(as quoted to me by Dame Kelly Holmes)

My name is Reiss Beckford and I was born on the 17^th February 1992 in Enfield. I attended Southbury School from the age of 4 to 11 where at the age of 6 I joined a local gymnastics club, and whilst at this club I won my first competition Medal. After a year at this club it was noticed by the Coach that I had a natural talent. This talent was developed further when I transferred my training to another club where there were more enhanced facilities. Even now by this age it was observed that I had the natural ability and the enthusiasm to progress further in the sport.

My Coach suggested at this time that I now needed to progress to a higher level and be trained by a National Coach. He suggested Jeff Davis, an acquaintance of his, who was a member of the coaching team at South Essex Gymnastics Club in Basildon Essex. This club was recommended because it had a reputation for producing top-level male gymnasts. For me this was a big challenge but the thought of training with boys (and men) at such a high standard was exciting. At the age of 7 I attended a morning trial period at SEGC where I was offered a place at the club under the guidance of Scott Hann who to this day is still my personal coach and mentor.

I joined the club in March 1999 where within weeks I was told I had a flare for gymnastics. I soon learnt that hard work and determination was the key, which meant training for at least 30 hours per week. Whilst at the club, I quickly progressed to the World Class Programme for elite gymnasts and this gave me the opportunity to train at the National Sports Centre at Lilleshall. By now I was starting to show total dedication to my sport and self-discipline.

At this time I was attending Kingsmead Secondary School where the Head Teacher, Mr Giles Bird, the Head of Year, Mrs Juliet King, Gillian George and my biggest supporter Tracey Stevenson were instrumental with assisting with my school work schedule and helping me to secure some sponsorship.

In the early years I competed at Regional and National competitions. In 2005 I competed in and won Gold Medals at the London Open and British U14 Men’s Championships.

All my hard work and previous results paid off when I was selected to compete for Great Britain at my first International competition in Belgium where I finished All-Around Champion medalling in 1st place on 4 pieces and assisting the GB Team to a 1st place.

In December 2005 I was selected as a part of the GB team who competed in Avignon, France against other European countries. GB won Team Gold for the first time in its 20-year history against all expectations. This was my first U16 4-way International competition.

I was now being recognised as a leading junior gymnast and competed in many Internationals being selected to compete for GB, and invited to International training camps.

I was now starting to focus and set myself even higher goals and was looking to add more titles to my growing collection. I managed to do this by winning the Gold Medal and retaining the London Open title. In June 2006 I was asked to compete at the World School Games, which were held in Athens, Greece at the 2004 Olympic Stadium, where the England Team narrowly missed the Bronze Medal.

September saw me being selected to compete as a member of the England Gymnastics Team at the inaugural UK School Games 2006 which was held in Glasgow.  This also led me to being part of the launch programme to promote these games where I met both Members of Parliament and former sporting Olympians. This multi-sport event saw both The Team and myself become the first ever UK School Games Champions making me a double Gold Medallist.

This led me to being made a gymnastics Ambassador to UK Sport Trust in 2008, an honour that I received in person at No. 10 Downing Street from Gordon Brown.

Following my success at the UK School Games, I have been able to develop other opportunities including stunt work, photographic assignments and media work (including being a subject of an A level media project for two fellow students).

2007 was a busy year for me competing in various international competitions at both U16 and U18 age groups in Germany, France, Hungary and twice in Switzerland.

One of my major successes was to be selected to represent GB at the Olympic Hopes competition in the Czech Republic. This is one of the largest events on the Junior gymnastics calendar featuring most of the significant European countries. I led the GB team to Gold, winning individual All-Around with a score of 86.00. By now my sights were firmly set on the London 2012 Olympics.

2008 started as a difficult year for me maintaining my strict training regime in preparation for the Junior European Team Championships and having to sit my final school exams.  During the lead up to these, I sustained an injury which prevented me from competing with the Team at the Championships. This was a huge disappointment for me but the set back only made me stronger and more determined.

I was asked by British Gymnastics if I would like the honour of presenting an award with Christine Ohuruogo MBE, at the Royal Albert Hall for the Visit London Awards, which I accepted and carried out with great pride being there with a Beijing Olympic Champion.

My training progressed well, which enabled me to compete at the 2008 British Championships and Masters finals in November winning a haul of medals. I then competed at my 2^nd Olympic Hopes Competition in Liberec, Czech Republic, winning a Silver All-Around and Team Gold.

