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2022 Year in Review

Founded in 1962, this year marked the 60th Anniversary of the Youth Club and what a year it was. Let’s take a look back at some of the year’s highlights.

  • After an extended closure due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Youth Club officially re-opened on the 31st of January.  Our school sport program also recommenced at the start of the year with students from Caringbah High School and Port Hacking High School participating in weekly trampolining lessons at the Youth Club. 
  • The 2022 Miranda RSL Youth Club AGM was held on the 9th of March at Miranda Diggers. At the meeting, Ann Corey-Hewitt stepped down as President after four years in the role and John Boes was elected as the Miranda RSL Youth Club President for 2022.
  • On the 21st of March, Sensei Wayne Budd attained his 3rd Degree Black Belt (Sandan). This grade takes years of dedication and we congratulate Wayne on his outstanding achievement.
  • At the end of the month, we installed two new beds on our EuroTramp Trampolines. This update brings our equipment in line with the current competition standards and will assist our athletes in their preparation for the 2023 competition season.
  • In April, the Youth Club hosted the Miranda RSL Sub Branch ANZAC Day ceremony held at the Miranda War Memorial. Thank you to everyone who attended and to all the volunteers who assisted on the day.
  • During Term 2, our coaches travelled out to Yarrawarrah Public School once a week to run Gymnastics Australia’s LaunchPad program with Stage 1 and 2 students. This program teaches basic gymnastics skills and promotes the development of fundamental movement skills at a young age. 
Image courtesy of Eleni Petinos.
  • On the 25th of June, we hosted an Open Day at the Youth Club to celebrate our 60th Anniversary. The event involved a range of athlete demonstrations, free ‘come and try’ sessions for the public and a reunion afternoon tea for former members and associates. One of our trampoline coaches, Emily Cox, put together a 28-page Commemorative Booklet for the event chronicling the history of the Youth Club using a variety of records and sources. You can download a digital copy of the booklet by clicking here.
  • In July we began running KinderGym classes for athletes aged between 3 and 5 years of age. These classes follow a structured curriculum and provide a safe and fun environment for children to develop their social, cognitive, and physical literacy.
  • On the 28th of July, the Youth Club hosted the 2022 Sydney East Combined High School (CHS) Trampoline Trials. Of the five athletes selected to represent Sydney East at the 2022 CHS Championships, three were current members of the Youth Club including trampoline coach Jensen Hawes.
  • In September, Ann Corey-Hewitt attended the Miranda RSL Sub-Branch Battle for Australia Day commemoration service on behalf of the Youth Club along with a number of local dignitaries.
  • Later that month, members of the Sydney East Trampoline Team along with several Youth Club Coaches travelled to Niagara Park for the 2022 CHS Championships. Congratulations to the whole team on their excellent results.
Image courtesy of Graeme Thom.
  • This year, SKIA Shotokan Week was held for the first time since 2019, taking place in Sydney from the 29th of September to the 2nd of October. Congratulations to Youth Club athlete Ethan Italiano who achieved his 2nd Degree Black Belt (Nidan) during the event! 
  • Display Day 2022 was held on the 27th of November and featured the presentation of our perpetual trophies and the induction of a new Life Member, Amanda Donaldson. A full list of the award recipients can be found in our previous post.

2022 was not without its challenges for the Youth Club. Following two years of significant disruptions and extended closures, membership numbers were well down on previous years. At the time of writing, the Youth Club has 141 registered members and 18 coaches. Of those members, almost two thirds are new in 2022. With numbers slowly rebuilding, we are very excited to announce we the return of Wednesday classes in 2023. An updated timetable listing the new classes will be published early in the new year.

We must also mention the contribution of our sponsors Miranda RSL Sub-Branch and JFD Global. These organisations help us to keep our fees low, purchase new equipment and fund our coach education program to ensure our coaches continue to provide the best possible service for our members.

We hope you have a very happy holidays and look forward to seeing you in 2023!

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2018 Year in Review

As 2018 draws to a close, lets take a chance to look back on the highlights of the year.

