Hello. It’s been another three months since my last blog. I can’t believe it. During this time it’s been a real rollercoaster. It’s been really difficult at times and I’ve felt so frustrated, but I’ve kept trying to move forward and now I’m really happy with how my gymnastics is going and I’m feeling confident and believing in myself. My skills and routines are feeling good. Here’s what I have been doing, and some of my training videos and competition videos of my routines!
Week 28 June. It was normal training times in the gym for me this week and on Friday I received my England Squad kit in the post, which arrived at Falcons. For once in my life, the leggings actually fit! 
It’s smart kit and looks athletic kit, if you know what I mean? I like it. 
Kelly also received an email to say that I’ve been invited to a GB assessment day at Lilleshall on 8 August. It’s with selectors looking for possible GB Junior Squad members for next year, who might be GB juniors to compete in internationals. If I feel I’ll have my skills ready I could go. It’s the day after my holiday though, so we may have to make some kind of training plan.
It’s a real opportunity. I think I should try. If I’m not ready then it says I can pull out, and they will watch people at the British Champs in November
Fri 10-5 I wore my new England leo and kit to training. I wasn’t keen on photos being taken! 🤣
It was a good first session today and I did pit bar. After lunch… Arghh I stubbed my thumb while doing my shoots on bars. It was sore and swollen so I iced it. Ouch. It was really swollen that night.
Sunday – my thumb is still sore but I managed the whole six hours of training.
The next week was a good week of training.
Sunday 11 July I did five clean beam routines and two clean floor routines, with my double back in. 
It’s the Football Euros 2020 final, come on England!
It’s been another good week in the gym, although Kelly had to self isolate due to Covid track and trace.
Sunday South West Squad! The Academy, Bristol. We all had to do lateral flows and prove that they were negative. The temperature outside was very hot today. I went with my lovely talented friend from Falcons. (I realised I had grown over lockdowns as my SW kit was very small!) It was fun to see other friends again and I really enjoyed the day.
Sadly in the eve I was told that I had to self isolate for three days as I was a close contact of a school friend with Covid, so I can’t go to school or to gym.
Mon & Tues I did my home program. It was sweaty!!! Outside it is 30 deg heat. Heat wave!
Weds off
Thurs I was in training with Katie’s group 4-8.30
Fri Opening of Tokyo Olympics!!! 
Sat off
Sun 4am alarm!!! It’s the OLYMPICS! Go Team GB! I watched the women’s artistic gymnastics qualifying from Tokyo Olympics on the TV. Jessica & Jennifer Gadirova, Alice Kinsella and Amelia Morgan were amazing! Their vaults were incredible in the the last rotation to move them up from fifth to third! Wow! It was so great to watch all the gymnasts especially the Russians. I am so glad that I got up early!
Once it finished I had a bit more sleep before getting ready for my own control competition at Falcons! While I rolled out before going to gym I watched the next subdivision and also USA.
This week I had training on Mon, a wedding on Tues and I was not well in the night, Weds went to gym but didn’t feel well and was tearful. Mum and I drove up to Lilleshall and stayed in a hotel as it’s England Squad camp tomorrow. I hoped I would feel better.
Thurs I didn’t feel well 
I knew that I couldn’t go to England unless I was100%. So we phoned and said I was not well enough. Mum and I stayed in the hotel and watched the Olympics gymnastics as the England Squad organisers said that if I felt better at 3pm I could join the camp then. Sadly I didn’t so we drove home for 4hrs in the evening and I went straight to bed.
Fri I went in the gym at Falcons at 1pm when I felt better.
I am on my family holiday now for a week. Yay! Caravanning, surfing, beach fun, running, games. FAMILY TIME!
Week Mon 9 – Sunday 15 Aug
I am back training again in the gym. My bars are not working for me at the moment. I am finding it all so hard. I keep trying but I’ve lost something.
We’ve been given the requirements from British Gymnastics for the GB trial and I know what skills I need to do.
Sunday It was a good day. I did seven routines of beam in half an hour. That’s really good for me. I did a couple of floor routines. My double tucks weren’t perfect but OK!
We watched the Olympics concert from Wembley on TV. It was a real celebration and great to see the athletes. The final live performance was Ragnboneman and the song Giant. That’s my song that we kept listening to for my British championships in 2019. It brought back so many memories.