I was also selected to compete in my 4th and final Annual U16 4-way International competition held in Bristol in December where both the Team and I won Gold Medals. This was my final competition at U16 as I was going to progress to the U18 age group. My overall performance in these three competitions led me to being selected for the GB Team at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, which was held at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Park in January 2009, where I won 2 Gold’s and 2 Silvers, and overall the team gained 14 Medals.

At the beginning of March 2009, I was nominated and won The Young Sportsperson of The Year at the Enfield Council Celebrating Sports Awards. Simeon Williamson, the 100m Olympic Sprinter, presented me my award.

At the end of March I competed at the Annual London Open, at Senior level as there is no U18 age group. Being one of the youngest competing I came a respectable 7^th overall.

In April, as part of the Great Britain Team, I travelled to Zurich, Switzerland to compete in the U18 4-way International where I won 2 Gold Medals, Team Gold and Individual All-Around.

During the summer months I concentrated on building my skills and spending time at The Lilleshall National Sports Centre, Loughborough University and Waveney Gymnastics Club with Great Britain and National Coaches preparing for my up and coming competitions. Whilst travelling around I passed my driving test at the first attempt.

As an Alumni Champion Ambassador for The UK School Games I was invited as a VIP to attend the 4^th Annual event in Cardiff, Wales. Over this weekend I had the honour of meeting Darren Campbell MBE and Jason Gardner, (Olympic Gold Medallists) at a Q & A session held for the event.

I was also chosen to represent The UK School Games in the handover of the Games flag at The Mansion House held by the Lord Mayor and City Council of Cardiff.

At the beginning of September I was given great news. I had been selected to compete for Great Britain in Yokohama, Japan at the International Japan Juniors Competition which was being held on the 21^st and 22^nd September. This was a very exciting time for me as there were only 2 gymnasts selected to represent Great Britain. This competition was a showcase event featuring countries such as Japan, China and the USA and many other Nations. The gymnasts taking part were deemed as the Worlds Best Juniors. The event was competed over 2 days where my results led me to finishing 5th in the All-Around and qualifying for all 6 apparatus finals where I won a Bronze Medal on Rings. The whole experience was special to me as I had the great honour of carrying the Union Jack in the opening ceremony.

In October I had a rare weekend off to visit The 2009 World Gymnastics Championships at the 02 Arena, London to watch my fellow Senior Olympian gymnasts (and friends!) compete against the Worlds best. My teammate Daniel Keatings won a Silver All-Around Medal, which was the first ever medal gained at these Championships by a Great Britain gymnast. Daniel gives me the inspiration to achieve my goals in all future competitions.

For the remainder of the month I concentrated on preparing for the 2009 U18 British Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Competition held locally on the 31^st October, this was my first British at this age group. This competition was the first selection process for The Junior European Championships to be held in April 2010. My routines were of a winning performance earning me a Gold Medal and the title of 2009 U18 All-Around British Champion. I am also 2009 British Champion on Vault, Floor, Rings and Parallel Bars and runner up on High Bar and Pommel.

I had the privilege to be presented a silver salver by Jack Whitford, a gymnast who competed at the London 1948 & Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games. This was a special moment as I have actually held the 1948 London Olympic Torch at an event held by Lloyds Banking Group (Cockfosters), one of my sponsors.

On the 5^th of November I travelled to Liberec, Czech Republic, to compete in my 3^rd Olympic Hopes Competition where I finished 4^th All-Around and where the team finished 2^nd winning the Silver Medal, we were beaten by the incredible Chinese.

This year proved to be my busiest and best year yet and gave me the privilege of not only meeting but also competing against the World’s best gymnasts.

The start of 2010 continued with my build up towards making the Junior European Team and possible inclusion in the Commonwealth Games Team to be held later in the year in India.

March was a busy month with three competitions, the first being the English Championships held in Leicester where I finished 4th overall, and won a Silver Medal on Rings and a Bronze on Parallel Bars. As this competition was judged on senior code it was used as the first of the Commonwealth trials.

Also I competed in the U18 London Open, (a Junior European trial) where I finished 2nd overall winning a Silver Medal. The Senior British Team Championships followed this, where my Club won the Gold Medal and the Adams Shield for the very first time.

April saw the final Junior European trial, the International U18 4-way competition in Ipswich between Great Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland. The GB team won the Gold Medal, and I won the Silver All-Around Medal qualifying me for the team for the Junior Euros.

