Gymnastics club is still in full swing after 40 years

Holly Hixon and Carly McFadden

Nor is their next party trick - the front splits, undertaken without so much as a flinch or grimace as they line up in perfect formation on the sports hall floor.

Backs regimentally straight, eyes focused ahead, welcome to the Meadowbank Gymnastics Club where every week Edinburgh's young and enthusiastic athletes meet to perfect their moves.

At the helm is Maggie Bisset, a city teacher who has led the club since it was founded 40 years ago, making it both the first of its kind in Edinburgh and the longest running in Scotland, and her, well, nothing short of dedicated. "I always tell the kids my husband cannot understand how long I spend on gymnastics," she laughs. "But I say, 'It's you guys that keep me in this sport'."

That and a life-long, passionate love of gymnastics, something she insists is "in her blood" having taken up the gruelling activity when she was 13 and going on to become both Scottish Champion and West of Scotland Champion a few years later, in the mid-1960s.

It was when she was training to be a PE teacher at Dunfermline College in her early-20s, already coaching a regular trampolining club, that she was asked to start something similar for budding gymnasts in Edinburgh. Yet arriving in 1971 to this very hall at Meadowbank Sports Centre where she has coached for the last four decades, she stood alone - not a young athlete in sight.

"There was no one here," she smiles. "Then, one of the managers came back with two girls, so that was the first session taken care of. After that, there were 15 and before too long we had to start a waiting list."

For her, the rest is history; 40 years of passing on her passion for gymnastics to hundreds of youngsters, many of whom were destined to succeed at a national level and they did, including the city's Debbie Smith and Leigh Morris who represented Great Britain at an under-10 and under-12 level.

Others have since made the Commonwealth Gymnastics Championships, many more a place on the Scottish Junior Team. History that may be, yet for Maggie the club is as much a part of her life now as it always has been, juggling it with the demands of being a mum, having a busy home life and, until recently, a hectic job.

Having taught PE at Leith Academy for 19 years, she went on to become depute head at Gracemount High School where she worked for 20 years before retiring last year in favour of a little rest, the odd shift on a supply basis and, of course, more time for gymnastics.

It has been a hectic life for Maggie, now in her 60s, but no challenge for the fit gymnast who regularly takes to the floor with her students and is more than capable of showing them how to do the splits when the opportunity arises.

"I am certainly going to grow old disgracefully," she laughs. "When my kids were young and we used to go to the swing park, I was always having a go on the equipment. They used to say, 'Mum, will you please get off?'."

Proudly clad in purple, the official colour of the Meadowbank Gymnastics Club, Maggie is a voice of expertise for the 35 youngsters under her tuition at the sports centre, as well as the coaches and parents who accompany them as they dedicate endless hours to gymnastics, often training up to four times a week.

Among them is seven-year-old Holly Hixon, tipped by Maggie as one of her most promising gymnasts. The slight schoolgirl from Davidson's Mains can be seen throwing herself off the bars with a strength in her arms that far exceeds most girls her age.

In fact, most adults would struggle to even attempt the moves she displays on the apparatus with an agility and flexibility she is clearly enjoying developing.

"I really enjoy gymnastics," the quiet schoolgirl smiles. "It's very exciting. I do get nervous in competitions though."

Unfortunately, for the likes of Holly, making the grade in gymnastics will never be easy.

Not only is competition fierce, but Edinburgh's facilities do not rival some of the finest in Britain.

"We do not have enough hours in the gym," explains Maggie. "Some gymnasts are training 20 hours a week. I'd be happy to do that, but this building is full - this room itself is used seven days a week.

"Management at Meadowbank are great to us, but there just isn't the time available."

Pressure for extra classes has led Maggie to book in time for some of her most eager students at the Midlothian School of Gymnastics in Lasswade each week, where facilities are among some of the country's best.

"Years ago, it was a level playing field in terms of facilities," says Maggie. "We all had the same. A lot of other areas have really developed though and Edinburgh is put to shame.

"The potential is here, but we need more time in the gym. Sometimes I wish a benefactor would come along and build a new facility in Edinburgh."

What will become of the young gymnasts in the club can only remain to be seen. Yet whether they prove they have what it takes to succeed - and find the facilities to make their dreams come true - or whether they choose to train purely for fun, one thing is for sure, as long as they work hard and enjoy what they are doing, Maggie will never turn them away.

"I started doing gymnastics because I hated team sports," explains Alice Scrimgeour, a 24-year-old coach at the club. "I didn't trust people to do things properly and I liked to rely on myself.

"Gymnastics is not only beautiful, but it is really hard work. If parents are thinking their kids may enjoy the club, then bring them down and give it a go. It is great."

Among the children at the club, who range from six years old to early teens, is Carly McFadden, a nine-year-old who has attended classes here for three years and is preparing to mount the vault as she chats.

"Gymnastics makes me feel really confident. It's amazing," the St Mary's Primary pupil says. "The bars are definitely my favourite; they are a technical piece that allow me to push myself. You really have to think about what you are doing."

Around her, the Meadowbank facility is buzzing as youngsters queue for a session on the popular bars, continue practising on the vault and take to the floor to perform routines to music, each rewarding the other for their efforts.

Meanwhile, to the astonishment of onlooking parents, six-year-old Courtney McBrierty, a new addition to the club, performs a jaw-dropping straddle lever to handstand.

Rising from a sitting position on the floor, using only the strength of her arms, she displays a perfect handstand.

Maggie proudly watches on, ready to catch the Brunstane Primary pupil should she fall.

She later reveals how rare it is for anyone of Courtney's age to be able to achieve such a difficult move.

The sparkle is there in her eye - new talent, clearly with gymnastics "in her blood".

RAISING THE BAR

Meadowbank Gymnastics Club formed in 1971 as the first such club in the Capital.

Just as it did 40 years ago, the club currently offers children of all ages a chance to learn gymnastics in a safe and encouraging environment, regardless of their abilities.

The club relies heavily on the fundraising efforts of parents who recently helped buy a 1200 sprung floor for gymnasts to train on.

Fundraising included bag-packing in city supermarkets, book stalls and race nights, as well as generous donations from local businesses.

To find out more about joining the club, or supporting it, contact Meadowbank Sports Centre on 0131-661 5351.