  • In March, Anastasia G., Tully A. and Olivia T. represented the Club at the National Stream State Trial 1. Congratulations to:
    • Olivia T. (1st U11 Tumbling)
    • Tully A. (3rd U13 Tumbling & 3rd U13 Double Mini)
  • Later in the month, we also had six Levels athletes compete at Grand Prix #1.
  • In April, Anastasia G. and Olivia T. competed at the National Stream State Championships. Olivia was able to qualify for the State Team on all three of her events and was selected to represent New South Wales at the 2018 Australian National. Tully had previously qualified for two events but declined his place on the team.
  • The Youth Club once again hosted the Miranda RSL Sub Branch ANZAC Day ceremony held at the Miranda War Memorial. Thank you to everyone who attended and to all the volunteers who helped with set up, pack down and barbecue.
  • Congratulations to coaches Keelie and Sarah who completed their Intermediate Trampoline Coaching Accreditation in April. Keelie and Sarah also attained their Intermediate Tumbling Coaching Accreditation a few months later.
  • In May, the Club received a delivery of over $8000 worth of brand new equipment for our Trampoline and Tumbling program including a new Double Mini Landing mat.
  • The club also hosted a First Aid Course during May for all employees. This enabled existing coaches to maintain and update their current accreditation and provided new coaches an opportunity to earn their accreditation for the first time.
  • June was a busy month for our competitors. At the start of the month, Olivia travelled down to Melbourne with the NSW State Team to compete at Nationals. Here’s how she placed:
    • Individual Trampoline – 27th
    • Double Mini – 18th
    • Tumbling – 7th
    • Synchronised Trampoline – 8th

  • A couple of days later, five Karate athletes represented the Youth Club at the NSW S.K.I. State Championships. All of our competitors had a great competition and their results are listed below:
    • Liam B. (2 Bronze Medals)
    • James D.L.C. (1 Silver & 1 Bronze Medal)
    • Nicholas G. (1 Gold, 1 Silver & 1 Bronze Medal)
    • Nigel G. (1 Gold & 1 Silver Medal)
    • Lucas V. (1 Gold, 1 Silver & 1 Bronze Medal)
  • Towards the end of June, a large contingent of Trampoline and Tumbling athletes represented the club at Grand Prix #2. A special congratulations goes to Kyan P. who placed first in both Level 4 Trampoline and Level 4 Double Mini.

  • In August, our Club once again hosted the trials for the Sydney East Combined High Schools (CHS) Trampoline team.
  •  Over the course of the year, the Youth Club also hosted a number of junior coach education sessions as part of our mentoring program. The sessions involved a mixture of presentations from senior coaches and hands on experience in the gym.
  • Later in August, Anastasia G., Kyan P., Olivia T. and Deklyn D-G. represented the club at State Levels Trial 1, this years only qualifying event for the State Levels Championships.
  • In September, the club had two athletes compete at the State Levels Championships. Anastasia G. placed 3rd in Level 6 Trampoline and Olivia T. placed 10th in the hotly contested Level 4 Tumbling.
  • The Sydney East Region Trampoline Team, led by Mr Bull, had another successful year at the Combined High Schools Championships. Congratulations to Kyle R. (Multi Class Men) and Stephanie R. (Multi Class Women) who placed first overall in their respective divisions and to Rayner F. (12 Years Girls) from Kirrawee High who was selected to represent her age group in the Champions of Champions competition.

  • At the beginning of October, three members of our Karate program along with their sensei travelled to the Sunshine Coast to attend Shotokan Week and the 2018 SKIA National Championships. Congratulations to all of our athletes on their exceptional results, here’s how they placed:
    • Amanda B. (2 Gold Medals)
    • Liam B. (1 Silver & 1 Bronze Medal)
    • Lucas V. (2 Gold Medals)
  • An extra special congratulations goes to Liam B. who passed his Shodan (First Degree Black Belt) during Shotokan Week. Well done Liam!
  • In November, several members represented the Youth Club at the Miranda Remembrance Sunday Service.
  • We once again held Display Day, our annual athlete showcase and presentation day. Congratulations to all our award winners.
  • Finally, in late November, Youth Club member Kyle R. was awarded the NSWCHS Sporting Blue for his achievements during his six years on the Sydney East Trampoline Sports Team. Congratulations Kyle!

Thank you for another great year at Miranda RSL Youth Club, we look forward to having you back in 2019. Classes will start back on Wednesday the 30th of January.

