (year 9-13) 3. Queen's High School: Alannah Taggart (17) and Christina Ashton (17), senior secondary teams (year 11-13) 1. Judah Kelly (16), senior secondary open novice (year 11-13) 1. Rebecca Fisher (22) (adult student), adult open 1. Riley Haugh (16), senior secondary open novice (year 11-13) 2. Claudia Douglas-Bell (14), junior secondary open (year 9-10) 3. St Hilda's Collegiate: Crazy Kids, junior secondary teams (year 9-10) 1. Zara Anthony-Whigham, Junior secondary open novice (year 9-10) 1. Flexi Five, secondary fitness teams (year 9-13) 2. Tahuna Intermediate: Ali Bloem, intermediate (year 7-8) 2; Amaya Leslie, intermediate (year 7-8) 3.
