n the 13th and 14th of July 2007 the Rhythmic Qualifying Competition of the Namibian Gymnastics Federation took place at the SKW Hall in Windhoek, Olympia. The competition served to qualify gymnasts for the National Championships in October in Walvis Bay as well as for international competitions such as Zone 6 in December 2007.
During the two day competition 130 rhythmic gymnasts from Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Tsumeb and host SKW Gymnastics Academy could be seen in action. More than 70 gymnasts represented the host club.
Altogether 35 gold medals were handed out to the winners of the 12 different individual performance categories in their respective age groups as well as for the group competitions. Most successful club was SKW Gymnastics Academy with 25 gold medals, followed by Walvis Bay Gymnastics Club with 9 and Ocean View Gymnastics Club with 1 gold medal.
Highlight of the competition were the performances of the top girls in Namibia. In the Junior Olympic Category Nicole Bierbach consoli-dated her No 1 ranking in Namibia with the highest average score of the day (13.13) followed by Mirja Stoldt (12.32). Two promising young talents of Level 8/U12, Maike Brandt and Nadia Reichstein, excelled with scores of 11.24 and 11.19. The ranking of the Top 5 in Namibia is completed by Pre-junior Ida Steenkamp with a score of 10.91. All these gymnasts represent SKW Gymnastics Academy. They are coached by national trainer Angela Lepekha.
First National Bank supported this event with 15,000 N$ as well as lots of promotional items for their new FutureSave and FutureForward accounts. Judges and other officials received gifts sponsored by Wecke & Voigts as a token of appreciation for their hard work.
Witnessing the top performances of the first competition day, FNB Head of Strategic Marketing and Com-munication, Dixon Norval, reiterated the importance of the youth to First National Bank, not only as future customers, but also in regard to their future role in the Namibian society. He said: “We always try and support role models such as these gymnasts. Being a role model does not come easy as witnessed by the success that follows many hours of dedication and training.”
The president of the Namibian Gymnastics Federation, Valeries Geldenhuys, was present at the second day of the competition with the beginners’ levels 1 to 4. She was very delighted with the growing number of gymnasts in rhythmic gymnastics and their excellent performances in the levels programmes.

The prize-giving of Level 4/U9 (left to right): NGF President Valeries Geldenhuys, Chantell Rutz and Jana vd Westhuizen (both SKW) and Selma Siirenga Sitji (Walvis Bay Gymnastics Club)