Gymnastic star Sophie wins Emo award
January 25th, 2012Newtownabbey teenager Sophie McCoo represented Ireland in the World Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo in October – and her talent has now made her a winner in the Emocommunity Sports Awards, in partnership with the Mary Peters Trust and promoted in the Belfast Telegraph.
The 16-year-old said: “The Japanese trip was an incredible experience and the training facilities provided were wonderful. “Competing at this top level was nerve-racking but also very exciting. My beam routine went well and I had no falls. I didn’t qualify for finals, so I then took the opportunity to watch the best gymnasts in the world in action. It certainly gave me the incentive to work hard and improve my skills.”
Sophie, who lives in Jordanstown, has already shown a commitment to hard work. In the lead-up to Tokyo, she trained for 24 hours a week, though this has now been reduced to a less-exhausting 14 hours. At home, the effort has paid off. She is a member of the Northern Ireland and Ireland senior squads and became Irish senior champion in May.
Sophie, who is a student at Victoria College in Belfast, started gymnastics in 2000 as a five-year-old when she joined the Abbey Gymnastics club, founded a few months earlier by Alison McMullan. “Alison has been my coach since day one and has always given me a lot of help and encouragement. After the Tokyo experience, my main aim is to qualify for another major event, the European Championships in Brussels in May.”
The Emo Sports Awards in partnership with the Mary Peters Trust are open to young sportsmen and women from the age of 12. You can nominate yourself or apply through a parent, coach, club or governing body. Each month’s winner will get £400. Full details from governing bodies or on the trust website: www.marypeterstrust.org
Beaming... with Sophie McCoo are Barry Funston, Emo sales and marketing director, and Eilish Rutherford, chair of the Mary Peters Trust’s selection committee.