Please note we are open as usual during the whole school holidays. Please do let us know if your child is going to miss any sessions, so we can ensure we have the right number of coaches for each session. Thank you!
********************************We are sorry to announce a need to increase our training fees with effect from October when the forthcoming 8 week term finishes. The increase is due to the Uni applying its annual uplift to our hire fees. We have tried to keep our increase to an absolute minimum to reduce the impact on families. From October the training fees will be:
- Saturday kids gym ('baby gym'): £6 for the hour (a return to our previous fee level)
- 1.5 hrs per week, 8 week term: £76.40 (increased by 56p per week)
- 7+ hrs per week, 8 week term: £127.50 (increased by 94p per week)
- competition squad, 8 week term: £174 (increased by (£1.25 per week)
If you have any questions or concerns about training fees (or anything else gymnastics related), please do not hesitate to contact the Club.*******************************
29th & 30th June 2024 - Medals galore at the English Gymnastics Jim Moss Championships 2024. Congratulations to our amazing gymnasts who competed in this weekend's English Gymnastics Ruby Intermediate and Ruby Senior Championships. On Saturday the Intermediate competition saw the following results:Grace - overall 2nd place with 2nd place on vault, 3rd on bars, and 3rd on beam .... a brilliant day for Grace, well done!!! We are super proud of your performances at this competition.
Izzy - overall 14th place with 10th place on vault, 11th on beam and 10th on floor .... a beautiful floor routine, fantastic performance!
Saffy - overall 17th place with 15th place on vault, 11th on bars, and 14th on floor ..... those hours of hard work in the gym are really paying off now!
Yumi - overall 27th place with 16th place on beam .... so proud of your achievements here after working so hard in the gym!On Sunday, the Senior competition gave the following results:Merryn - 12th overall with 10th place on vault, 13th place on bars, and 2nd place on floor .... your best floor routine performance in competition with just one error so small the judges didn't spot it!!Thank you to the judges Liz and Lisa for your hours of judging this weekend, and to coach Ricky for being there for the girls, keeping a cool, calm approach to help them achieve their best during the competitions. Thank you to the parents who made the weekend so positive for everyone, and to Mak, our wonderful chief supporter and big sister to all the girls!Pics can be found on the photo page and scores on the results page.
13th May 2024 - Gold medal for the West Mids team at the NDP grades National Finals - congratulations to Mak who competed as part of the gold medal winning Performance 4 Grade team yesterday at Fenton Manor. The team had a brilliant day, and we are so proud of the part Mak played in the team. Izzy competed on Saturday as part of the West Midlands Performance 1 team, and showed some of her very best gymnastics. There is so much more to come for Izzy 😁 now she has had a taste for nationals! Photos from the weekend are on the pics page.
6th May 2024 - Competition success for Flames Gymnasts at the West Midlands Regional Preparation and Development Grades and the Silver Challenge Competition. Congratulations to these gymnasts who all achieved scores showing they were 'working at' (50+), 'working above' (55+) and even 'working beyond' (60+) in their grades this weekend:Sophie (Preparation Grade 1)
Eliza, Charlotte, Mia and Kaelynn (Preparation Grade 2)
Yumi (Development Grade 2)
Celia, Jessica and Saffy (Development Grade 3)We were thrilled to see Kaelynn take the overall silver medal for her excellent routines in the Prep 2 competition, her first competition in Womens Artistic. Also taking home a medal was Yumi who achieved the highest beam score and took her place at the presentations in 4th place overall. Eliza also achieved 2nd place on bars 👏Also competing was Mak who took the gold medal and trophy in the Silver Challenge competition and also won the medal for the highest score on bars. This was such a fabulous opportunity to shine and at the same time prepare for her national finals for Performance Grade 4 at Fenton Manor next weekend. Mak will be joined by Izzy, who is also representing the West Midlands at the national finals for the Performance 1 Grade :)This was another brilliant weekend for all our gymnasts who produced great routines with very few errors. We are so very proud of all of you. Thank you to Liz who judged for the two very long days of competition, to all the coaches who helped the gymnasts prepare so thoroughly for the competition, to Ricky for being at the venue on Friday and Sunday evenings to help set up and take down all the kit, and to parents for your support - we couldn't do it without you all. We send get well wishes to Etta who was unable to compete on Saturday and to Rhoda who wasn't able to judge on Sunday.Scoresheet is available on our results page. Photos are posted on our pics page.
