Ep # 39 – Rachael speaks with Ayla Knappick about the upcoming Australian Championships

The Drive Home to Hawkesbury with Rachael Goldsworthy

On this episode of The Drive Home to Hawkesbury, Rachael is looking forward to speaking with 12 year old State Champion Ayla to find out what Power Tumbling and Gymnastics is all about.

Ayla always had a natural flair for gymnastics. Since starting to walk at 8 months old she was always upside down, balancing on objects or somersaulting. Quite agile and flexible she started gymnastics at the age of 4 years. Knowing the passion was there and wanting to constantly somersault and backflip she joined the well-known local Hawkesbury gym Kachan School of Tumbling and Performance who specialises in Power Tumbling and also Trampoline gymnastics. They are reported to be the leading gym in the sport and currently hold numerous World Titles from their Athletes whom they train.

Power Tumbling is a unique form of gymnastics where you perform your routine on a 25 metre rod or air floor with a series of passes consisting of flips, whips, baronies, back and front saults, double backsaults and twists.

After a year of recreational classes, they spotted her talent and commitment then invited her to join their squad team. Within 12 months of training, Ayla competed at her first State Championships with great results placing 4th in her chosen discipline of Tumbling Double Mini Trampoline and U/13 Trampoline.

2017 brought another successful year for Ayla competing at her second State Age Championships qualifying for the Australian Championships in 2 out of her 3 disciplines. Tumbling and Double Mini Trampoline. Joining the NSW Gymnastics State team she travelling to Melbourne Hiesense Arena to give her all. After a tough competition Ayla finished 11th in Australia for Tumbling and 24th Double Mini Trampoline.

Also later during 2017 the State Levels Championships happened and to Ayla’s surprise, she was able to bring home a Silver Medal for Trampoline.

2018 saw yet another amazing start to the year for Ayla’s love of Tumbling. Becoming Dual State Champion in her U13’s Tumbling and Double Mini Trampoline. They are Ayla’s first gold medals in such a high level of competition.

Ayla leaves on Monday 28th May, 2018 to join her fellow NSW State teammates to compete in her 2 Australian Championships held in Melbourne competing in 4 different events.
U13’s Tumbling and Double Mini Trampoline as State Champion, Trampoline and Synchronised Trampoline. A huge week to come for Ayla and her equally dedicated Mum Sandra, we wish them both the very best for the Australian Championships.

Rachael looks forward to seeing everyone online in support of Ayla for her big event. I Live, Love, Hawkesbury and can’t wait to get into today’s episode.

