Preview: International compettion in Aigle

Gast: Swiss Federation

In Aigle, a small town near Geneva, the Swiss women team will compete this weekend against France and Holland. The Dutch team - without Verona van de Leur - consist of:
Suzanne Harmes, Berber van den Berg, Loes Linders, Laura van Leeuwen, Mayra Kroonen and Gabrielle Wammes, who replaces an injured Renske Endel. Teamcoaches are Frank Louter and Rietje Bijlholt...

Ambitious objectives for Dutch girls
This competition is the first one in a sequence of different teamcompetitions for the Dutch girls in the next few weeks.
In twoo weeks a complete different team will compete in Italy, where the Britisch team will also take part.

Gabrielle Wammes - kurzfristig für Renske Endel eingesprungen...

On May 3rd en 4th there will be a big eight-nations competition in Groningen. The preparations for this event are already underway. Martinplaza agency, who was involved in the Giro d' Italia when this cycle tour startet in Groningen last year, is organising this womens event. For the competitors it is an important test for the World Championships three months later in Anaheim. In this way the Netherlands are creating professional conditions for their Olympic qualification.
For Dutch coach Frank Louter the next teamcompetitions are very important, than in the past months the Dutch girls did not compete in the way as they did last year.
Louter had expected that the girls at this time would have had a higher technical level on their way to Anaheim.

Suzanne Harmes (NED)

But some ilnesses and slight injuries did not make it possible for some gymnasts to reach their topform just now.
Everyone is looking forward to the Dutch girls and their performances in Anaheim, as they all remember their excellent results in Ghent (Belgium 2001), EC in Patras 2002 and the 2002 World Cups.
It will not be easy for Louter and his team tot fulfil those high expectations in the next weeks.