"Attitude Acro" Cheshire Academy Integrated sports acrobatics club
To get to the Cheshire Academy home Page go to disabilitysport.com

16 year olds Jheni Weir (top) and 17 year old Kevin Schofield who has autism.

British Gymnastics NDP National ChampionsLevel D winners in 2003
The Cheshire Academy Sports Acrobatics Club is a very unusual acrobatics club, perhaps unique in the UK in as much that all its classes are fully integrated with disabled and non disabled children working, training and competing together.

How successful is the club?

The Sports Acro club is undoubtedly the most succesfull club of its kind in the UK and has competed at every British Gymnastics NDP final since 2000- the year in which disability sports acrobatics was introduced in the UK. It is the only club in the UK that has managed to achieve this.

Since 2000 the club has gained over 35 national championship titles and has competed at 9 different levels of competition, including within every single wheelchair category.

The Cheshire Academy has won the prestegeous BGA Sports Acrobatics Disabilities trophy a record 4 times which is a reflection of the high standards and quality of the routines being performed.

Representatives of the Academy travel throughout Europe and the UK promoting disability sports acrobatics running and hosting disability workshops advising judges and coaches about disability sports acrobatics.

What is special about disability sports acrobatics?

Sports acrobatics involves pairs of gymnasts working together to perform a gymnastics routine to music. The routines are 2.30 minutes long and during this routine competitors must be able to hold and demonstrate a series of diferent balances. During their routine pairs must also perform gymnastics skills in unison and be able to demonstrate a great deal of interdependence. The routines are judged using many different criteria such as how well each balance is held, how gymnasts enter and exit each balance, how the routine is structured, how well it is choriographed to the music and such.

The basic structure and judging of the disabilities routines closely follow the same structure and format of mainstream routines. Some of the lower level rourtines have much simplified balances, however the basic scoring and deductions made by
Just some of the Cheshire Academy integrated sports acrobatics club members
judges are broadly similar. In the disabilities pairs competitionone or both competitors can have a disability.For ambulant gymnasts (who do not require a wheelchair there are 10 levels of competition suitable for disability (Levels A- K)

For routines to be properly judged at competition, both gymnasts within a pair must contribute equally to a routine. So if a mainstream gymnast is paired with a gymnast with special needs then the routine must be constructed in such a manner that both gymnasts contribute equally. Also since many of the skills must be performed by both gymnasts at exactly the same time and speed, then there must be a close understanding between both gymnasts. This can only be achieved by both gymnasts working together in full cooperation with each other.

Michael Taylor and Lisa Davies have won national champion titles at levels A, B and C
What is Wheelchair Sports Acrobatics?

The form and structure of the wheelchair routines are exactly the same as the mainstream routines. One competitor must be a wheelchair user and the other competitor can be a mainstream competitor or also have special needs themselves. Special balances have been developed which allows wheelchair users to perform these disability routines however the competitors are still expected to complete the same number of balances and skills as the mainstream competitons.

There are three levels of difficulty (Wheelchair levels A, B and C) and there are some minor variation in the rules to assist with inclusion of a wider number of wheelchair users.

Amy Evanson and Danial Owen.

Winners of the prestegeous BGA disabilities trophy.

Danial is totally blind
What sort of disabilities can competitors have?The Academy has had children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Williams Syndrome and Downs Syndrome. Children who are profoundly deaf or visually impaired have also competed as well as children (and adults) who are wheelchair users. The Academy has also competed a large number of gymnasts with learning difficulties.

How well do the children with disabilities integrate with mainstream gymnasts ?

The most progressive region in the UK must be the North West Region. It has been fantastic in its support and assistance with the development of disability sports acrobatics. The judges and technical committee have been very pro active in ensuring children with disabilities are fully involved at all competitions held within the region and there has been over 11 so far.

Judges are very keen to ensure the gymnasts with disabilities are judged on their technical and artistic merit alone. They have built up a formidable amount of experience and knowledge. Gymnasts from the Academy have made friends with gymnasts from all over the region and look forward to meeting with them at every competition.

Bethany Collina (front) with Amy Evanson. Bethany has Williams Syndrome and has been a member of the sports acrobatics club for 5 years
Academy gymnasts has had 9 different disabilities represented at national competition and many more at a regional level and is the only club in the UK able to perform at all wheelchair levels.

How to contact the club?

The Sports Acrobatics club can be contacted at sportsacro@disabilitysport.com