I’m Rachael Goldsworthy and welcome to The Drive Home to Hawkesbury, where I believe every home has a story and I love sharing those stories on real estate in real estate with you. Here we share the best ways to add value to your property, how to avoid the common mistakes people make when buying and selling property, and how to get the maximum return on your investment with a focus on supporting local business. I live love Hawkesbury and can’t wait to get into today’s episode with you, so let’s get started.
Good afternoon or good evening depending on what time you’re watching this episode. I’m Rachael Goldsworthy and super excited to be here with state champion, not only state champion, judo state champion island. That big. That’s good. And tell me a little about gymnastics. When did that start? Were you very young?
I was three years old
years old. Okay. Hello to everybody that’s on here. It’s great to see so many people, Christine, but what says, wow, what a ride up. I’ll, I’ll look forward to seeing you in the interview and also an honorable mention for the very dedicated support person. Mom, hey, how about that? Nice one. Sandra. I hope you’re on the line. Sander. Good to see you too. And who also. We got everybody, the stack of people on here. Just in support of you for next, next week’s national. So when you started, when you were four years old. I live. That’s a pretty big thing. Tell me, what is gymnastics and heady? Get into it.
Well, I just, since I was little, I just started tumbling around the house doing handstands and rose front flips, back, flips, all that kind of stuff.
Yeah. It’s Kinda like just eating a banana sandwiches. I’m really easy stuff and I got even though it’s to. What do you call those things? When you put your hands over your head and you try and stand up and make yourself into a bit of an arch. What’s that? Cool
springs but in tumbling spot we call them flips, flips. What? We jumped. We if we did like a round of kind of thing, then we get back home to our faith, jumped back into our hands. We do that continuously. Okay.
So tell me gymnastics. Where do you train?
I can’t even talk to Christian school is tumbling and performance in Sacramento.
Okay. And what’s that like? You enjoy that? I love it there. And there’s lots of kids and adults that get involved with it too. And how many people would you try and read on any one day?
Um, probably around about eight to 10 people.
Eight to 10 people. And what does a training session like? I mean, I know I like to go for a walk by the river and that kind of stuff, but that’s a bit sedating comparison to the training. That’s somebody specialized that you do. So tell me all about that. What does get, is that an hour? Is it two hours?
It’s a four hours on a Tuesday and a Wednesday and I get four and a half hours on a Saturday.
Oh Wow. And talking
about that, I think Dima is saying hello and beck is saying hello, how are you? They’re your coaches, aren’t they?
Fantastic. And Rebecca as well. And moms online. Hi Mom. Hi Sandra. How are you doing? Your mom is a big support fruit for you as well as. And she, she’s traveling down to Melbourne, I believe, nine. Terrific. And I’ve also got another comment down. He reverts. Thank you very much for coming on. And she said a great story. It takes dedication to reach that standard. Good luck, Aila. It’s really nice to have the support from everybody, isn’t it? Because there’s so many people that are cheering you on and it must be a big thing. I mean not only the Jews state champion, but you’re also school captain at Ebeneezer School, I believe. Like I know what it’s like when you’re running a business. It’s very suddenly things on lots of staff, lots of people to work with. What is it like? It must be the same sort of pressure being a state champion champion and also as a captain.
Well I have to run a lot of assemblies every two weeks or four other captains say I’m dating. They sometimes they have to run assemblies on their own with at paypal.
Wow. Big responsibilities. And you get to go to school with a lot of kids to whatever Nisa big shout out to Mr Brian. He’s the principal. There isn’t anybody else you’d like to say hello to your little brother. Maybe Joe and little Robert. He’s my nephew. Hello Robert. How are you? So now we’ve got a bit of show and so for everybody, because I’m, I feel very, very privileged sitting next to the jail state champion and she’s bought along with her very, very special metals and she’s going to share with you could you walk us through each one of the models that you’ve received and what they mean?
Say at then you go in last year for a national clubs. Then I had this one here was at state levels last year for trampoline.
Hold that one road up to the green light there. And then look at that. Isn’t that amazing? So is there a silver medal or is that a gold medal? It’s a civil war. That’s awesome. Any middle in my. Any place. Just turning up to the competition is just a great achievement, isn’t it?
Then I had. I got this wonderful again, take double, mini tramp and the other of tumbling.
Awesome. Hi Karen and Karen’s online to say hello to you too. I’ll let everybody’s cheering you on as they are for everybody. And noses. You go girl. How about uncle? No, my uncle know. And you’ve got your grandfather on the line as well too. It’s great to have everybody there. So it’s so nice to have the support. So yeah. So, um, which is your favorite middle out of all of those ones that you’ve shown us? My tumbling. This one now that’s a gold medal. You got two gold medals too. Don’t shit. Yeah. That’s awesome. And um, what does it take to get a gold medal? Like what do you need to do that the judges are looking for when you’re doing the tumbling or the gymnastics?
Straight legs to hit the right spot on the floor. Make sure you don’t take off on the mat or the floor, kind of all that stuff.
Okay. So it’s just sort of straight legs on the floor. Straight ahead. Do you have to run really fast as you’re coming up to what you’re doing? It depends. Okay. And what does it depend on?
Um, how did you pass or retain that you’re doing or saying? If I was doing an eight school pass, you may need to run a little bit faster. I doing five scope past. Might want to rather still fast, but a little bit slower.
Okay. For the, the simple real estate agents here online like me, what’s the past and what’s. I’m a five and an eight. What’s the difference between the two? Is that an extra move that you put into the tumble?
What we do is for two passes, which basically means we have to do a five scale retain. Say it a step eight, includes a start and an ending. So Randolph and then say you’re doing whips and flips and then an end, maybe some twists. So Devil’s alright and costs. You would add a little bit more to that.
Wow. No, that’s awesome. And um, tell me when you, you’re doing the routine. So they have music that they play for you or you just got to be focused on that actual move and just get straight into it and do the past. And we’ll normally have music in the gym all the time. Wow. Christine says that you’re doing a great job explaining everything. Isn’t that good? Um, and is it one Mac and taught you put a hood on. It’s cold. Yes, exactly. We’re thinking the same thing, but I’m wearing the Australian colors because we’re all going to the nationals next, next week down to Melbourne. How’s that going to be this for the whole week in Melbourne and yes, Australian championships. And how many of you are traveling down there from your school?
