In 2020 a men's artistic gymnastics athlete tested positive for a banned substance. He was given a four year ban and following an appeal to the court of arbitration for sport this was reduced to two years. He argued that the Meldonium found in his system which is commonly used to treat heart conditions was due to contaminated food products. I was very naive about my sport growing up, to me it was all bout respect, work ethic, honesty and wether or not the best man could win. We all have a different set of motivations in life and an individual set of starting blocks. Cheating has always been a big part of sport. And this is my story. 

In 2015 Josh Champion was given the head coach position for the men's program at the Notts Gymnastics Academy at the age of 22.  His gymnastics journey began in his home town of Southport at the local gymnastics club Southport YMCA. He was part of a training group that included Olympic medalist Dan Purvis and Commonwealth Games medalist Frank Baines. Josh started his coaching career at the club alongside studying sports science at university in Liverpool. Over the course of the past eight years he has developed a very successful men's program at the Notts Gymnastics Academy which today includes multiple GB squad members across all age groups. In January he took over the role of senior coach at the club following the departure of Sergey Sizhanov. And this is his story. 

In 2018 Hamish Carter represented team Scotland at the Commonwealth games in the Gold Coast Australia. After winning a bronze medal with his team mates and some brilliant individual results on his senior debut. He chose to take up an incredible opportunity and accepted a full sports scholarship from the University of Illinois in America. As a junior athlete he won multiple international medals representing Great Britain at time when British male junior athletes were dominating the sport in Europe. By the time he was a teenager, Hamish had already worked with multiple gymnastics coaches and his family made a big decision. They moved their whole life to Birmingham to support his gymnastics aspirations and to give him the best possible chance of fulfilling his potential in the sport. The week before he left America after completing his university degree Hamish was told that he was being deselected from the Great Britain training squad. The past year has been incredibly challenging for him and he's faced battles with his mental health alongside being diagnosed with ADHD. Now settled at the Notts Gymnastics Academy with his new coach Josh Champion Hamish is looking towards the future. And this is his story. 

In June 2023 I found out that I was going to be a Dad. This journey began before I had met my best friend and fiancé Connie. At the age of twenty six I was lost. I was wresting with depression and anxiety and desperately searching for meaning in my life. Selfishly I asked some the key people around me the biggest question of all. Why am I here and what is this all about? I understand now that ultimately everyone has to answer that question for themselves. I'm excited to be a Dad. I know that I'm going to face challenges along the way but I can't wait for that journey and the next adventure. And this is my story. 

In 2022 Giarnni Regini-Moran became the first men's artistic gymnastics floor exercise World championing history. What's even more remarkable about this incredible achievement, is that six years prior he had suffered an extremely serious knee injury which required significant surgery. Twelve months into his recovery another serious injury this time to his inside ankle ligament ultimately sidelined him for over two years. He is one of the most successful British gymnasts of his generation and was the last of the golden generation that dominated European competition between 2008 - 2016. Recently Giarnni has focussed on life away from gymnastics whilst recovering from surgery once more but has hopes of competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic games and becoming a two time Olympian following a 5th place finish in Tokyo 2021. Giarnni has a new focus in his life after finding out he's going to be a dad. And this is his story.

In January 2023 Ellie Downie announced her retirement from the sport of gymnastics.  At just fifteen she made her senior debut, winning bronze all around at the European championships in France. Ellie became an Olympian in 2016 competing alongside her sister Becky and team mates at the Rio Olympic Games where she finished 11th all round at just sixteen years of age. The following year in 2017 she made history, becoming the first British gymnast ever to win an all around gold medal at a major championships. An injury she picked up that year led to ankle surgery in the summer of 2017 and unfortunately led to a second surgery one year later. Over the next eighteen months she earned her place back in the British team and took a bronze medal on vault at the 2019 World gymnastics championships. Ellie missed out on the Tokyo Olympics and following the tragic death of her brother in 2021, faced challenges inside and outside of the sport.  She is now a qualified personal trainer and is an ambassador for the British heart foundation. And this is her story. 

In July 2023 I was given the results of a private ADHD assessment. This process first began at the age of 26, when I was referred to a mental health clinic and first began to struggle with depression and anxiety. As a kid, I struggled with inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that affected my ability to manage life. Gymnastics, almost instantly changed my trajectory and had a massively positive impact on how I interacted with the world around me. After retirement, the amount of physical exercise I was engaging in each week was reduced by 90%. This drastic change really affected me. And this is my story. 

In may 2013 British triathlete Sophie Coldwell claimed her first World triathlon championships series gold medal in Yokohama Japan. A year earlier she was part of the English team that took the gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Sophie was named as the travelling reserve for TeamGB at what became the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games and now has her sights set on Paris 2024. She talks openly about working with sports psychologists following an abusive past relationship and difficulties dealing with missing out on competing at an Olympic Games. After making some adjustments to her training load alongside her coach she's now in a great headspace, which in part has resulted in her recent success. And this is her story. 

In just seven years, Max Hayes has gone from starting a YouTube channel at the age of twelve years old. To now hosting a radio show and being the go to journalist on Sky sports, for news and insights surrounding Nottingham Forest.  He's now taking a traditional route studying journalism at university in Manchester, right in the heart of media city. Max is turning his love for storytelling into a career and has already worked with some of the biggest broadcasters in the business at just nineteen. What started out with a passion for football and unique fearlessness has become a real body of work that's difficult to come by in the media industry. And this is his story. 

In the first eight months of 2023 an awful lot of life has happened. Many of my friends have turned 30, have gotten married and started a family of their own. After returning home from South America I decided to go at it alone and start building my own career. There was lots of change. My grandad passed away, we started a podcast and I'm now engaged. It's been a busy summer of birthdays, weddings and lots of gymnastics coaching. I'm not sure that I've ever felt more content than do right now. Good things take time. And this is my story.