Junior gymnasts banned from competing due to business dispute with governing body
The crisis that is tearing apart grassroots gymnastics across Australia is also affecting local athletes, with young Queensland children banned from competing due to the business dispute.
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The crisis that is tearing apart grassroots gymnastics across Australia is also affecting local athletes.
Gymnasts at Allstar Gymnastics in Toowoomba were forced to temporarily register for other clubs to compete in qualifying for the open age national championships due to a political struggle that has seen Gymnastics Queensland lock the club out of competition.
Club owner Vicki Flamsteed says that with the junior season approaching her younger competitors are now faced with a similar prospect.
“The sanction is under appeal and the appeal process is underway, but at the moment Gymnastics Queensland won’t allow the gymnasts to compete unless they join another club,” Flamsteed said.
“We are exhausting all options to ensure the kids do not miss out.”
The nub of the disagreement is state associations’ want to treat, and financially charge, toddlers and preschoolers programs and ‘recreational gymnasts’ the same as competition participants.
Increasingly clubs around Australia have been affiliating the recreational side of their business with a new commercial services entity (Recreational Gymnastics Australia) that provides a more cost effective solution for insurance and education.
Flamsteed has done this with Allstar Gymnastics as it will save the club and its participants thousands of dollars.
She claims this has been met with retribution from governing bodies, who have penalised clubs on the competitive side of their business. She says some, like Allstar, have been barred from competition.
“The club is suspended. So the kids can’t compete under their home club, which is just heartbreaking for the families,” Flamsteed says.
“It’s sad because this is all to do with administrative red tape, and nothing to do with the facilities, coaching and programs of the club that families love and will continue to operate.”
Flamsteed is confident she will find a way for her students to continue for Allstar, but says the national and state bodies for the sport need to understand the industry is evolving and to embrace market forces that help make private gymnastics clubs a sustainable business model for owners.
“We’ve tried to approach this as very professionally and supportably and collaboratively with the states and they just refuse to engage,” Flamsteed says.
“There’s no level of collaboration. It’s very frustrating.
“And the kids are the victims.”
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