~~~~~~~~~~~~History~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Recognition Of

 
  Simon Moore - International Brevet Coach, International Brevet Judge, Master Coach of Great Britain

 
  Peter Moore - High Performance Coach. President The London Gymnastics Federation

Sutton School of Gymnastics began life in 1910 as SASSARC Gymnastics Club. The Club operated from a small hall in the Sutton Adult School Social and Recreational Centre, located in central Sutton.

In 1968, 5 year old Simon Moore took up Gymnastics at SASSARC. The following year his father, Peter Moore - now President of the London Gymnastics Federation, began to coach at the Club. Having attended a handful of competitions, it soon became apparent to Peter that 'we were doing things wrong' and he set about making big changes at the Club - formulating his own gymnastics philosophy. In a nutshell it meant that everything should be coached to the maximum and so virtuosity of performance became the ethos of the Club.

It wasn't long before SASSARC was recognised as a club performing at 'excellence' level and gymnasts were constantly in the Regional and National Squads. Barry Winch and Elaine Joncey were two Senior National Squad gymnasts in the 1970's, both started their gymnastics careers at SASSARC. Barry notably going on to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games.

Simon Moore began coaching at the Club upon his retirement from competition in 1980 and from there the father and son team became Nationally and Internationally recognised.

In the early 1980's it became obvious to both Peter and Simon that the venue that had produced National Champions and GB Internationals was outdated and now too small to cater for the increasing demands of the sport. The hunt was on for a larger facility and with the full support and assistance of the London Borough of Sutton a new venue was found. In 1985 SASSARC Gymnastics Club split as Sutton School of Gymnastics was formed and SSG moved to its new venue at the then empty Gaynesford High School. The success of the Club continued as more and more Junior and Senior National Squad gymnasts were produced by the expertise of Simon and Peter. With the hard efforts of parents and the support of many organisations, including the Sports Council, The Wates Foundation, The National Playing Fields Association and The London Borough of Sutton, a new pitted extension was built on to the side of the school's gymnasium. This was completed in 1990 and was christened with an exchange visit by gymnasts from Novgorod, Russia. The pitted extension on the side of the now Wandle Valley School gymnasium, meant that gymnasts could train during the day-time without interfering with school use of the main gymnasium. It also gave the huge bonus of a tumble track, high-bar and ring frame. The continued reputation of Sutton School of Gymnastics' coaches drew in gymnasts from all over the London Boroughs and beyond and in 1996 the Club was proud to see Lee McDermott represent Great Britain at the Atlanta Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, the pressures and demands of the ever-evolving sport of gymnastics meant that whilst coaches' expertise was in abundance at Sutton School of Gymnastics, working within the confines of a school gymnasium limited the Club's ability to increase membership. This meant that Simon Moore had to leave the Club in order to secure full-time employment, where previously much of his coaching had been voluntary. Peter Moore remained at the Club until his retirement in December 1999. At this point Lia Borrotzu - Simon's wife, took over as Technical Director. The Club then focused its attentions on Women's Artistic Gymmnastics and once again the Club began producing high quality gymnastics. In 2001, Simon returned to the Club bringing with him Ross Brewer. For the next seven years, Simon and Lia worked hard to produce high level gymnastics at all levels of the sport and ensured that gymnasts at all levels were given the best possible standards of coaching and care. From Floor and Vault squads, through to International peformers, the Club continued to grow and succeed. In 2005 and 2006 Sutton School of Gymnastics Senior Men were British Team Champions.
   
Ross Brewer won the Senior Men's British Championships four times in succession from 2003 - 2007. Ross also competed for England at three Commonwealth Games, winning two team Gold medals and one Team Bronze.

Jenna Walters became English Beam Champion in 2007 and became the only gymnast in Great Britain to be competing the Commaneci Salto on Bars.

During 2005 the Club took part in the London 2012 Back the Bid campaign:

Ben Brown appeared in the 'Leap for London' posters.

Ross Brewer and Laura Coggins featured in the 'Make Britain Proud' video, shown in cinemas across the country

Ross Brewer featured on the '100 Days to Go' posters

Lia Borrotzu and Ben Brown were key speakers in the 'Back the Bid' event at Battersea Power Station

Simon Moore, Ross Brewer, Laura Coggins, Ben Brown and Lia Borrotzu attended the celebration party at the London Eye when the announcement was made that London was down to the final five

From 2005 - 2008 Lia and Simon worked tirelessly to find a permanent home for the Club through major press campaigns and working with the local authority to explore ways in which the Club could continue to produce at High Performance level. Unfortunately the demands of the sport meant that working around a school time-table thereby spending endless hours a week getting the vast amount of equipment set up and then de-rigging at the end of the evening meant that coaching time was limited and the Club could not continue to produce National and International gymnasts. With limited time available it also became impossible to continue to generate the income to support professional coaches. Despite the efforts of many volunteers and the support of the London Borough of Sutton, Simon and Lia decided that they had exhausted every avenue, knocked on every door (including the Government's) and they took the decision to leave the Club which Simon and his father had founded. In December 2008 they bid a very sad farewell to Sutton School of Gymnastics leaving behind countless memories and a life-time's work.

 

Ross Brewer - Mercedes Benz Advertisement

1994 Lee McDermott became Senior British Men’s Champion and Gold Medalist on Rings at the Commonwealth Games.

Lee went on to become Women's National Coach in New Zealand and subsequently Coach to the Cirque du Soleil in Canada