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2017 – Year in Review

That’s a wrap on classes for 2017! Thanks to all our athletes, members, volunteers and supporters who helped to make 2017 another great year for the Youth Club. Some of the year’s highlights are listed below;

  • For the first time, a dedicated Tumbling Class was added to the Timetable.
  • In April, 16 athletes, coaches and representatives had the honour of representing the Youth Club in the annual Sydney City ANZAC Day March as Australian flag bearers.
  • Three of our four competitors at the Trampoline Age State Championships were selected to attend the 2017 Australian National Gymnastics Championships held in Melbourne in May. A special congratulations to Tully A. who was awarded 2nd place in U11 Men Tumbling and Jared B. who was awarded 2nd place in 17+ Men Double Mini.
  • During the year, we had several Trampoline athletes attend the Grand Prix competition series for Levels athletes. At the conclusion of the series, Katherine C. was awarded Level 4 Women overall champion.

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  • In July, seven Karate athletes attended the K.I. NSW State Championships. Congratulations to gold medalists Liam B., Jack G., Nicholas G., Ethan I., and Lucas V.
  • Also in July, the club purchased a brand new 20m tumbling air floor to further advance our tumbling program.
  • Six Trampoline athletes attended the Spring State Championships. Congratulations to:
    • Olivia T. (4th Level 3 Tumbling)
    • Tully A. (2nd Level 4 Double Mini & 4th Level 4 Trampoline)
    • Anastasia G. (3rd Level 5 Double Mini & 6th Level 5 Trampoline)
  • In September, Nicholas G. achieved his Second Degree Black Belt (Nidan) during the Shotokan Karate International Australia National Seminar. Earlier in the year, Nicholas also achieved a 3rd place at the Australian Karate Federation Nationals. Congratulations Nicholas!
  • The Sydney East Region Trampoline Team, led by Mr Bull, had another successful year at the Combined High Schools Championships. Congratulations to Ronan S. (Multi Class Men), Luke W. (13yr Men) and Stephanie R. (Multi Class Women) who placed first overall in their respective age groups.
  • A total of four Karate athletes attended the S.K.I.A. National Championships. Congratulations to our gold medalists Nigel G. and Lucas V.
  • In October, Leanne was selected to judge at the New Zealand Trampoline Championships and Trans-Tasman Championships as a member of the official Australian delegation. A huge congratulations to Leanne for this prestigious selection!
  • On the 5th of November,  representatives of the Youth Club and of Miranda RSL Sub Branch attended the 2017 Remembrance Day Ceremony at Oatley Sub Branch.
  • We finished the year off with Display Day, our annual athlete showcase and presentation day. We once again had a fantastic turnout and it was great to see so many members and spectators come out to support the Youth Club and it’s activities.

Thanks for another great year, we look forward to seeing you back next year. Regular classes start back on Tuesday the 30th of January, 2018.

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2016 – Year in Review

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2016 was a very successful year for the Youth Club with the significant development of our competitive and school sport programs. The Club was also able to upgrade our old equipment and expand our recreational programs. Some of the highlights of 2016 are listed below;

  • In April, Olivia B. represented the Club at the Trampoline Age State Championships. Later in the year, an additional four athletes represented the Club at the Trampoline Levels State Championships.
  • 16 coaches and senior athletes represented the Club in the annual Sydney City ANZAC Day March as Australian flag bearers.
  • In May, two of our Club’s most senior judges, Leanne and Lyndal, represented the Club at the National Trampoline Championships.
  • In July, Brian Cox, Jack G., Ethan I. and Nicholas G. attended the Shotokan Karate International Australia National Seminar, held during July, with both Jack and Ethan achieving their Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt).
  • Many Trampoline Athletes chose to compete in the Grand Prix Competition Series at the Central Coast Youth Club throughout the year. After a series of successful competitions for the Club, we were thrilled to finish the year with 5 overall Level Champions.
    • Level 1 Men – Stephen B.
    • Level 3 Women – Dakota H.
    • Level 4 Women – Katherine C.
    • Level 5 Women – Anastasia G.
    • Level 7 Age Men – Jared B.

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  • Jack G. and Nicholas G. were selected for the Shotokan Karate International Australia National Team, to compete in the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation World Championships held in Jakarta. Nicholas achieved a Gold Medal in his division, Jack was unfortunately unable to attend.
  • In late 2016, our Club once again hosted the trials for the Sydney East Combined High Schools (CHS) Trampoline team. In September, the regional team of over 40 athletes led by Head Trampoline Coach and Regional Coordinator Robert Bull attended the two-day State competition at the Central Coast Youth Club. Endeavor Sports High School was named Best School in the competition for special athletes and two Sydney East athletes were named State Age Champions, Luke W. (12yr Men) and Dylan G. (13yr Men), both from Caringbah High School.
  • The year ended with Display Day, our annual athlete showcase and presentation day. Congratulations to all our award winners.
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