Shortly after this competition, I went to Lilleshall for the final training camp for two weeks leading up to the start of the Junior European Championships, which was held at the NIA, Birmingham. The GB team travelled to Birmingham at the start of a busy week (19th April) for podium training at the venue. Anxiety levels were raised because of a delay of one day in the start of the competition due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland. This delay was to assist with the travel plans of other European teams.

As defending Champions, the pressure was on to deliver a great performance to retain the title. GB competed in the 2nd of six rounds and was holding Gold Medal position at that stage. The team watched with anticipation the following four rounds as our strongest competitors, the Swiss, were competing in the final round.

As the Swiss finished their final piece of apparatus, all eyes were on the large scoreboard awaiting the final outcome. It was then confirmed that GB were Junior European Champions (again) and I was so proud to be part of the team.

My performance in the competition saw me through to two Individual Apparatus finals – High Bar and Rings, where I won Bronze Medals on both pieces.

Leaving the NIA with 3 Medals IS the highlight of my career to date.

The following week, after being on such a high, I was unexpectedly asked if I would compete for my region in the East Team at the Regional Team Championships held in Leicester. The team came 2nd and won the Silver Medal.

My main focus now was to be selected for The Commonwealth Games being held in Delhi, India in October, this to be my first international competition at senior level. The selection process began with a control competition, which was held as a part of a training camp at Lilleshall at the end of May. Further training camps were held at the beginning of July and end of August after which the team was announced.  Great news! I had been selected.

During July I had the honour of being an usher at the wedding of my personal coach Scott to Jamie-Leigh. This was a very special occasion.

In the lead up to leaving for India a combined preparation camp was held at Lilleshall over two weeks in September to include The CWG Team and The Worlds Team. This time was spent perfecting my routines. However news was filtering through that there were problems out in India with the facilities and several high profile athletes were pulling out and there was doubt whether Team England would compete at The Games. Staying focused at this crucial time was difficult but then receiving the news (two days before departure) that Team England would be competing was a great relief. The excitement now began as my family made their preparations to travel to India to support The Team and myself.

The Team left for India on Monday 27^th September not knowing what to expect when we arrived after all the media coverage. The Games Village where we were staying had all the amenities that we could wish for, making our stay very comfortable. We now had to acclimatise to the time difference and temperature and had one week before competition to do this. The travelling to and from the competition venue was an experience in itself. Each team bus had its own armed guard and police escort as the safety of the athletes was paramount to the success of The Games. Traffic in India was immense but this did not affect us travelling to the venue, as there were designated lanes for the delegate vehicles.

A team decision was made not to attend The Opening Ceremony on Sunday 3^rd October due to the competition timetable commencing the following day. We were disappointed but knew it was vital to rest as the celebrations went on late into the night. During the team brief, I was told I was to compete on all six pieces of apparatus. This would give me the opportunity to qualify for the All-Around final and all six apparatus finals. I couldn’t wait to share this news with my family.

How exciting! My first day of competition had arrived. I felt so proud to walk out into The Indira Gandhi Stadium following the England flag. Results from this competition would not only decide the medal positions for The Teams but also qualification for the All-Around and apparatus finals. The Team target was to equal or better the bronze medal won at the 2006 Games in Manchester. After we competed all six pieces of apparatus we knew we were in medal position so spirits were high but had we beaten the 2006 Bronze? As the final Australian finished his routine and his score added, the England Team knew they had won the Silver medal and the celebrations started. Target achieved.

As the Team celebrations were taking place, I realised the individual scores were showing on the big screen and I could see that I had qualified in second place for the All-Around final and had made five apparatus finals. My personal target achieved. The medal ceremony took place and with great pride I received a team Silver medal, I could hear from the England supporters how excited everyone was. The media interest was phenomenal and I attended my first ever press conference and was interviewed by Sue Barker for the BBC.

The next day was spent training in preparation for the All-Around competition and watching the women’s team qualification.

The All-Around competition saw three of the England team against each other. The competition was close throughout each rotation but a faultless high bar routine saw me achieve the Silver medal marginally behind my fellow gymnast.  I could never have dreamt winning a Silver All-Around medal at The Commonwealth Games at such a young age. Definitely the highlight of my career to date.

During the last two days of competition having qualified for five apparatus finals, I won my third Silver medal on the Floor making me a Commonwealth Games triple Silver medallist.