Monday 16- Sunday 22 August week – We’ve been staying in the caravan at Croyde with other close family and when I’ve not been at gym doing training I’ve been to the beach everyday and surfing, and playing football and games on the lawn with my cousins. This week has been viewing week at the gym – the first time parents could watch in the gym since Covid began in March 2020.
Training Mon 10-2 routines again, Tues 10-4 – routines again, Weds off , Thurs 10-2 Mum came and watched and saw my tumble, bars, beam and vault. It was a good day in the gym. I had really clean routines on beam, good shoot spots on bars, yerchenko straights to a higher mat in the pit on vault. Mum bought me some Lindor chocolates, my favourite, as she thought I looked amazing.
Fri 10-2 I caught five jaegers over pit today! 
Sat off. Sun 11-5
Week Mon 23 – Sun 29 August. Things aren’t going quite right in the gym. I’ve had some tears and I am getting frustrated. My double back has gone on holiday. We’ve been caravanning at Croyde with cousins and going to the beach and surfing and paddle boarding every day. It’s been so sunny and hot. I’m tired!
Friday. Mum had a meeting with Kelly. Things have been difficult and hard recently for me and getting me upset. We talked about maybe needing to take a step back and taking the pressure off a bit.
Control comp on Friday in the gym. Mum was able to watch me. My vault was brilliant today, for the first time I did my new vault (yerchenko straight) and landed it. It felt tight! The feeling I got doing it was great. What did I do??!! Why was it right? I need to hold on to this feeling. My beam was good, my acro good. I just fell on my jump. On floor I took out my double back from my routine, but the rest went well. I need to get my arms out on my two and half twists. I surprised myself at this control comp. Afterwards we did leg conditioning and my legs were dead. I’m not sure how many hours I’ve done this week but it feels like a lot.
My song of the moment is Black magic. I love it. It is my gym song of this time in my gym journey.
Sat. We had a fun gym girls outing to The Bear Trail. There were muddy water obstacles and slides.
Sun 29th Aug 11-5 training with a water fight at the end outside! It was great fun. Clean water!
Monday a bank holiday day off.
Tuesday 31 August. I had a FANTASTIC day in the gym today. In 30mins I did 10,yay, 10 beam routines (probably the last time I did that was when I was 8 years old and my routines were easier ) I did my bars giants clear toe on section which I’ve been struggling with of late, and 5 double tucks on floor! Those double tucks have been ‘on holiday! They just haven’t been working recently. They came back from holiday recharged and full of life !
The rest of the training week has been OK.
Sunday another South West Squad. This time at Falcons. I could just roll out of bed without having to travel for hours 10am-4pm It was so lovely to see friends again. It was a good training session for me. Two floor routines with my double backs in, five clean beam routines, vault wasn’t the best but sort of OK and on bars some of my elements were good and I caught a jaeger. I ripped my hand though. Ouch.
We had an email to say that there might be an England International comp later this year. If they do go ahead there would be a control competition to select the team. In the meantime they needed us to email our for competition leotards if selected.
Monday 6 September back to normal training times this week as school started back.
Tues no gym due to Covid rules as I needed to do a PCR Covid test.
Weds I have a negative Covid result.
Thursday. Back to school. I’m Year 10 now so I’m starting my GCSEs.
British Gymnastics said that I was allowed to return to training at the gym. I need to do lateral flows everyday and they obviously need to be negative, and I must wear mask. 4-8pm I landed hard and hurt my foot tonight.😢
Fri 2-6pm. It was really difficult in the gym today. I just couldn’t do my routines at all I’m not sure if I can go to the Nottingham comp this weekend or not. I took pain killers and iced my foot.
Sat 8.30am I did an early comp run through in the gym with Mike. Everything was good! Apart from falling on my flic tuck on beam. I’m good to go! My double backs in my floor routine were fine.
So, Mum and I left home in the afternoon and drove four and half hours to Nottingham for my comp tomorrow. I needed to do my homework in car. That’s the life of a gymnast! (I took these selfies!)
Dad, Bella and Jack had to stay at home as they had other activities going on. When we arrived at Notthingham I met so many of my falcons friends at the same hotel! There were outside eating and playing. I feel confident for tomorrow.
Sunday 11 September 2021. Comp day at the Robin Hood Star Cup. A chance for me to compete again. It’s been 18 months since my last comp. My round was in the afternoon.