21 April 2024 - Thank you to Shazia Ifraz, who has completed her Welfare Officer training and is now available, in addition to our existing welfare officers (Ruth and Alison), as a first point of contact for gymnasts, parents, and coaches who have any concerns about the welfare of any individual. Club welfare officers are in place to help us ensure that gymnasts feel safe, have fun whilst doing gymnastics, and help us to protect gymnasts and keep our sport safe. Thank you for your support Shazia. If anyone else is interested in becoming a welfare officer, or volunteering in any other way in the Club, please speak to one of the coaches. Thank you.
7 April 2024 - Congratulations to fabulous five Makayla, Merryn, Kimii-Li, Ida and Izzy who all took part in the West Midlands Performance Grades yesterday in Cannock. Ida achieved a 'working at' score, and Mak, Merryn, Kimii and Izzy all achieved 'working above' scores meaning they are progressing to the next level at next year's grades! We send huge congrats to Merryn who achieved the highest vault score in Performance 2, and to Izzy and Makayla who both achieved a place in the West Mids team for National Finals next month (Izzy in Performance 1 and Mak in Performance 4). You are all brilliant!! We send get well soon wishes to Grace who wasnt able to compete because she was unwell. We missed you Grace and hope you are back on form very soon. Scores from the competition can be found via the Comp scores page and photos on the pics page.26 March 2024 - IMPORTANT NOTICE RE CAR PARK CHARGING - please note that from 4 April 2024, the university is charging for car parking including weekends. Car park charges apply from 8am until 6pm every day (£2.50). Parents are advised to drop off gymnasts whenever possible, and to arrive as near to 6pm as possible for each weekday session to avoid charges. At weekends, parents will need to pay for parking or (as is usually the case, for the 11:00 class..) please drop off and pick up your daughter as near to start and finish times as possible, to again avoid the need to pay for parking. Parents of the 10am class, we do not have a simple solution as you will want to remain on site during the session and therefore will need to pay for parking. To help you to manage the extra cost created by the University we will reduce the cost of the 10am session by £1 (to £5 per session) for the immediate future (from Saturday 6th April). I do hope this helps and you are able to continue to bring your child to Flames.Any questions, please do get in touch in the usual way.
13 March 2024 - Ramadan fasting arrangements; During the holy month of Ramadan, Flames gymnasts who are fasting will be supported to adapt their training to be lighter and less intense and have ample opportunity to break their fast and pray at the required time. Please talk to any of the coaches to ensure we are aware your child is fasting.
Holiday training times - Please note the following times for training sessions during the Easter holiday due to University change in opening hours:- Friday 29th March; 5-6.30pm recreational groups and 5-8pm for competition squad gymnasts
- Saturday 30th; March all normal classes and training times
- Tuesday 2nd April; 5-6.30pm recreational groups and 5-8pm for competition squad gymnasts
- Wednesday 3rd April; 5-6.30pm recreational groups and 5-8pm for competition squad gymnasts
Congratulations - to Makayla who competed in her first English Junior Championships in Telford on Sunday 3rd March. This competition was against the top junior FIG gymnasts in England, and Mak had a great day. There were a couple of falls which cost dearly, but the competition gave lots of opportunities to learn, grow and improve before her West Midlands FIG competition in May.
20 December 2023 - our last recreational classes of 2023 tonight! Happy Christmas everyone
This evening sees us run our last recreational classes for 2023, and we look forward to welcoming all of our gymnasts back to classes from Friday 5th January. Competition squad training will continue and information has been shared on the Comp Squad WhatsApp group. If you are not sure about any of the arrangements, please do get in touch by WhatsApp, email or text and we will be back in touch as quickly as possible (usually same day).
We have celebrated the end of 2023 with some competitions, firstly Holly completed for the West Midlands in her 'Gold' Classic Challenge national finals at Guildford. Despite having missed quite a bit of training for exams, other sporting national finals and then being unwell, Holly had an amazing day and thoroughly enjoyed her last major event before taking time off to focus on her GCSE's in 2024. We also had our Club Championships on Saturday 16th December, and the results are posted on the results page and there are some pics on the photo page too. Well done to all of our amazing gymnasts who have made such brilliant progress and achievements in 2023 and showed these off during their routines.
We are looking forward to a fantastic 2024, and we wish everyone a wonderful festive period, especially Jay and Arti who are hanging up their handguards for a while to do other things. We hope to see you again soon xx
20 November 2023 - another Competiton weekend at the West Midlands Apparatus Team Championships
Well done to all of our amazing gymnasts who competed in the regional apparatus team champs in Cannock this weekend. With a few last minute changes and the bronze team stepping down when they did not have the required numbers, it was left to our two copper teams to fly the Flames flag!
