SIX members of Bromley Valley Gymnastics club have been selected to represent Great Britain at the World Junior Sports Acrobatics Champion-ships in Poland later this month.

Gymnastics clubs from all over Britain sent their best gymnasts for the trials with only a few being selected for the 26-strong GB squad.

The club will have Andrew Price, 12, from Bromley, and Gravesend's Reece Durbidge, who is 13, in the men's pairs.

While Adam Denny and Adam Smith, both aged 16 and from Bromley, Michael Scott-Bealieu, 14, and Liam Durbidge, 12, who are both from Gravesend, were selected for the men's four event.

The competition lasts for four days and the youngsters will perform balanced acrobatics, which involves standing on each other's shoulders; tempo, the throwing of each partner in the air with summersaults; and the combined, a bit of both styles plus individual elements and it is often exciting when it gets going to different types of music.

Sports Acrobatics has been going for more than 25 years, but has yet to be performed in the Olympics. But there's a good chance it will make its debut in Bejing, in 2008, which will lift the sport's profile as it's very popular in China.

Bromley Valley Gymnastics Club has members coming from places a far afield as the south coast and regularly competes regionally, nationally and even globally, as head coach Barbara McNuff explains.

She said: "We've been to most countries as a club. We went to Berlin in 1996 and put in a fantastic display and the Germans like it so much, their government paid for us to go back and tour the country, as well as appearing on national TV.

"We cater for gymnasts of all ages and abilities. It gives youngsters the opportunity to realise their full potential.

"Some come along for an hour a week, while others spend 20 hours a week here and do championships."

Members of the British squad will have to finance the trip to Poland from their own resources, relying on small grants to assist them.

Barbara added: "I fund my own way to championships as there are no grants for coaches. The men's quartet get a reasonable grant, which is enough for them to get by, but the men's pair receive only a small grant.

"They don't cover much, so the parents must be supportive, but the grants do cover something and anything is better than nothing."

Barbara is unsure of how far the British squad will do in Poland. She added: "I don't know how we'll do out there. I'm not sure of the standard, but I expect we will be middle of the road and to come back in the top 10 would be a big achievement."

If you would like to join Bromley Valley Gymnastics Club, based in Chipperfield Road, St Paul's Cray, which welcomes people of all ages and abilities, call Sue on 020 8300 5964.

November 6, 2001 10:59

Gordon Law