Twins share 'Common' experience (From Warrington Guardian)

Twins share 'Common' experience

TWIN sisters from Culcheth will represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Australia next month.

Carol and Helen Galashan, who are aged 18, have been selected to compete in the artistic gymnastics event in Melbourne between March 16 and March 21.

The duo, who attend Culcheth High School Sixth Form College and qualify for Scotland because their father hails from Kilmarnock, were chosen after impressing at a series of trials.

It will be Helen's second games after competing for Scotland at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where she reached the final of the team event, the individual all-round competition and the individual uneven bars.

She also recorded the best result for a Scottish gymnast in the history of the games when she finished fifth in the final of the individual beam competition.

But for Carol, it promises to be an end to her heartbreak after narrowly missing out on the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

She had to watch from the stands in Manchester after injury had prevented her from competing in the trials and was an unused reserve for the British gymnastics team in Athens.

Understandably delighted at the prospect of competing with her sister at a major games for the first time, Carol said: "I'm just so excited. Training is going well and we've been doing a lot more hours in the gym.

"It's amazing that we're both going, because we do miss the other one when we're competing on our own.

"It's going to be a brilliant experience. Helen competed in the last Commonwealth Games and said it was the best experience of her life."

The sisters, who train at City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club but started their careers at Solitaire Gym Club in Great Sankey, make up two of the five-girl team, allowing them to compete in the team event, which consists of performances on the vault, uneven bars, beam and floor.

That will also act as qualifying for the individual competitions in each of the four disciplines as well as the individual all-round event.

* Jodie Standish's hopes of making the England artistic gymnastics team for the Commonwealth Games were ended when a knee injury prevented her from taking part in the final trials at Lilleshall.

The Culcheth High School pupil had an investigative operation on the problem before Christmas and was not ready to return.