The whole of Year 8 at Bolton School Boys’ Division gathered in the Boys’ Division Gym to watch the Year 8 Vaulting Final. Since September, the whole year group has been competing in heats for this long-standing competition, whittling down the numbers until there were just six gymnasts remaining.
Daniel Bleakley (8D), Adam Ciechowski (8D), Ben Howarth (8B), Teddy McCarter (8B), Brody Shum (8F) and Mateo Sprott (8D) were this year’s finalists.
Each gymnast performed four vaults in total: Through Vault, Long Fly, their choice of Rotational Vault and finally the Double Box Vault. Mr Johnson gave each of the boys a score for their efforts, which were added up at the end to decide the overall winner.
The competition was extremely tight, with the boys in first and second place achieving the exact same score! The overall winner was therefore decided based on their performance in the last vault, as the Double Box Vault is the most complex.
First place was awarded to Ben Howarth, second place to Daniel Bleakley and third to Adam Ciechowski.
Medals and certificates were presented by Head of Boys’ Division Mr Nic Ford, who congratulated all six gymnasts for their efforts in the Vaulting Final. He reminded everyone that gymnastics takes both skill and courage, and added that all six finalists can be proud of their performance and how they handled the pressure on the morning.
Earlier in the week, the Year 7 Gymnastics Final took place. This historic competition, which has been running for over 100 years, saw six boys perform floor routines for an audience of their peers and was won by Tommy Burke.
Gallery of photos from the Year 8 Vaulting Final:
