Welcome to Prime Gymnastics Club

Vaulting Over Obstacles

By Raymond Poon

Gymnastics coach Rachel Kennett believes that her students can learn lessons about

MS RACHEL Kennett’s job requires her to lead students through warm-ups, strength and conditioning exercises, guide them through old and new moves, choreograph their floor routines and push them to improve themselves. But at Prime Gymnastic Club, Ms Kennett, a competitive gymnastics coach, is not the only person who works hard. Her students are aspiring young gymnast who put in four to six hours each time.

An arduous journey

She says: "I see these kids more often than their parents do." On top of school, her students have to contend with a gruelling gymnastics schedule. But despite the effort these children put in, few will make it to the top. "I will tell the girls that not everyone will be a world champion and not everyone will go to the Olympics. So you’ve got to get something out of this sport. I don’t want you to waste your time, 25 hours a week," says the 31-year-old Welsh coach.

"I tell them that it builds their character and it’s going to help them in the future, whether or not they win a competition." To be able to learn a hard move, you have to face your dears. "But once you take that step, it gets you to the place you want,¡± she says. The hard thing about gymnastics, she says, is that it is often nerve- wracking to learn a new move.

"For 90 per cent of the kids, a lot of fear is involved. The solution is hard, but simple - just do it again and again. "It’s going to be scary the first time," said Ms Kennett. "By the second time, it will be half as scary. And by the time you’ve done it a hundred times, you won't remember what you were afraid of in the first place."

Fear is a hurdle for many gymnasts and Ms Kennett believes that the only way to overcome fear is to face it.

Travel the world

The sport took her across the world and gave her self-belief as she was not a naturally confident child. "With gymnastics, I was not afraid to travel the world and take on challenges." Her first overseas trip with her gymnastics team was when she was eight. From then on, she travelled frequently to represent Wales in international competitions.

She competed until the age of 16. "I went into coaching almost immediately, so I went from training 30 hours a week to coaching 20 hours a week,"she says. Starting as a developmental coach, Ms Kennett worked with young childre and "put in lots of work and got paid very little." But it was worth all her effort as she worked with some of the top gymasts and coaches from the UK. "I have made some friends in high places, got good recommendations, and now I have some of the top referees one could have."

After she finished university, her travels ed her to a work opportunity in Singapore. What was supposesed to be a one-year experience has become five, and Ms Kennett is committed to helping children to be competitve gymnasts.

"I’m a great believer in giving everyone a chance if they display desire because I think that’s what happened to me," she says.

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