The lower South Island championships are back this weekend after a long break from the trampoline calendar.
The event, organised by Dunedin Trampoline Sports and Aspiring Gymsports, will feature 85 gymnasts over two days competing in synchro and B grade on Saturday and national age-group divisions on Sunday.
Gymnasts from Ice (Rangiora), Olympia gymsports (Christchurch), Christchurch school of gymnastics, Dynamic (Ashburton), Dunedin trampoline sports, Dunedin gymnastics academy, Aspiring (Wānaka), Flight trampoline (Te Anau) and Invercargill gymnastics club are all expected to attend.
Dunedin Trampoline Sports founder and programme director Jenny Newstead said there was a buzz among the gymnastics and trampoline communities about the event’s return.
She believed the most recent event was organised by Daphne Stringer nearly 20 years ago.
"It’s a long time. This is why it’s big for Dunedin, especially for a little club like ours," Newstead said.
They received help from the New Zealand Gymnastics technical committee to put the event together, which helped Sunday’s programme become a national qualifying event.
Once the passion was there, it was easy to get the event up and running again to offer Otago and Southland gymnasts an event on their front door step.
"We always have to go to Christchurch to qualify for nationals. We’re always travelling.
"It’s for our athletes in this region, but it helps the Canterbury athletes as well."
While the event was not including international standards, Newstead, who is also the club’s senior coach, said they wanted to make sure it was open to gymnasts of all abilities to compete.
They created what they have called "B grade" competition on Saturday, for those athletes in between recreation and the next level before reaching the national criteria.
They received fantastic support from their inclusive trampoline community, and their sponsors, who worked hard behind the scenes.
The event runs all weekend at the Caledonian gymnasium.
