|
East Kilbride Gymnastics Club was established in 1972 by Foster
McLean, at that time a part-time gymnastics
coach employed by Lanarkshire Community Education Department and East
Kilbride District Council.
In it�s first year the club�s membership rose to over 50
gymnasts with four Council employed coaches in attendance and
over the next three years membership numbers increased steadily. In 1975,
with numbers nearing 120 gymnasts, East Kilbride District Council encouraged
the club to become self-sufficient and withdrew the provision of paid
coaches. From then to the present day gymnasts have received instruction
from many dedicated coaches who have volunteered their time free of charge
to pass on their skills.
In 1975 the District Council offered the club exclusive use of
the upstairs hall in the Dollan Baths as a centre of
excellence. The offer came at a good time as the following Summer the club
was inundated with applications from hundreds of local children who had
viewed the most remarkable gymnastic performances of the century at the 1976
Olympic Games. By the end of 1976 the club�s membership had more than
tripled and the club became one of the largest and most prosperous in
Scotland.
The club unfortunately lost the use of the Dollan Baths in 1988
and our activities have since been based in a number of
sports centres across the East Kilbride area. Through the hard work of
coaches and gymnasts the club has become highly respected throughout UK
gymnastics.
Our gymnasts have consistently brought considerable acclaim to
the club through their performances. Many of our
gymnasts, past and present, have proved worthy of selection as members of
regional or national squads. Our gymnasts� successes in club, national and
international competitions would be too numerous to list here although
special mention should be made of the club�s greatest ambassadors � Stuart
Whiting, Stuart Glendinning, Gary Cross, Ruth Gibson and Faith Arnott � all of whom had
the honour of being selected to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth
Games. Most recently Yvonne Welsh and Kelly Anne Anderson became the first
ever Scottish Sports Acrobats to achieve any medal at the Junior World Acro
Championships, leaving the competition with a bronze medal.
The club�s administrative base and main coaching centre is
within the Greenhills Sports Centre, Stroud Road, East Kilbride. The club
works closely with South Lanarkshire Leisure but is not run in anyway by the
leisure services, instead the club relies upon the commitment of its
volunteers to maintain its integrity.
|
