Twenty girls ranging from ages five to 12 have been selected to take part in the first ever Women’s Competitive Artistic Gymnastics team here in Antigua.
The young gymnasts, who are a part of the Antigua Gymnastics Club, will train for four to nine hours per week under the watchful eyes of Canadian coaches Alex Schlosser and Jess Fylyshtan.
Both coaches have a combined 17 years of experience under their belt, having trained girls to top finishes in Provincial Championships and other international events. The nationally certified coaches were impressed with the fundamentals of the young ladies when they visited the country earlier this year and, after much discussion, decided to relocate to Antigua and Barbuda to institute the programme with the intention of competing at both regional and international events such as the Inter-island Invitational in Trinidad and Jamaica.
Antigua Gymnastics Club was set up in 2006 by French Gymnast Brigitte Murphy and currently has 196 girls and boys in its recreational programme in Coolidge.
Murphy trained as a coach in both the UK and the USA.