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| Facilities | History | Facilities | Coaches | Committee |
The Vault |
Sometimes called the horse or table, requires important attributes to perform difficult high level Gymnastics. The vault is from 1.0m to 1.2m high and is made of wood and steel rapped with padding and covered with leather. The table is height adjustable and has a square top rather than the traditional long top. Both girls & boys use and compete on the vault; it is used in conjunction with a springboard which is used as a spring like device to help the gymnast jump the vault. The key to a good vault is the run. A gymnast must run very fast with long strides to hit the springboard and perform a good vault |
| The Asymetric Bars |
Only women compete and train on this piece of apparatus. Sometimes called the uneven parallel bars, the bars are made from fibreglass and a thin layer of veneer which is rapped around them. The fiberglass makes them very strong and flexible to allow the gymnast to perform turns and flips on them. The asymmetric bars demand upper body strength as well as concentration, courage, coordination and split second timing. |
| Parallel Bars |
Only men train and compete on this piece of apparatus. The parallel bars are two bars placed side by side. |
| The Balance Beam |
Only women compete and train on this piece of apparatus. The beam stands approximately four feet high and sixteen feet long piece of covered with non-slip surface. Because the beam is only four inches wide it requires concentration, flexibility, grace, rhythm, good body position and self confidence. The gymnast must cover the entire area of the beam during her routine, plus move high above the beam, down low and side to side. The gymnast must use acrobatic, gymnastic and dance movements in her routines. |
| Sprung Floor |
The sprung floor is a combination of marine plywood and foam blocks covered with a rubber backed carpet. This combination gives the floor a sprung feeling to it and helps the gymnast get lift and height to acrobatic elements. This event combines dance and tumbling with music to show an entertaining and creative routine. The floor exercise is usually considered a favourite event of many gymnasts because they are able to have some fun and play the judges and the crown. They are able to show their personality in this event more so than any other event. |
| Trampette |
| This piece of equipment is like a baby trampoline, it is used for jumps, turns, twisting and forward and backward acrobatic work, it gives the gymnast longer in the air to learn different and difficult elements and takes less muscular forces on a trampette than it would from spring boards or a sprung floor, this means that the gymnast can work for longer doing more and more of the same repetitive work without tiring. |
| Chalk |
Chalk is used on the hands for gripping; chalk is a white powdery substance that is really magnesium carbonate. Some gymnasts prefer a lot of chalk, some like no chalk, and others like a mixture of chalk and water to make their grip sticky. |
| Hand Guards / Grips |
You cant talk about chalk without mentioning grips. Grips are worn on some gymnasts hands during their training and competition. It prevents the hands from tearing when working on the bars and rings etc. |