Four days, seventeen routines, three Silver medals – one big smile

Having been in India for two weeks, I did not realise the home media interest in The Games. A welcome home reception was organised at my club for two other Commonwealth team members, my coach and myself with the BBC in attendance to film the occasion.  Another proud moment.

No rest for the wicked as I was straight back in the gym training for the British Championships to be held in Leicester on 6^th November with The Masters competition being held the following day.  I finished the day British Rings Champion and British Vault Champion and also won Silver medals on Parallel Bars and Floor.

After all my hard work I decided to treat myself to a well deserved break, a two week holiday to Egypt. In recognition of the results at The Commonwealth Games there was a celebration and reunion being held at the Guildhall but I was unable to attend as it was during my holiday, disappointed but I couldn’t be in two places at once. I returned from my holiday to the good news that I had been successful in my application to become a Team Essex Ambassador for 2011 and invited to receive my award at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Stansted in January 2011.

A great end to 2010

January 2011 began with me attending a training camp to Lilleshall and during this time I had a telephone interview with Nick Ferrari for L.B.C. radio, which went out live on air. Amongst the questions during the interview I was asked had I been given the opportunity to look around The Olympic Stadium to which I replied I hadn’t but was hoping to in the very near future. 

Now, the time had come for me to receive my Team Essex Ambassador’s Award at the Radisson Blu Hotel. The evening was a truly memorable event giving me the opportunity to meet my fellow Ambassador’s. There was lots of media interest with interviews and photographs making me feel quite a celebrity. The biggest surprise of the evening for me was as they were bringing the awards ceremony to a close they announced that there was one more award to be presented ‘The BBC East Young Sports Personality 2010’.  They introduced the winner as an outstanding athlete and talked about their commitments, dedication and achievements in their sport during 2010. Being amongst more experienced athletes than myself I did not expect to hear my name announced.  I was overwhelmed to think that I had been chosen for this award. What a great end to a great evening.

On my way to the gym the following week I received a text message with a very special invitation from Nick Ferrari inviting me to have a tour of The Olympic Park.

How great is that!

At the end of January for the second year running I was going to Mexico with the Senior GB squad to train. Hadn’t been back long before I went off to Lilleshall to a short training camp.

Once again it was time for The English Championships which were held at Fenton Manor in Stoke. I achieved 4^th place in the All-Around and won Bronze on Floor and Vault.

March was a busy month for me beginning with a V.I.P. visit to The Olympic Park which Nick Ferrari’s Team arranged for me and a guest. My mum and I were taken by car around The Park for a guided tour and peak preview of some of the arenas. Our first stop was a photo opportunity from a viewing tower where you could see the whole of The Olympic Park. We were then taken to the basketball arena and handball stadium. Here we were invited to walk around and appreciate the enormity of the construction work already carried out. We had a fantastic day, an experience I will never forget. My thanks to Nick Ferrari and his team.

Over the next 3 weeks there were several competitions, with the first being The London Open at Goresbrook, Dagenham. I was battling an injury to my wrist and took the decision to only do 3 pieces of apparatus. This would give my wrist a rest ready for the Senior British Teams in 2 weeks time.

As part of my commitment as a Team Essex Ambassador I was invited to The Basildon Health Festival in Gloucester Park.  Here I opened the event and assisted the children in various activities.

My next competition was the Senior British Team Championships in Leicester. It is not often we get to compete as a club and I was honoured to be selected Captain of The Team. As defending champions it was important for The Team to give an outstanding performance to retain the title and bring back The Adam Shield to South Essex. With the wrist rested I was ready to compete on all 6 pieces of apparatus. My performance was rewarded with an individual 1^st place and a personal best of 87.30 marks and The Team Gold medal. The Adam Shield returns to South Essex Gymnastics Club.

The following week I was selected to compete for Great Britain as part of the team against France in a friendly at Pipers Vale Gymnastics Club in Ipswich. Due to my niggling wrist injury I was disappointed not to have competed on all 6 pieces of apparatus but was pleased with my contribution. Great Britain won by a whole 10.50 marks ahead of France.

In April I unexpectedly went back to Mexico for a training camp due to my new gym not being available for training until the end of the month.

On my return from Mexico I went to Halliford film studios in Surrey to take part in a broadcasting service film for the opening credits of The Olympics that will be shown in other countries around the world. A selection of athletes from other Olympic sports took part in the film shoot, my part was to show different elements on pommel. What a wonderful experience.

