Students Compete at National Level
During the last few weeks, we’ve had a number of girls competing in sports at a national level.
Bella and Sienna Galvao started as gymnasts when they were very young. Bella was just 2 years old, and her younger sister Sienna was about 3. Both girls have now moved into different sports where their gymnastic skills have certainly been an advantage.
When each of the girls were 9 years old, they decided to try new sports. Bella became involved in diving, and Sienna started trampolining.
Sienna (Year 6) said, “In gymnastics, we often learned skills on the trampolines, so I was used to being on a trampoline, and I loved it! I could already do some of the skills needed for trampolining because of my gymnastics. I also have a trampoline at home where I can practice my skills.”
Bella (Year 8) added, “I found the transition to diving quite easy too, as we also use a lot of the same skills. Something I did find challenging was that you enter the water headfirst when you dive. As a gymnast, we only land on our feet. So that took a little while to get used to!”
Both girls have just represented their state in their chosen sports.
Diving National Age Group Championships
Bella competed at the 2022 Diving National Age Group Championships held in Adelaide in April, where she won a silver medal in platform diving for the 14/15 age group. She previously won a silver medal in Brisbane in 2019, at the Australian Elite Junior Championships, also for platform diving.
Hannah Min Oo (Year 9) is no stranger to diving on the national stage. She also competed at the Diving Championships. She and Bella were synchro partners. Hannah was state champion in the 1m, 3m and platform diving categories in 2021. This is the fifth year she has represented WA at these Championships. Hannah competed in the 1m and 3m springboard, 5m platform and the 3m synchro. Hannah said, “The highlight of the competition for me was watching all the elite level divers from across the country. It was an impressive event, and I learned a lot from watching other competitors. My favourite event was the synchro dive as I was competing with Bella.”
National Gymnastics Championships
Sienna was selected as a member of the Western Australia Trampoline Gymnastics State Team. She has just returned from competing at the National Gymnastics Championships on the Gold Coast.
“The highlights of Nationals for me were getting to train with my friends, as well as almost winning a medal in a synchro event with my friend.”, Sienna said.
Tenille Pretorius (Year 9) also competed at the National Gymnastics Competition as a rhythmic gymnast. She competed in hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon events. Tenille has been competing at state and national levels since coming to Australia when she was in Year 5. Tenille finished an impressive 13th place against gymnasts from all over Australia. She is also the top gymnast in WA for Junior International.
Before coming to Australia, Tenille was a national artistic gymnast in South Africa. When we asked Tenille what the highlight of the competition was for her, she said, “The most exciting part of going to nationals was that I got to meet and have a photo taken with the best rhythmic gymnast in Australia, Lidiia Iakovleva. Lidiia represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and gained a personnel best score with her club’s routine.”
Congratulations to you all on your achievement! We can’t wait to see where your sport takes you in the future.
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Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
