YMCA Victoria Point gymnast Jayde Beutel has been selected for Gymnastics Queensland’s senior state squad.
Jayde is one of 32 women from throughout Queensland to be selected from her competition standings in 2016, together with results from strength testing.
Having started gymnastics about five years ago, the 15-year-old student at Cleveland District State High School said it was a great achievement to be one of so few selected for the squad.
At the 2016 Queensland championships, Jayde came second in bars, third on beam and fourth overall.
She was also selected for the Queensland Border Challenge team.
Jayde enjoys the challenge of the sport, for which she trains about 20 hours a week, and the hard work it takes to work towards achieving her individual goals.
“Sometimes at the start of training I am tired, but I get into it and then I don’t want to leave,” she said.
“My favourite apparatus is probably bars because it’s fun to swing around.”
The level 8 gymnast will train with the squad at Queensland’s High Performance Centre in Chandler from this month, in addition to her training at YMCA Victoria Point.
Her goals include achieving good placings in the state competition and making the national team.
“Long-term I want to get to level 10 and compete at that level and have as many skills as possible.”
YMCA Victoria Point Gymnastics Club was recognised last month as one of 13 Queensland clubs that had at least 1000 members in 2016.
YMCA Victoria Point gymnastics co-ordinator Peter Dowdell accepted the Club 1000 Award at the Gymnastics Queensland awards on behalf of the club.
“In a growing state sporting organisation of 45,000 registered gymnasts and 116 clubs, being recognised in the top 13 growing programs in Queensland is a great incentive to develop stronger services and programs for our membership in 2017,” Mr Dowdell said.