I am happy that I tried and got my routines and skills out. Beam was good. I just feel that I wish I’d stuck my flic tuck. I know I can. On floor I almost held my double tuck. It was the first time of competing my new routine! The floor was super bouncy, crazy bouncy. On vault I struggled with the spring board. I really wanted to land my yerchenko straight but it wasn’t quite there. That was a bit disappointing because it is a new skill and it’s been going well in the gym this week. My bars routine is not ready to compete yet. For me, my competition wasn’t too bad. It was good to try, and to get my routines back out there, and to see other people.
BEAM (there was a long wait. I start at about 2 mins) & FLOOR
I got bronze on beam and bronze All Around.
I got an award for my Olympics themed number! 
We had a five hours drive home and got home at 10.30pm.
Mon 13- Weds 22 September normal training in the gym. My routines are going well and I’m landing what I didn’t quite do in my comp. My shoulder and arm is a bit sore though, so I think I might have over used it or tweaked it somehow so I’m trying to take care of it.
Thursday 4-8 training. I have a SW FIG comp on Sunday that I’m preparing for.
Friday 2-7pm Here’s my message to my Mum, ‘Hey I’m on break know because I have had a really good session and have finished everything earlier. I’ve done first session bars, floor, vault then conditioning then beam then have gone to break 15 mins early so now I only have bars left. So all happy xxxxx’
Sat Run through of routines in gym. Control comp 9am-10.30am with Katie’s group. It went well and I believe in myself. My beam was clean, my vaults good, I fell on double tuck in my floor routine but I did another afterwards which I landed fine. I’m feeling really good and confident for tomorrow. 
Sunday 26 September. Mum and I left home at 7am to drive two and half hours to Wiltshire School of Gymnastics at Melksham. They were only allowing one spectator per entry due to Covid rule so only Mum came.
I had Beam first. I stayed on, it was a bit wobbly though, but a nice clean routine for me. I came first. Score 11.1. I know I can get this higher but I’m pleased I had a clean routine! There was a long wait so I start at about 1min 30s.
Floor I had a good floor all clean. My three tumbles had improved! Double tuck landed. Yay. Two and half twists. One and half punch front. 1st on floor. Score 12.1. I was so happy and did a fist grab at the end!
Vault. This has been going really well in the gym- my yerchenko straight. In warm up I did a yerchenko tuck and landed smack on my knees. It was a loud smack. It hurt and I had to sit with my legs out and ice my knees. I couldn’t compete my vault to the judges.
My bars routine still isn’t quite ready for competing so I wasn’t doing bars anyway.
When we arrived home, we had a zoom meeting at 6pm about the Falcons trip to America in 2023.
Monday 27 September
My knees were still a bit sore and bruised from yesterday but I made it to school and gym to train 4-8.30pm. After a bit of time and encouragement from my friends in the gym I found the courage to attempt my jeager on bars over hard tonight. I was really scared. I didn’t catch it and splatted on the mats, getting friction carpet burns on my elbows, but I’m pleased and proud that I tried it and gave it a go! I attempted it! Next time I’ll catch it.
Recently, unfortunately the charity that was helping me a bit towards all my large gymnastics costs has had to stop funding me (I am so thankful for what they have done for me), so I am looking for any new charity to help or businesses or individual sponsorship to help fund my elite gymnastics journey (including training fees, squads, competitions including British Championships and English Championships, kit, accommodation, travel etc). I still have a lovely person that sponsors my chalk every month. Thank you so much.
Once I feel really happy with my gymnastics in my floor routine I want to enjoy it more and improve my dance elements, and maybe bend my knees in some bits a bit more, use my head and body. Right now though I am focusing on getting my gymnastics right. I’m feeling much more confident now.
Thursday 4-8 I tried new things in the gym today! One thing was a yerchenko tuck full on vault. My carpet burns on my elbows opened up again tonight. I attempted my jaegers on bars again. I nearly caught them. I WILL tomorrow.
Fri 2-8 I didn’t have jaegers on my programme today, but I did have shaps on bars! I caught shaps! Yay.
Sunday 3 October 2021 11-5pm. Today was a GREAT day in the gym. I did it! I CAUGHT THREE JAEGERS OVER HARD! ❤
My next comp is on 14th November, so I want to compete all four pieces then. We’ll just have to see if I am ready for the British Championships at Guildford at the end of November. I think I might be. If not then the next comp will be the English Championships in March, and if I’m ready the full British Championships at M&S Bank Arena Liverpool in March too.🤞
Thank you for reading my blog and supporting me.
Fliss x
Felicity Ayres 