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Games gymnasts in fine form

Sitting pretty: Ava Marshall during her floor exercise.

Morgan Beckles won the senior Gymnastics National Championships on Saturday to lay claim as the best on the Island, while Sadia Wilson won the junior division.Beckles and Wilson, both preparing for the upcoming Island Games, were in excellent form as they put the final touches to their build-up to the trip to the Isle of Wight.Maya Malpas and Ava Marshall won the novice and intermediate divisions respectively.The in-house Championships served as a late warm up for the squad who all performed well.Coach Duke Nelligan was pleased with all of his gymnasts’ displays, noting how the team handled performing under pressure with the Games on the horizon.“Firstly, the championships were an opportunity to put the athletes in a pressure situation to test our training, and they showed off some new skills but more importantly used the enthusiastic audience to test their nerves and mentally prepare for Island Games.“There will be added pressure to do well as Bermuda have been a prominent player in gymnastics.“I would hope that a young and inexperienced team as ours would see this competition as a benchmark for the 2013 Bermuda Island Games, and I expect them to give their all and come home committed to being the strongest team ever to represent Bermuda in 2013.”While the team will be made up of vastly inexperienced athletes to the international stage, Nelligan is confident that the side will serve the country well, although it’s unlikely they will be able to produce the 22 medal haul of two years’ ago.Sighting Beckles and Wilson as the ones to watch at the Games, Nelligan also mentioned Tabytha Hofheins as another who could produce a performance worthy of a podium finish later this month.“We only have one returning member from the 2009 team, Morgan Beckles, therefore I can’t compare 2009’s success to the possible success of this team.“Of course we want to compete at our very highest level and hopefully that will earn us medals, but more importantly we need to get this young team to experience Island Games and appreciate the importance of such an event as we head towards 2013.“Ones to look out for would be Beckles in the senior division although Tabytha is right up there as well.“Tabytha actually won the floor exercise title at the meet, while in the the junior division, Sadia Wilson has been working consistently all year long and it is paying off. She is a beautiful and consistent asset to the team.“With this being said, any members of the junior squad could step up to perform well at the Games, they all have the necessary skills but it will come down to who can “turn it on” at the meet and shine, without letting the nerves get to them.“This is exactly why the in-house meet was so important.”Bermuda Island Games team Seniors: Morgan Beckles, 15, BHS; Tabytha Hofheins, 13, Warwick Academy; Sydney Mason, 13, BHS; Zantae Dill, 12, Saltus; Rosie Finnigan, 14, Kaisey Griffith, 19Juniors: Clara James, 11 BHS; Danielle Wall, 11 BHS; Samantha Soares, 11 Warwick Academy; Sadia Wilson, 10 BHS; Tais Burgess-Allen, 10 Harrington Sound; Tomei Talbot, 10 Harrington Sound

Sydney Mason performs on the beam at the National Gymnastics Championships at SouthSide on Saturday.
Danielle Wall competes in the floor exercise in Saturday's Championships.
Maya Malpas
Danielle Wall
Sydney Mason
Ava Marshall
Pria Lewis