| Where are we? The Club are based at Tides Sports Centre (attached to Tides Leisure Pool). Tides Leisure Complex is in Victoria Park, Park Avenue, Deal, Kent Coming from Dover? Follow main road into Deal until you see the Castle on your right - turn left right opposite this down Gilford Road. Drive under the bridge into Park Avenue and Tides is on the left - you can't miss it! Coming from Sandwich? Follow main road into Deal, take left turn at mini-roundabout (watch out - there's a pedestrian crossing just round the bend!). Follow this road round to the right and then when it bears left: take a right turn past the keep left signs (opposite the hospital) and follow the left-hand fork (Park Avenue). Further down this road (before the bridge) is Tides on your right. The club also train once a week at Sandwich Leisure Centre and hold two weekly fun sessions there: all on a Wednesday |
| Some History The Club was founded in 1985 by Head Coach, Tracy Marsh under the name of Deal Swifts. The Club's name was changed in 1997 when Tracy decided to hand the day-to-day runnings of the club over to Kelly Greenstreet (see "coaches"). The name change to East Kent Acro was to reflect the club's position as the leading sports acro club in Kent. The club has had significant achievements over the years having had two National Champions, 81 National Qualifier and 71 Regional Champions since its formation. For a number of years Sports acro in the County only consisted of one competition a year for the lowest levels only (as our club had more gymnasts at the higher levels we concentrated on Regional events). In 1999 National 3 level was included (this is now Intermediate 2) in the Championships and in 2000 Intermediate 3 (formerly National 4) was included. 2001 saw expansion to Intermediate 4 but as we were in Nottingham were unable to enter (the competition had always been in December before but was moved to November). Unfortunately this was the last year that acro was held as a county competition. The club have had four past gymnasts gaining Regional Squad places (coaches Kelly and Louise as well as former gymnasts Jenny Bispham and Jade McManus). There was no Regional squad for a number of years but was reintroduced a few years' ago but is age based and we don't bother with it. Numerous gymnasts have attended Regional training sessions and have had 22 gymnasts in the Kent County development squad which only ran for three years and ceased being when the County stopped acro competitions. |
| Sports Acro Development The Club has been actively involved in the development of sports acrobatics in clubs and schools in the region, including hosting workshops at the Centre. Sittingbourne Swifts Gym Club was also part of this development and held workshops for their area at the same time. As a culmination to this development a special novice competition was held at the Swifts club in June 2001. As part of this development the senior gymnasts and coaches (including Kelly and Louise) put together a gym display (to Madonna's "Like A Prayer") which they performed at the Novice competition. They have also performed the display at local schools. Lynn Potter, the Development Officer for Kent Gymnastics, was so impressed by the display that she invited the Club to perform it at last year's Kent Reliance Festival of Gymnastics (Kent's Premier gymnastic competition, incorporating the County Championships), unfortunately the club were unable to do so as they were committed to a competition in Nottingham. |
| COACHING There are thirteen qualified BAGA coaches at the Club, ranging from Senior to Assistant Coach. All the coaches are sports acro gymnasts themselves and have many years competition experience between them. SCC coaches Tracy is the club's founder. SCC's Kelly and Louise retired from competition in 1999 but returned in 2002/3 to compete at Intermediate 4 Trios. SCC Becki still competes as do club coaches Liz, Abigail, Adam & Zoe. The ACC coaches are Christina, Stephanie, Charlotte, Leoni and Michelle who also still compete: the wealth of experience of all the coaches is the reason why the Club is so successful - after all they are not instructing the younger gymnasts to do anything they haven't already done themselves! We also have five trainee assistant coaches: Billy-Joe, Emma-Louise, Gemma, Grace, Rachel & Bernice The Club's coaches and senior gymnasts started out as "tops" working with older experienced gymnasts eventually becoming the "older experienced gymnats" themselves! By the age of 14 they begin to take on coaching roles and at 16 they can qualify as Assistant Coaches. By the time they are 18 they can become fully qualified coaches and take on the responsibility of running their own sessions. For more information on the coaches themselves go to "The Coaches" section |
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| From Sandwich |
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| From Dover |
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| Castle here |
| Tides here |
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