Um, well there’s a couple from Asco that uh, it’s going and then I think instead of stay or the internationals are going, so they actually paid for.
Wow. And because there’s two other competitions that you may be invited to as well. Which ones in Portugal and one’s in Russia, isn’t it?
Yeah. So tell me about that. They’re mainly for the internationals. Yes. And if they qualify at nationals, I think they go to Portugal can. Yeah. No
that’s terrific. Hi Julie. Julie says for it you’re doing an awesome interview. Well done to you. I look, I completely agree. And she’s such an expert on the topic of the tumbling and I’ve, I’ve seen her in action and honestly the energy required. I mean, I’ll look like a giant and comparisons, a little Iowa. I’m not too sure how many kilos. You don’t have to answer that question, but she’s a tiny, tiny thing. How tall are you? I’m like, wow. Okay. So I’m just just under six Ford and that would sort of come up to about here on me, but the way I like I just down these paths. I mean there’s a mat and it’s. How many meters would you say would be 25? 50 million or something like that. Okay. And so she runs down this of amazing pace, those who turns and tumbles and so forth and then lands on both your feet and just big smile and thank you to the crowd. Is that the way it happens?
And safely we can present Isabelle say we did that at the start and at the end.
Oh, awesome. And Sex Sean deem. Hi Zac. How are you? Awesome work. I was still more to come and that’s so true because she’s so talented and she’s had a couple of fantastic years out there in the training and doing everything that she’s doing and I know you’ve got a really good support pro of trainers from a baker and diem and all the people down at, um. What’s the name of your school again? One more time. There we go. So they’re all great people. They work out at the winds of Baptist church down in south windsor there. It’s a great location. If anybody wants to get involved, I’m sure are baker and dean would be pleased to help them. We’ll put up a link on that for people so that they can have a look at that now with the nationals or the Australian championships coming in next week, what are some of the things that you’re thinking about going into that competition? Ireland.
It’s such a big competition. I’m a little bit nervous.
Are you? What are you nervous about?
Well, I really want to try hard to get really, really good and try mean. Yeah,
and we’re super proud of it. And you’re going to do the best you possibly can do on the day, and it doesn’t matter whether you place with you win, whatever it happens, you’re all a winner in our eyes. That’s the way I look at it. So, um, I think it’s fantastic. Now, I don’t know whether anybody’s offered you corporate sponsorship, but I think that you’ve been doing an awesome job in the tumbling and everything else and I’ve spoken to your manager and she’s okay. This, um, she’s also your chaperone and your mother, but, um, we’re going to give you some corporate sponsorship for the event. So that’s for you to take away and now you’re most welcome and we’re happy to support the local sporting organizations and also the local kids because I think it’s really important. It has done so well and she’s a real quiet achiever and she probably wouldn’t.
A lot of people may not know all of the things that she does, but the dedication and training that she has done and achieved over the last few years. And you know, starting from the age of four. And how old are you now? 11. 11. Wow. And you’re going in the underserved teens, is that right? Yeah. So it’s going to be a really big, big thing for her to be down in the competition as for everybody else going in the competition with the school. And I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. Probably a lot of pressure to, as you said, you might be a little bit nervous, but I think you’re going to do a great job as I’m sure everybody else. Thanks. So, um, all the best for down in Melbourne and I hope you come back until it’s lots of great stories and all your adventures and, and how you fear down there and um, you know, what you did and what sort of training you didn’t. Just before we finished, tell me what’s your favorite move on the actual math? What’s your favorite sort of
since yesterday. That’s probably my favorite right now.
Double Talk and what I’m with the double Tuck. Is it really important to pull the legs close to cheer? So what’s, what’s the best way to do that?
Yeah, it’s probably your legs. Say you have like a little bit of gap in your knees and make sure that your team doesn’t like hit your knees.
Okay. Yeah. And when you land what’s important when you’re landing?
I’m just try as much as he can. Try and like stick it, stick it. Yes.
That’s a technical term. And what does stick it mean for the people? Like the real estate agents that don’t know what that means. US out here
scale. And we don’t have to take a step. We just like landon stand there.
Okay. And do you have to put your arms up in the air as though, and wave to people or do any of that sort of thing or. No. Okay. Zach’s giving you a big thumbs up. He thinks that you probably. Do you know Zack a good on your coach? Zach, how are you? Stoked story. What’s that mean?
Ah, very good. Yes, there we go. We’ve got all of the, the um, the trampoline gymnastic. Speak Down Pat with the help of Ilm. And Zach, thank you for that. Well, we wish you all the very best for your training down in preliminary training prior to going down to the Australian championships, Eila and everybody else that’s going down there. We really appreciate you coming on the show. We’re looking forward to catching up with Demi and Rebecca and possibly to upon your return just to see and he all of the latest news and anybody else that wants to share the sports stories of the local community and the hope street. That’s why I’ve created this podcast just so that we can share the great stories that we all get involved with in this and many of them and um, so many unsung heroes and it’s nice to hear about.
Oh Shit to show us all your middles again. I’ll have you just done so well and we’re all super proud of you. So that’s an awesome job and we’re looking forward to hearing about it when you get back. So thanks for being on the line. Our, I’m sure everyone appreciates it and you can give them a big way and we’ll say hello and goodbye until the next time and say goodbye to people. Thanks very much for tuning in. If you’ve got any questions at all, don’t hesitate to contact me. I can be [e-mail]. I also will put some links up from the school and also anything else that people want to know. Questions, comments, love to hear from you, and it will be fantastic. Hi Melinda. Thank you very much for your thumbs up. We really appreciate that and everybody else being on the line and the support for the local problem. Okay, take care and we’ll see you on the next one. Bye for now.
Thank you so much for taking time out of listening to today’s episode. If you have any questions on the process of buying, selling, leasing Australia management, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Be sure to subscribe on itunes and I’d really appreciate if you could spread the word by liking and sharing this episode with your family and friends. I’m Rachael Goldsworthy and I look forward to catching up with you on the next episode of The Drive Home to Hawkesbury.