Today was the English Championships. It was held in Moulton, Northamptonshire. The day started with team compulsories, which went really, really well and we got a high score for them, meaning we were in first place. Then it was time for my individual compulsories (I was competing in the 14-18 class) they also went well, and though I made a tiny jump on my stand, I managed to go into 1st place too.

After lunch it was team freestyle, and seeing as we hadn’t done it all the way through since Le Mans, it was okay, and we managed to keep first position. After team, I did my individual freestyle, and didn’t make any mistakes, helping me to beat the other competitors and keep my 1st place!

Overall, it was a really positive day, and I am very happy because I won both of my classes :) I have now been the individual Junior English champion for 4 years in a row, and Senior team champions for 6 years in a row! I hope to keep the title next year as well!

Today I went to my Asda store in Basingstoke, and stood shaking buckets at the entrance. I stood with Julie Gary (the co-ordinator for the store) for a couple of hours, talking to customers and showing them some of my photos, medals, rosettes and award certificates. It was a very fun day, with lovely weather!

Hello, sorry I haven’t written in a while, but have been so busy getting ready for school and training etc! :)

A couple of weeks ago I travelled to Le Mans, France to compete in the European Vaulting Championships 2011. As usual, the weather was truly amazing.

On Thursday we competed in the compulsory round where each individual vaulter (there are 7 in a team) does 6 compulsory moves and gets marked. Then the scores are added together and the teams averages get compared with the other teams. We were so, so happy when we ran out and looked at the scores – we were in 4th!!! On Friday we had a day to relax and get prepared for the next round in the competition. We trained for quite a long time, then went to the stands to cheer on the other members of the GB squad.

Saturday was the day of first round freestyle (the freestyle is where 6 of the 7 vaulters perform their own freestyle for 4 minutes on the horse. Maximum of three allowed on the horse at a time. It is marked by performance, degree of difficulty, and composition), and we weren’t on until early evening. We warmed up and were ready to compete! Overall it was a very good performance, but we have done it better in training so our hopes weren’t too high for placings! Later on when we saw the scores we were sad to see we’d dropped to sixth, but this was still very good!

The final round, freestyle day 2 commenced on the Sunday, and this time we performed a little earlier so had a lot more energy. It went sooo much better, and we managed to pull ourselves up to 5th place! I am really really please with this result and didn’t expect to come fifth at all. An improvement from the last Europeans in 2009 where we came 8th, and the Worlds in 2010 where we also came 8th.

I now hope that me and my team will be selected to represent GB next year at the World Championships which are going to be held in the same place. If we are selected, it will be the 4th year in a row! :)

On Friday the 8th of June, me and my team competed in the Aachen Vaulting Masters 2011, Germany. I left on Tuesday 5th, straight after I left school – my teachers gave me so much homework to take! We arrived at around 6 in the morning on Wednesday, and there was no time to sleep as we had to get the horses into their stables and accreditation sorted out. We competed from Friday until Sunday in the scorching hot temperatures, and were extremely happy to come 3rd overall! :) Once again can’t wait to go back next year.

We got to Scotland where it was being held late friday evening, and were up early on saturday ready to compete! We did the best set of compulsories we have done, and a pleasing freestyle in team, and we performed it well enough to retain our first place. Also, in my individual, I came third.

Meaning I was selected as both an individual and in team to compete in the European Championships. Unfortunately you cannot do both a team and an individual at an international championship in vaulting, so I chose to do the team :) (I’m the one doing the handstand in the picture)

In the first selections trials, me and my team came first, meaning we were halfway through being selected! (only one team is selected) And in my individual I came second (the top three individuals get selected)!

I was soo happy with how it all went, but eager to see how the second selection trials went! :D (i’m the one in the picture doing the forwards walkover).

Hello(: sorry I haven’t written on here in a while, but I have been sooooo busy training and competing lately! A couple of weeks ago I went to an international competition in the south of France.

It was so fun, and in the nations cup we (me and my team, Joanne Eccles and Andrew Maclachlan) came 1st :) It was GB’s second year in a row on the podium in 1st place! I can’t wait to go back to Saumur next year, where I will be competing as an individual as well as in the team!

Sorry I forgot to put this on last year, but in October last year I went to the BBC studios to do some filming for Blue Peter! It was so fun, and me and my team all got a Blue Peter badge at the end of it :D