NT looking to medal at 2024 Frangipani Calisthenics Cup on September 26
Ready to bolster her career, the NT’s youngest Calisthenics coach takes her team to the 10th annual interstate Frangipani Cup hosted here in Darwin.
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The youngest calisthenics coach in the Territory, Alaina Kmon, is set to take on the toughest task of her fledgling career by leading her team to the 10th edition of the Frangipani Cup in Darwin.
The 16-year-old started her dancing journey at age five, and her love for the sport has seen her fast tracked through the coaching qualifications.
Calisthenics is a combination of gymnastics, ballet, folk dance, apparatuses, figure march, mime, singing and jazz which features six items; march, clubs, rods, free-arm, aesthetic and fancy.
Kmon was mentored by some of the Territory’s top coaches, such as Danica Orchard, and she soon will lead her team against rival states South Australia and Western Australia.
She was appointed junior head coach at Arafura Calisthenics Club, leading the team to their third state championship on September 21.
“I’ve enjoyed helping and I liked building a rapport and having an understanding with the girls,” Kmon said.
“As I got older, I started having ideas and wanting to put them into routines, not just in my head.”
The Frangipani Cup is a development-based competition, for those who don’t get the chance to take part in a state squad.
The NT has not taken a national team since 2017 but this competition is a chance to develop their skills and repertoire at the Darwin Entertainment Centre on Thursday, September 26.
“We want to bring visibility to NT callisthenics to the state; any opportunity to get our name out there is what we want to do,” Kmon said.
“It also gives our participants the chance to watch the girls from other states.”
NT Calisthenics Association president Anna Collins said the cup would allow the Territory competitors to exceed their own expectations.
Collins credited Kmon for bringing a contemporary and modern edge to her routines while keeping a focus on the basic principles of technique and control.
South Australia’s development team manager Sonia McGuire said their team was a good opportunity for their girls to develop their skills, lift them to an elite level and help the NT callisthenics community.
“We love that the competition is a fun, and uplifting experience for everyone involved,” McGuire said.
The cup will host the sub-junior group (8-10 years) on Thursday alongside the juniors, while the Intermediate teams will compete on Sunday.
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