It’s show-time for Australia’s five rhythmic gymnasts in Singapore today. All their years of dedication and striving to perfect their amazing routines will be tested during qualification at Bishan Sports Halls.

Nothing has been left to chance from music, to costumes and getting the best of choreographers involved. The Australian gymnasts are here to perform clean routines and get the world talking about ‘those girls from down under’.

Most Australians have never seen rhythmic gymnastics but those who have are amazed by the skill and athleticism. Since arriving 10 days ago these girls have trained twice a day for a total of four hours and travelled up to four hours a day.

They are known around the Village for their disciplined approach to training, their infectious smiles, glittered eye make-up and their colourful Romanian-born coach Delia Halmu.

Qualification is a high pressure situation which can make for some upsets. It is also a very stressful and emotional time for the coach and supporters.

There are six nations competing and the top four progress to Wednesday’s final. Russia and Japan are the favourites and Egypt is an unknown.

Taylor Tirahardjo is one of 18 gymnasts competing in the individual. She is aiming for four clean routines and then if the judges rate her in the top eight she will compete in the final on Wednesday and be thrilled.

“It’s the ones who think and handle their emotions that will do well,” Australian coach Delia Halmu explained in Singapore. “The ones with the brains and composure.”

Victorian 15-year-old Tirahardjo will complete the hoop, rope, clubs and ball during the day in the Individual All-Around qualification and in the evening the Group All-Around qualification commences where the hoop and ribbon are the apparatus.

It is the first time a junior Australian Group has competed overseas which is a great achievement for the girls and coaches. Fotini Panselinos, Soriah MacLean, Morgan Turner and Summer Walker are all from Sydney and have been working together for 30 hours a week for the past year. It is an enormous commitment from them, their families and their coaches.

“We started doing everything together,” Walker said. “Our stretching, warm-up and our skills off the matt to help with the unison and our peripheral vision. Because you are deducted heavily if you’re not in sync.”

Competitions and the quest for excellence have taken these teenagers to all corners of the globe. The group routines have been choreographed in the rhythmic gymnastics heartland Bulgaria and their costumes are each worth $1000 each.

“Wait until you see them…you’ll die!” Lamu said.

 Lamu rates the Group event as the most entertaining to watch.

 “It’s like a circus act on the floor, it’s brilliant.”

The fact Australia even has a Group entry at the Youth Olympic Games is quite an achievement. To be eligible all athletes need to be born in 1995 so two friends/coaches from two neighbouring Sydney Clubs joined forces. Lamu from MLC Club who has coached Turner and Panselinos for over five years and Lisa Caton from PLC who coaches Walker and MacLean.

Lamu chose the soundtrack from the movie Angels and Demons for the hoop routine and Caton, Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal for the ribbon.

The journey to Singapore from Sydney for the four group gymnasts has involved two very expensive and involved trips to Bulgaria firstly to choreograph routines to the music and then to perfect and modify their routines.

“We first went to Bulgaria in November last year to develop our routines. When we came back from Bulgaria the first time all the seniors and everyone in the clubs were really excited to see our routine but we couldn’t actually do any of it,” Panselinos explained.

“We had so many drops (of apparatus). But day by day we have been working hard and we have got there,” Turner added.

Each section needs to be perfect before moving on to the next so it has been a long and arduous process.

“We are kind of the underdogs. No one has seen us before. We are the first junior group to represent Australia so it’s very exciting,” Walker said.

Their hoop routine has a degree of difficulty of 10, which is the maximum for juniors, and their ribbon routine is worth 9.7.

To comprise a Team they needed for girls at the Junior Elite level and they only had three. MacLean was a level 9 and needed to step up levels or they would have no team.

“I had to work extra hard to move up levels,” MacLean said.

“She has come such a long way. We’re all really nice to each other and we always try to help each other out,” Panselinos said.

Panselinos has a remarkable eight family and friends come to watch and the five girls in total have 25. The final placing is not as important as showing the world how great their routines are.

“If we nail the routines we’ll be happy,” Turner said.

Individual competitor Tirahardjo has had to manage a shin splint injury, which limits her leaps in training, and also her personal coach Emma Tankovich has had to stay in Melbourne as accreditations were limited to one coach.

She has had to learn to train with Lamu who is known for being one of the toughest coaches in the world.

“At first I was a bit scared and I didn’t know what to expect,” Tirahardjo said.

“I’m not used to training under a different coach and Delia does things differently to what I do but I’m getting used to it. I’m definitely benefiting from training with Delia because she also judges so I’m getting help form a coaches perspective as well as a judges perspective.”

In their final training sessions Lamu was making sure everything was perfect.

“They’re not carrots, they’re clubs throw with your wrist not your arm,” Lamu said.

“Don’t point your foot like that. It’s ugly and remember don’t start with your butt towards the judges,” she instructed.

Tirahardjo’s expectations and experiences are what the Youth Olympic Games is all about.

“I’m not expecting to win or anything. My aim is to perform clean routines and do my best,” she said.

Amongst all the hard work and training she is still managing to have a good time.

“I love it here I don’t want to leave. The Village is so much fun and a great way to meet new friends.

“I did the rockclimbing activity one day with a Canadian rhythmic gymnast who I have seen at comps before but never got a chance to meet properly. It was great.”

No matter what the result these girls who ‘could do 250 abs like nothing and 250 double skips no problem’ are ready to put on a great show for the judges and their supporters.

They are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and experienced coach. Halmu, who was born in Romania coached at NSWIS for nine years and has been at MLC for the past five. She has done nothing but coach and travel to training since arriving in Singapore but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cue music and good luck girls!

Andrew Reid
AOC