Thursday, August 24, 2023

Issue:

Mackay and Whitsunday Life

Parkour? No, It’s FreeG

Whitsunday gymnasts were given the opportunity to experience a new and dynamic form of their sport in early June by learning ‘FreeG’ at Mackay Gymnastics.

Local Whitsunday PCYC youth gymnasts jumped at the chance to attend the Gymnastics Australia program which focuses on freestyle.

The program was officially launched by Gymnastics Australia as the “most exciting initiative to hit our shores” in the sport for some time and has travelled around the country in past years.

First developed by British Gymnastics to help clubs retain their crop of gymnasts, FreeG caters for young people looking to participate in “adrenaline fuelled freestyle sports” – think of something akin to the early 2000s craze of parkour.

FreeG and parkour have two common threads: the rigidity of gymnastics is replaced by free-flowing, movement-based athleticism.

Six Whitsunday gymnasts from the local PCYC branch’s Ninja program – a similar amalgamation of gymnastics and parkour – joined the session of FreeG at Mackay Gymnastics.

The session was coached by high level freestylers from Gymnastics Australia, who have travelled to gyms across the state teaching the style.

PCYC Branch Manager Police Sergeant Billy Li said the initiative was not only excellent for students, but also for the PCYC’s coaches.

“It was an opportunity to upskill our coaches and was a really unique experience for our gymnasts,” Sergeant Li said.

“You don’t always get visiting coaches regularly coming to teach workshops, so this opened our coaches’ eyes in how to do things in different ways.”

Sergeant Li said the Whitsunday PCYC is currently working on having the Queensland Gymnastics FreeG coaches travel to his Jubilee Pocket branch.

Whitsunday PCYC gymnastics coach Jessica Ferguson said it was extremely rewarding for coaches and athletes.

“It was a good experience for our gymnasts to be coached by one of the elite trainers from Gymnastics Australia,” Ms Ferguson said.

The six Whitsunday students with gymnastics coaches Tara Brady and Dominic Di Benedetto at their FreeG introduction in Mackay

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