Our in-house competition is great for all abilities. Our beginner levels only require 5-skill routines on floor or trampoline, and so are great for people who are new to the sport and cannot do a lot of skills; or for our younger athletes who may struggle to learn all of the skills in the longer routines. For everyone else, athletes will be given an appropriate level by our coaches and learn 10 skills for a routine and take part in a vault run suitable for their ability. We highly recommend taking part in the event. It is a really fun and friendly event where the emphasis is on allowing our athletes to show off what they have achieved in their classes with us.

The competition is usually split into 1-1.5 hour divisions and will start at 9am. In previous years, we have had approx 3 rounds and have finished by about 1pm. We anticipate that this years competition will be much bigger though so we have allowed until 4pm. Until the entries have all been submitted, we cannot organise the divisions, nor advise people as to which time slot they will be competing in. Once the entries have all been submitted, we will finalise the running order and publish it on the website.

We strongly advise wearing a leotard for the competition as they allow the judges to accurately see body lines and assess technique. Because this event includes beginner levels, we do allow athletes to wear normal clothes however if you are not going to wear a leotard, we would recommend close fitting clothing, such as leggings and a top. If athletes wear a t-shirt, it must be tucked in. Please note that as with our club sessions - no jewellery may be worn.

Athletes will be entered in a level that will challenge them by our coaches, but also allow them to perform the routine safely, neatly and allow them to be competitive. Athletes will be reminded of their level at every training session. For gymnastics: Each level has a recommended floor routine which include compulsory skills. The routines can be changed as long as they include the recommended skills. Please see our routines page for full details but as a general guide: - Beginner: For athletes who are unable to remember a full routine, or cannot perform 10 skills. - Level 11: For athletes who can cartwheel but not handstand to bridge - Level 10: For athletes who working towards walkovers but cannot perform them yet, eg they can back bend or handstand into a bridge - Level 9: For athletes who can walkover but not handspring For athletes who can handspring, or somersault For trampolining: In trampolining, athletes will need to perform two x 10 bounce routines (minimum of 5 for beginner level). One will be a set/compulsory routine which everyone in the division must perform. The second routine is described as a voluntary routine and can be the same or adapted from the set as long as it doesn't incorporate skills outside of the ability level. We advise that trampolinists decide their voluntary routines under the advice of their coach. As a general guide: - Beginner: Perform a minimum of 5 skills, which may or may not be linked. Where more than 5 skills are performed, the best 5 will be scored. - Novice: For athletes who can perform a routine with front or back landings. - Intermediate: For athletes who can perform a routine including a somersault. - Open: For athletes who can perform a 10 bounce routine including 2 or more somersaults.

We all know that standing up in front of an audience can be nerve racking for us grown ups, so it is understandable that there may be some anxiety in the lead up to the competition. I would like to urge all parents in the run-up to the event to try and keep all pressure and anxiety down as much as possible, and to remind your little (and big) athletes that it is supposed to be a fun and friendly competition. The judges are all coaches from the club, and we just want to see them do their best. Its a great chance to show off what they have learnt in their classes. If they are having a last minute panic or saying they don't want to take part closer to the time, we always find its best to remain supportive and to say something along the lines of, don't worry, if your not sure about it, we can always just watch the others. Taking the pressure off usually results in the realisation that everyone else will be having fun, and that they don't want to miss out. On the day - if there are any drama's, please come and see one of the team - we will always do our best to help where possible. Finally, if anyone is not sure about taking part, it might be a good idea to come along and spectate. It's a great way to see what goes on, and build confidence for the following year.

The best way to help your child prepare for the competition is through helping them to remember the routine. We can only do so much in the time we spend in training, and without reinforcing the memory of the skills at home, it is likely that your child will forget their routine. - Obviously this will also lead to unnecessary anxiety at the event. We can do so much more to help them improve at training if they know the order of skills- otherwise all of our time is spent on building their memory and not perfecting their moves. At home- they do not need to practice their routine, though if you have the space, that is totally up to you! What we do recommend though (aside from learning the order of skills) is practicing some of the simple or static moves such as balances or shape jumps. You'd also be amazed by the difference that can be made just by practicing sitting with straight legs, pointed toes and arms straight up. It will help to improve the muscle tone and memory, and prevent your child from losing crucial points for having bendy legs or flexed feet in their routine.

Here's a basic guide to gymnastics and trampolining judging! As a basic rule, each athlete starts with 1 point for every skill they perform (usually 10). The judges will assess each skill individually and compare what they see to the 'perfect' model of the skill. They then make deductions depending on how perfect or imperfect each skill is - for Flyers friendly competitions, we cap the deductions at 0.5 per skill. The deductions are then added up and deducted from the total score of 10 giving a score between 5 & 10 points. The main things judges will deduct for include: - Bent legs - where applicable - Un-pointed toes - Poor stretch or muscle tension - Wobbling or poor control - Falling over - Not starting and finishing skills with arms up - where applicable We try to educate athletes about these things and will give them