Cambridge Cangaroos kickstart 20th anniversary celebrations with return of Club Championships at their Whittlesford base
Cambridge Cangaroos kicked off their 20th anniversary celebrations with the return of the Club Championships late last month.
Due to the impact of the coronavrius pandemic and other financial factors, the event had not been on the calendar for the last four years.
However, at their new base in Whittlesford, the Cangaroos were once again able to get all of their members under one roof.
Proceedings got under way with TPD competition, which is an event for gymnasts with additional needs.
That was followed by the first ever full club Double Mini Tramp (DMT) competition, with many of the competitors experiencing their first ever taste of competitive DMT.
It is a competition that consists of four passes and gymnasts were scored on a combination of skill execution, landing and difficulty.
Meanwhile, there were more than 100 entries for the events on the tramopline, with the gymnasts involved ranging from beginners to club members that compete at a national level.
The day also marked the return of the Coaches Ego Cup, which on this occasion was won by Nicky Anderson courtesy of a 26.1 points return. Ali Macrae (24.6) and Heather Chapleo (24.1) finished in second and third spot respectively, while head coach Tony Fagelman was able to compete despite undergoing hip replacement surgery just seven months ago.
Fagelman said: “I’m the proudest head coach there can be. There is nothing like seeing the kids enjoying themselves.
“To be able to put an event on again like this for our members, and to see the fun and enjoyment they get from it, that’s an absolute privilege.
“The whole event was amazing. We had more than 120 gymnasts in total and it gives you a real sense of satisfaction to know that a small club can make such a big difference to people.
“We probably have around 25 members that compete regionally and another 10 or so that compete nationally, but we have around 350 members overall and it was fantastic to be able to bring everybody together.
“People travel from Cambridgeshire and beyond to be part of the group and it was a real celebration in a lot of ways.”
Alongside Anderson’s victory, other notable winners included Sammie Knight and Isobel Manners, who combined for a total score of 32.47 to claim the top prize in the Lower Synchro.
Meanwhile, in the Upper Synchro section, first place went the way of Sydney Kelly and Luis Pires, who chalked up a total score of 35.49 to finish ahead of Rhiannon Monie and Lucas Coleman-Denny in second position (35.15 points).
