Footscray City Gymnastics Club is not seeking fame and glory at this weekend’s Victorian Gymnastics Championships.
If their five representatives happen to get on the winners’ podium at the State Netball and Hockey Centre, they will take the glory, but they won’t be going in to win at all costs.
The process for the gymnasts dubbed the ‘Fantastic Five’ is just as important as the outcome.
“We see it as a learning opportunity,” Footscray City operations manager Tammy Robinson told
Star Weekly.
“We want them to go in and really enjoy the experience, enjoy the atmosphere at a great venue, and soak it all up.
“We want them to compete at their absolute best, and then learn from that.
“If they compete well, why did they compete well – so they can take it into the next time they do something – or if they didn’t compete at their best, why didn’t they compete well, and learn from it.
“For us it’s always about skills for life. We’re a chance to pick up some medals, but that’s not our focus at all.”
Footscray City is proud of its Fantastic Five.
Thomas Daddow (national level open 8), Dirk Arends (open 7), Tyler McLeod (open 7), Christian Pitsilos (open 6) and Vincent Pedersen (open 6) will aim to represent their club with distinction.
Robinson tips a few pre-event nerves leading into the competition.
“Anyone would be a little bit nervous,” Robinson said. “It really is a special event. It’s quite different to most of the competitions we compete in throughout the year.
“This event has the big stadium seating, a venue set up for the competition, it’s state-of-the-art and looks amazing, with big scoreboards and screens to show replays and lots of people from the clubs … and, of course, families and friends. It’s a really unique experience.”
Daddow is both a competitor and a coach; the elder statesmen of the team has been with the club for more than 20 years and now coaches the four younger members, while he is guided by one of the other coaches, Jess Larsen.
Daddow, Larsen and Robinson, who is also a coach, have important roles in settling their members down for competition.
“Our job as a club and coaches is to make sure they’re focused on what they can control,” Robinson said. “We look at what we can control, how they prepare, how they warm up, how they focus and then the outcome will be what it is.”
Lance Jenkinson
