The Junior Boys at Bolton school were excited to meet Olympian Danny Purvis when he visited the school to help judge the Year 5 and 6 Gym Final.
Danny was part of the bronze medal-winning GB men’s gymnastics team at the 2012 London Olympics and has won multiple world, European and Commonwealth medals. He addressed the whole school in a longer than usual morning assembly, speaking to the boys about his experiences as a world-class gymnast. He spoke about the highs and lows of his career and shared footage of his routines. He talked about needing not just physical strength but mental strength too, and said that messing up is an opportunity to learn and gain more experience. Finally, Danny advised the audience to find something they love to do, and talk to someone if they have a problem.
The assembly ended with some impressive gymnastic feats from Danny: walking on his hands, performing a backflip, and even leaping over three of the Junior Boys’ teachers!
Danny then spent an hour coaching the fifteen finalists in the annual gymnastics competition for Years 5 and 6. After leading the boys through a warmup and some gymnastics shapes, he encouraged them to run through their routines ahead of the competition. Working his way through the room, Danny offered one-on-one advice to the boys to help them improve their skills.
After morning break, the whole of the Junior Boys’ School came together in the hall to watch the tense and closely-matched Gym Final 2021. With Danny as one of the judges, the boys worked well under pressure to show the rest of the school their routines.
While the final scores were being added up, Danny congratulated all of the gymnasts on reaching the Final and on the hard work they had put into their routines. He also performed an impressive floor routine of his own, featuring a backflip, to the delight of the whole audience.
Finally, the time came to announce the winners: Matteo Sprott (Year 6) earned third place, Zain Atcha (Year 6) achieved second place, and joint first place was won by Thomas Davis (Year 6) and Tommy Burke (Year 5).
Danny presented the four boys with their medals and certificates.
