Gymnastics Invitational

Gymnastics Invitational

Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski, Head Gymnastics Coach, Bangkok Patana School

At the start of the academic year, Bangkok Patana School, like so many other schools across Asia, had to, unfortunately, keep it’s doors closed to students. When considering the number of events that students have already missed out on due to the pandemic, I knew that I didn’t want FOBISIA Gymnastics Invitational 2021 to be another ‘what could have been’ moment for gymnasts who look forward to this event as a seasonal highlight. Therefore, I decided to commit to hosting the event and began brainstorming a new competition concept to tackle the restrictions in place.

It was important to my team and I to create an event that was: 1) inclusive of all gymnasts, being particularly mindful of those students who were still learning from home, and 2) include an element within the competition that would bring the gymnastics community together on the scheduled weekend. To ensure the event was accessible, it had to be a floor-only competition which meant creating new, simplified competition routines which could be safely executed from home.

When announcing this new competition format, I was uncertain whether it would be popular; however, the response to this virtual event was overwhelmingly positive, with 25 International Schools from 7 difference countries, of which 23 were FOBISIA Member Schools. We registered a total of 292 gymnasts from Year 3 to Year 13.

• The Alice Smith School Kuala Lumpur • Bangkok Patana School • Bangkok Prep • British School Manila • Discovery Bay International School Hong Kong • Dulwich College Singapore • Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi • Dulwich College Suzhou • elc International School Malaysia • GEMS - Pearl City, Penang • Harrow International School Bangkok • HELP International School • Jerudong International School Brunei • Kellett International School Hong Kong • King's College International School Bangkok • King George V Hong Kong • Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar • Marlborough College Malaysia • Prince of Wales Island International School • Shrewsbury International School Hong Kong • St Andrews International School Bangkok • Tanglin Trust School • The British International School Shanghai, Puxi • The International School @ ParkCity • United World College Dover Singapore

The competition required students to submit a link to their pre-recorded floor routines in advance of the event. For the competition weekend itself, we welcomed on-site six Thai National Judges from The Thailand Gymnastics Association to officiate the competition. The judges were set up in front of a big screen and played the routines while we live-streamed footage of the screen, the officials and the gymnasts’ scores in real-time. This setup enabled all viewers tuning in to the live-stream channels to watch all gymnasts’ routines, which recreated some of the emotions and excitement that gymnasts are used to experiencing during “normal” competitions.

During the event, we saw a wide variety of settings, from yoga mats in living rooms, to air-tracks in gardens, to students performing in masks in their gymnastics halls - it was inspiring to see the students' resilience, doing the best they could in their individual circumstances. This demonstrates how truly dedicated and passionate these students are about the sport of gymnastics and how both the student-athletes and coaches adapted to be able to support and engage all 292 students in school sport. Do click on this video to see highlights and students who have been awarded in their respective categories.

I would like to extend my thanks to The Thailand Gymnastics Association for officiating the competition. Additionally, I would like to thank all Bangkok Patana staff who helped bring this event to fruition, particularly the BPS Gymnastics Coaches, the BPS Sports & Events team, the Buildings & Grounds Department and IT technicians who all pulled together to help make this event happen. I would like to offer my appreciation to all coaches and parents who helped support the gymnasts.

Finally, I would like to congratulate all students who participated in this event. All students who registered committed to trying something new, and regardless of the outcome, you should be proud of yourself for taking a risk and taking part.