PIPPA’S JOURNEY: GROWING UP WITH PCYC GYMNASTICS

Pippa Rogers was just three years old when she first took to the beams and tried her luck at tumbling at PCYC Gymnastics.

Fast forward almost a decade later, Pippa’s mentors offered her the opportunity to be an assistant coach at 12 years old. “I learned more skills in a safe environment, where I didn’t feel judged. It was because of the PCYC coaches that I enjoyed it so much, they helped me progress.” said Pippa.

The now 16-year-old is thrilled to be a certified coach at PCYC Taree, grateful to her mum, Sally-Anne Rogers for signing her up to PCYC Kinder Gym all those years ago. “The experiences, the community participation and connection to something else other than family and school is really extraordinary – I think that’s what builds resilience in children and definitely in Pippa.” said Sally-Anne.

“I grew up watching my friends be involved in PCYC as a kid, and I always knew that when I had kids, that’s where they were going to go.”

13 years of connection to PCYC, has all lead up to a major international opportunity… Pippa will join 11 other PCYC professionals from Port Macquarie, Cessnock, and Glebe on a European Development Tour on June 25.

It’s a two-week, more than 20,000-kilometre journey, aimed at learning new coaching techniques from international talent, that they can then share with PCYC members and other coaches.

Pippa Rogers said “This upcoming development tour is pretty amazing, I don’t hear many people my age being able to experience something like this. It will let me open up to see another side of how people coach in other countries and what their view is on gymnastics.”

The group will also share insights of their own, running gymnastics workshops and performing for more than 5,000 people at highly regarded events like Festival Del Sole in Riccione, Italy, and DGI Landsstaevne in Vejle, Denmark.

PCYC NSW Gymnastics Manager, Justin Hayes said “Opportunities like these ensure our coaches remain at the forefront of global gymnastics innovation.”

“By embracing non-traditional programs, we empower gymnasts to stay active well into their teenage years and adulthood.”

Pippa says PCYC will forever be close to her heart. “It’s part of my life. I’ve been doing it since I was three years old so it wouldn’t be easy just to drop it and leave it behind. I’m coaching a lot of other people my age, but I feel like after this tour they’ll probably look up to me more because I’ll have higher experience and understanding.” said Pippa.