PETER VAN RENSBURG

ACROPAD ATHLETE

The Academy Watford

MEET PETER: My name is Peter, I’m 15 years old. I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to London shortly after my seventh birthday. Soon after I moved to London, I started recreational gymnastics and then started competitive acrobatic gymnastics when I was 9 years old. As an acrobatic gymnast, I am a 3 time regional gold medallist and a national silver medallist. I stopped competing as an acrobatic gymnast in 2021 but have continued to train for 6 hours per week (I was training up to 14 hours per week when I was competing) so that I can continue to practice and learn. A few months after I started competitive acro, I started taking dance lessons too. My dance classes included ballet, contemporary and jazz. I was very fortunate to have been granted a place in my secondary school based on my dance audition as they only grant 12 dance aptitude places for each year group. I started competitive trampolining in 2019 and have placed first in the 3 London schools competitions I have competed in and second or third place at the regional competitions. In all the sports I engage in, training sessions are what I enjoy the most. This is because I know that when I put the work in, I will master the skills - and nothing beats the feeling of finally landing a new skill I’ve been working on.

WHAT'S IN YOUR DANCE BAG: ankle weights, jazz shoes, liquid chalk, bottle of water.

FAVE ACRO MOVE: front summy, step out, round off, tuck back summy (maybe there's a proper name for it?) because it's got a bit of everything in it.

WHO IS YOUR HERO: Nelson Mandela because, after all the hardships he faced,  he didn't hold onto hatred and bitterness but instead he was kind, caring and compassionate and, to top it off, he stayed humble.

ON MY REST DAY: wall climbing, throwing a rugby ball around in the garden or park, reading a book or playing drums.