Extra mention for the following performances:
Saffy 2nd bars
Kimii-Li 5th bars
This weekend we also saw Makayla compete in the regional FIG qualifier, smashing her way through the qualifying score required to compete in the English Championships in 2024 and achieving 1st place on vault, 3rd on floor and 4th overall. Brilliant work yet again Mak. What a star!
12 November 2023 - Congratulations to Beam Queen Mak, who won gold on beam in the English Jim Moss Classic Challenge yesterday
We are so proud of Mak who competed in the English Silver Intermediate Level of the Classic Challenge yesterday. Bars, floor and vault did not go as well as hoped but beam was spectacular and Mak romped home with the gold medal for that piece. Well done Mak! Thank you to coach Ricky and judge Lisa and we now look forward to the regional Apparatus Teams Competiton next weekend at Cannock.
31st October 2023 - It was a busy start to half term for our gymnasts, coaches and judges!
31st October 2023 - It was a busy start to half term for our gymnasts, coaches and judges!
On Monday 30th October, our Flames competition gymnasts travelled to Lilleshall National Sports Centre, the home of British Gymnastics, to compete in the 2023 Metropolitan County Championships. We are very proud of our wonderful gymnasts, who hold their own in a very competitive field of talented gymnasts. We especially congratulate:
Makayla (silver) who took top spot on vault and beam, and 2nd place overall
Merryn (bronze) 6th overall and 3rd on beam
Izabella (Bronze) 5th on vault, 6th on beam
Jayrian (Bronze) 4th on beam and 5th on floor
Grace (Bronze) 6th on bars
Etta (Tin 8-9) 4th on vault, 5th on bars, 3rd on beam and 4th floor, 5th overall
Charlotte (Tin 10-11) 1st place overall and on all pieces
Yumi (Copper 9-10) 5th vault, 3rd bars, 3rd beam, 5th floor and 4th overall
Saffy (Copper 11-12) 3rd on vault, *1st* on bars, 4th on beam and 6th on floor, 3rd place overall
Celia (copper 11-12) 2nd on vault, 5th on beam, 4th on floor, and 4th overall
Mya (Copper 11-12) 5th on vault, 4th on bars, 6th on beam, and 6th overall
Willow, 6th on vault, 6th on bars
Ida (Copper 13-14) 2nd on vault, 3rd on bars, 2nd on beam, 3rd on floor, 2nd place overall
Jessica (Copper 13-14) 3rd vault, 6th bars, 3rd beam, 5th floor, 4th overall
Kimii-Li (Copper 13-14) 3rd vault, 3rd bars, 4th beam, 6th floor, 5th overall
Arti (Copper 13-14) 5th vault, 5th bars, 6th beam, 3rd floor, 6th overall
Eliza (Zinc 10-11) 5th vault, 4th bars, 4th beam, 5th floor and 5th overall
Thank you to our judges Liz, Joanne, Chandra, Rhoda and Al, and thank you to all the brilliant parents involved in setting up and running the competition ... too many to mention, you know who you are, and I am so grateful to you all.
17 October 2023 - West Midlands regional Tin, Zinc and Copper competition - the first ever Womens Artistic 4-piece competition for many!
Congratulations to our amazing gymnasts Charlotte, Etta (both in the Tin competition), Eliza (Zinc competition), Arti, Kimii-Li, Saffy, Celia, Willow, Mya, Yumi (all in the Copper competition), who all competed in the West Midlands Classic Challenge Tin, Zinc, Copper competitions last weekend. For many of these girls, it was their first ever Womens Artistic 4-piece competition and after only a few weeks or months of squad training and preparation. Lots of competing of new skills and routines, and many opportunities to learn and improve going forward. We are so very proud of everything you have achieved.
Our next competition is the Metropolitan County Championships on Monday 30th October at Lilleshall, and for now it's time to get back in the gym to get ready for what lies ahead. Good luck girls!!
3 October 2023 - First West Midlands regional competition of the season
Congratulations to our amazing gymnasts Merryn, Izzy, Grace, Makayla and Holly who all competed in the West Midlands Classic Challenge this weekend.
In the Gold level, Holly achieved a fantastic 3rd place overall (after having a difficult time on beam!) and 1st on vault, 2nd on bars, 5th on beam and 4th on floor. This result gave Holly a well-deserved place in the regional team at National Finals in November.
In Silver level, Makayla bagged a stunning 5th place on bars and 6th place on beam with an overall 11th place.
Competing in Bronze were Merryn, Izzy and Grace who were up against a large field. There are no individual places to report for these gymnasts, but we are immensely proud of their performances, with lots of new skills being competed, and the start of bigger and better things ahead.
