Fewer Gymnasts Enter

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 15

Fewer Gymnasts Enter

No male entries have been received for the Canterbury gymnastics championships at Mairehau Hign School tomorrow, and overall the entries are down on last year.

The majority of male gymnasts in Canterbury competed in the recen* C and D grade championships and there are not enough of a sufficient standard to enter the men’s A grade event. Fewer entries than in other years’ have been received from Otago women, this being the principal reason for the decrease in numbers competing. In spite of the low entries, the standard, particularly in the women’s A grade, should

be very high, with the three members of the New Zealand team—Misses J. Buchanan, J. de Beer and F. Dove—among the competitors. Misses L. Blakie and A. Robinson both Canterbury), who took part in the first world games trial earlier this year, and Miss L. Mowatt (Otago), who contested the final trial, have also entered. Another girl who is likely to finish very close to these six, or even in the top six, is Miss E. Gemmill, a Christchurch schoolgirl, who has only been in competitive gymnastics for two years. She

showed a good deal of promise in her first year and will be competing in her first A grade event tomorrow. Although Miss Buchanan has the best record of the gymnasts entered, she will be hard pressed to win the championship, as both Misses de Beer and Dove were very close to her in the final games trial. Performances of the Canterbury gymnasts will be closely watched by the selectors, who will name their team shortly for the national championships to be held in Dunedin early in September.