Rachel Piercy

The Gymaroos are a performance gymnastics team of 26 athletes from regional NSW who will be representing Australia in the 2015 World Gymnaestrada in Helsinki, Finland. The World Gymnaestrada is a world-wide, non-competitive FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) ‘Gymnastics for All’ event, held every 4 years and attracting the largest number of active participants of any sporting event. Participation is for everybody, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, culture, ability or social standing. The Gymaroos were selected to be a part of the Australian team and have been working towards this for 18 months, training, developing their skills and perfecting their performance. We are proud to have several of the ‘Dreamtime Sistas’ (Australia’s first Koori Gymnastics team) joining with the Gymaroos for their European tour. Team manager, Justin Hayes, explains that ‘there are always a lot of questions from International audiences about Australia’s Indigenous peoples. The Bangarra Dance Theatre partnered with PCYC and met with Biripi Elders to tell traditional stories of the Manning Valley, so that they could come to life through their dance moves, creating a truly Australian themed performance.
PCYC Taree is a second home for the gymnasts - some training 5 times a week in a variety of gym sports, both performance and competitive. The Gymaroos have been taking teams overseas for 30 years as they believe these opportunities strengthen young people’s abilities to build relationships and connect with other cultures. “It was so exciting to have Bangarra Youth Program Director, Sidney Saltner and dance tutors Chantel Kerr and Patrick Thaiday visit Taree,” said Gymaroos coach Sarah Hayes. “Ever since my coach Doreen Rayward-Wilson, began taking the Gymaroos overseas, it has always been as much about ‘telling the story’ as it is about gymnastics.”

          

The Team

We need your help to raise funds for our costumes!
We aren’t asking for much - only $150 per athlete for a custom made, locally designed costume. Our performance will explore the four elements fire, wind, water and earth and embrace the cultural diversity of Australia and explore themes of reconciliation, and social inclusion. We have been working with the Bangarra Dance theatre youth development team, our wonderful coaches and each other to create an amazing performance inspired by indigenous stories of the Manning valley. The funds raised will be split between the participating gymnasts. The gymnasts and families are asked to cover the cost of the trip, but for many of our families, this is a big ask. The costs required to be covered for each gymnast includes flights, accommodation, meals, and insurance, which add to $6,000 per participant. With this campaign and our other fundraising endeavours we hope to lessen the burden on families, at least a little.

Taree is a low socio-economic community, and many of the participating families are sacrificing basic elements of their lifestyle, to make this happen for their child. Gymnasts are also working part-time jobs, participating in fundraising activities and rallying local support to help fund their trip. As we are a regional community, we hope by reaching out to a wider audience we can see these young Australians shine!