Carys to cross Tasman

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 340, 19 June 1990, Page 2

Carys to cross Tasman

Ohakune gymnast Carys Hubbard has been selected to represent New Zealand in Australia next month, her second time in the squad. She was picked from trials at Porirua recently and leaves 29 June for 11 days in Sydney to compete in the Australian Nationals followed by competition between the top Australian team and the Kiwis. Last year Carys was competing at the eighth level while this year she is at Level Nine, one down from Olympic level. The difference is that she works on four apparatus in the voluntary sections but not the compulsory. One of her coaches, her father Glyn Hubbard, said she can't put in the necessary time to compete at the Olympic level, nor can her coaches. He said Olympic level gymnasts work under full time coaches. Carys isn't concemed that she won't reach the top level because she says there are other things she wants to do, such as netball and aerobics. She said it was a decision they made to stick with Level Nine, and she will finish her

competitive gymnastics career this year. Next on the agenda is body building, which Carys alreadyknows about. She spends time on weights now as part of injury prevention work. Glyn says she will follow into that easily, having developed good work habits. She hopes to be accepted by the Hamilton Sports Institute next

year at the Waikato Polytechnic. This will be the last of eleven years of gym for Carys, having started with the Turoa Tumblers junior recreation gymnasts. The Hubbards say reaching the top is not only thanks to the hours of work they have put in but also the huge support from the community.