Future of gymnastics: Chelsea Criado, Ruby Francis and Lexi Talbot headed to Australian Championships

Chelsea Criado (15), Ruby Francis (12) and Lexi Talbot (11) will represent NSW at the upcoming Championships at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre.

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Talbot made the NSW level 8 team at the recent State Championships held in Sydney. This is her first nationals and she is also one of the youngest competitors to compete at the championships in her division.

Teammates Francis and Criado qualified in the level 10 division and were also named to represent NSW.

The selection of all three girls was impressive in the wake of fierce competition from other athletes.

"The whole club is very proud of the hard work the girls have put in," owner of Carmel & Co Gymnastics Club, Carmel Blades said.

"It's great to see that the work has earned them a place at Nationals, can't wait to see them shine on the floor."

When asked about the importance of Carmel & Co on their careers, all three girls were extremely grateful for their training base.

Francis said the support from Carmel & Co had made her into the gymnast she was today.

"During training I love the challenges and being able to train with a great group of girls. I love Carmel & Co because everyone is so supportive of each other. I have fantastic coaches that support me all the time and the girls and the gym are like my second family," she said.

Talbot agreed with Francis.

"I love training because it keeps me fit and strong and it makes me feel good about myself," she said.

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"I love being a part of Carmel & Co because the girls I train with are all amazing and the coaches are very supportive and they help me be the best I can be."

Criado added: "I like training with the girls and the coaches are so supportive of me."

Carmel & Co owner Blades was a level 10 athlete herself and when her competitive days came to an end, her passion for the sport continued and today she is mentoring the next generation.

She added that the selection of all three athletes was a testament to the hard work that they had all put in for an extended period.

"Lexi has been training for six years, ruby for seven and Chelsea has been training for 11 years at the club," she said.

"Ruby travels from the southern highlands five sessions a week while the other girls both live in the Illawarra area.

"[It is] a huge commitment from all the girls demonstrating their love and passion for the sport," she added.

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"We love seeing our gymnasts grow and develop into young talents athletes. The girls' future looks bright and we are super happy to play a part in their journey to be the best gymnasts they can be.

"The South Coast region should be extremely proud of how these girls have forged ahead especially after the set backs of COVID over the past two years which is amazing to see," Blades said.

Established in 1990 by Blades, current memberships at the club is around 500 in all programmes with more than 15 coaches including trainees.

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