LOCAL gymnast Em Kays has been selected to represent the Southern Region squad this month at the Czech Aerobic Open.
The 15-year-old gymnast who trains at Virtue Gymnastics in Tilehurst will take on fellow athletes in Czech Republic in this month’s competition.
Speaking to Maurice Moore on Hospital Radio Reading, Em and her coach at Virtue, Celine Payne explained how she was selected to compete in the competition and how she first made her journey into gymnastics.
“There’s a choreography routine with arms and legs with different movements which is similar to dance,” said Em.
“Then there are transitions which is similar to normal gymnastics with flips and aerials.
“We have a lot of time working on routines. It takes months to perfect them. It’s muscle memory and when you love it, you know what you’re doing.
“There are three elements to the scoring which is artistic, which is the overall look and how you suit the music.
“Then there is difficulty which is scoring the skills and then execution which is to do with neatness.”
The competition begins on Thursday, April 20 and will end on Sunday, April 23.
It will be the first time that Em will have competed in a competition abroad up against gymnasts from across the globe.
Celine added: “The main thing a coach looks for is confidence and work ethic. If they have that in them, they can be a great athlete.
“With Em she had natural flexibility and was a natural hard worker.
“Everyone in the Southern region has to trial and luckily Em was one of the selected 10 in her age group to go.
“She’s been amazing and I’m proud of her for whatever she does.”