It’s now the end of April and it feels like it’s been a long time coming but finally the new gym facility in The Basildon Sporting Village was open for business. The Village held an open day where the gym was available for everyone to come along and try the gymnastics facilities. With some of my Commonwealth Games team mates we appeared alongside Spellbound for the opening day. Various media were on hand to grab interviews, photographs and filming about my achievements and ambitions for the future. The next day a V.I.P training session took place at the gym for all our elite gymnasts with special guest Olympic Bronze medalist Louis Smith, one of my GB team mates.

As part of the Team Essex Ambassador award I was selected to be photographed for ‘The Journey to the Podium’ by David Shields. This piece of art will eventually be displayed in the reception area of The Basildon Sporting Village.

Due to being so busy last year, it’s now May, and I have only just been able to use my 18^th birthday present from my coach, Scott which was a voucher for a sphereing experience.

As part of the official opening of the sporting village the Duke of Gloucester was invited to open the facility. As part of his tour I was introduced to His Royal Highness and had the privilege of showing him my Commonwealth Games medals.

June began with me being invited through British Gymnastics to appear at The London Gymnastics Gala held at Goresbrook Leisure Centre. I was invited to perform a floor routine and do a meet and greet session. After the gala I was asked to present the medals and trophies to the winning teams.

Next in the diary for June was a short training camp in France with the rest of the GB Senior Squad.

On my return to the gym I had made arrangements to meet up with a potential sponsor, FirstAid4Sport, who I have been buying my chalk and tape from. I had the pleasure of meeting Michael, who is the Managing Director and one of his team. They spent the day with me, chatting and watching my training programme. The day was very successful and now FirstAid4Sport supply my tape and chalk free of charge.

I was approached by Gab Stone to see if I would be available to take part in the Acer Summer Conference. They were looking for somebody to do several displays during the course of the day on the pommel horse. I spent a very enjoyable day at the Savill Court Hotel & Spa in Windsor.

During the last week of June I took part in a local school assembly and attended The Basildon Dance Festival as part of my Ambassadorial duties.  

I was asked by one of the parents at the gym if I would be free to judge their school gymnastics competition in July. I felt proud to be asked and privileged to take part. It was great fun to be involved.

A break in my training programme in July allowed me to have a weeks holiday in the Caribbean with my girlfriend.

The build up to The World Championships are now well on the way. As part of the selection process I had to go to Lilleshall for most of August with only weekends at home. The training was intense due the fact that at the end of the camp, control competitions were held, to determine who was in the running to be part of The Team. I felt my results were disappointing but all was not lost as I still had the Senior British Championships and the Great Britain v Spain to improve my results.

Now in September The British Championships had arrived and was being held at Fenton Manor in Stoke. Not only was this my 1^st Senior |British Championships the pressure was on as it was being used as a qualifier for The World Championships. I finished a respectable 6^th and won a Bronze medal on Vault and qualified for 4 Masters finals the next day.

The Basildon Sporting Village was to hold its 1^st International Gymnastics Competition, Great Britain v Spain. This was very exciting as I was to compete for Great Britain in front of a home crowd at my gym. All my family and friends came to support me and The Team at this friendly competition, with Spain marginally beating Great Britain.

During the following week The Worlds Team was announced and unfortunately I hadn’t made The Team and was extremely disappointed.

To round off my duties for the year as a Team Essex Ambassador I visited Alderton School in Loughton, Essex to be part of their sports fun day giving an inspirational talk and taking part.

In October British Gymnastics invited me to perform in a display at The Excel Centre for The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympics update seminar. Myself and other gymnasts entertained around 2000 staff members during their break offering a have a go session involving the trampoline, beam, rhythmic apparatus and pommel horse. I displayed some simple elements on the pommel horse and then encouraged the staff to have a go. Hosting the day was Clare Balding and among the guests were Lord Coe, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and Gold medal winning Dai Greene who has recently returned from The World Athletic Championships.

Again I was asked by Gab Stone if I would be available to attend a charitable event evening for a large corporate company at Billingsgate, London. During the evening I performed on the pommel horse alongside fencers and a rhythmic gymnast.

At the beginning of November I was selected to be part of the Great Britain Team to compete in Osijek, Croatia at a Grand Prix. This competition was apparatus only and I competed on High Bar, Parallel Bars and Rings. I qualified for the Parallel Bar final and finished in 7^th place.

To help fulfil as a potential Olympian I receive sponsorship from Lloyds Banking Group, Heritage Leisure Group,  FirstAid4Sport and funding support from UK Sport.

“BRING ON 2012”