Our next competition is the West Midlands regional Tin, Zinc, and Copper competition in 2 weeks time before our county championships on the 30th October, so we are back in the gym training hard for these next competitions. Good luck girls!!
21 September 2023 - Please note that Flames training fees and British Gymnastics membership is now due.
Flames training fees are now:
Recreational classes (1.5 hrs per week, 8 weeks term) £72
Enhanced attendance recreational classes (more than 1.5 hrs and less than 7 hours per week, 8 week term) £120
Competition squad £164 (8 week term)
Please remember that British Gymnastics membership must be renewed/in place by 1st October 2023. This is a requirement for all members of Flames Gymnastics Club. Parents / gymnasts and officials must register themselves via the British Gymnastics website (there is a membership button on the 'landing page').
Good luck to our competition squad gymnasts who are currently making their final preparations for the West Midlands Regional Challenge competition. The last few weeks are always brings out the best in our gymnasts, and they really focus on achieving those last few things for the competition.
14 August 2023 - Fees increase starting from week beginning 28 August. As announced in our last message, due to planned hire fee increases by the University of Birmingham, we will be increasing our membership / training fees from 28 August.
Also please remember that British Gymnastics membership must be renewed/in place by 1st October 2023. This is a requirement for all members of Flames Gymnastics Club. Parents / gymnasts and officials must register themselves via the British Gymnastics website (there is a membership button on the 'landing page').
20 July 2023 - Fees increase starting from week beginning 28 August. Due to planned hire fee increases by the University of Birmingham, we will be increasing our membership / training fees from 28 August.
Saturday Kids Gym (baby gym) 10-11am £6 per session (previously £5)
Recreational classes (1.5 hrs per week, 8 weeks term) £72 (previously £66)
Enhanced attendance recreational classes (more than 1.5 hrs and less than 7 hours per week, 8 week term) £120 (previously £115)
Competition squad £164 (8 week term) (previously £155)
British Gymnastics membership - this is a requirement for all members of Flames Gymnastics Club. Gymnasts and officials register themselves via the British Gymnastics website (there is a membership button on the 'landing page'). 2023/24 membership is due by the 1st October 2023. BG membership fees are also increased this year (sorry):
Recreational gymnast: £22
Pre-school gymnast: £15
Competition gymnast: £60
Club officer, welfare officer, club administrator: £22
Coach: £95
Assistant coach: £60
Judge: £22
Please remember we are open all through the summer holidays with our normal training times. Please do let us know if your child is unable to attend due to holidays (or any other reason) so that their place is held and not released to a child waiting to join. Thank you!
21st May 2023 - National Finals (National Grade 1), Fenton Manor 20th May 2023. Congratulations to the fabulous Holly who competed as part of the West Midlands team yesterday in the National Finals for Grade 1. The team came in an amazing 3rd place and Holly achieved a 15th place overall with top 20 places on 2 of her 4 pieces. We are super proud of Holly's achievements, and look forward to the rest of the year to see what else lies ahead!! Pics will be on the photos page shortly!
Metropolitan County Squad - We also say an enormous well done to 9 of our Flames competition squad who have been offered a place in the Metropolitan County Squad after a trial held last weekend. In alphabetical order, we say 'great job girls' to our superstars Grace, Ida, Izzy, Jay, Kimii-Li, Merryn, Saffy, Willow and Yumi.
4th May 2023 - Competition success!
Congratulations to our Club and Regional Grades gymnasts who competed in the West Midlands competition last weekend. We are delighted to announce that not only did all of our gymnasts pass their grades, but most achieved either 'commended' or 'distinction' level passes. Special mentions go to the following top 10 placings.....
* Jay, who in Regional Grade 1 achieved 5th place overall with 2nd place on vault, 9th on bars, 3rd on beam, 5th on floor and 6th on range and conditioning.
* Merryn, who in Regional Grade 3 achieved 9th place overall with 6th on vault, 7th on bars and 2nd on beam
*Saffy*, who in Regional Grade 3 achieved 2nd place on beam
* Ida, who in Regional Grade 3 achieved 9th place on beam
* Kimii, who in Regional Grade 3 achieved 4th place on bars
* Willow, who in Club Grade 5 achieved 5th place overall with 1st place on range and conditioning, 2nd on vault, 3rd on bars, and 5th on floor.
* Yumi, who in Club Grade 5 achieved 9th place overall with 4th on bars and 4th on floor
* Etta, who in Club Grade 6 achieved 10th place on vault.
* Phoenix, who in Club Grade 6 achieved 10th place on range and conditioning.
