Craig Heap
Encyclopedia
Craig Heap is a retired Commonwealth Games
Gold medal
winning gymnast
who has represented England over 100 times in various international gymnastic competitions. He has been the English and British champion as well as the captain on many occasions and has won 5 World
and 5 European titles in his career.
he stated;
After progressing as a junior gymnast Heap eventually became professional and trained full time though he struggled for money as the grants from Sport England
were not vast sums of money nor was much money generated through sponsorship. A series of injuries only helped to exacerbate his financial shortfalls as long periods out meant even less money. Heap had many such injuries throughout his career, undergoing five operations on his left elbow
, surgery to both shoulders
, calves
, shins, an ankle
and a wrist
. Since retiring from Gymnastics Heap has taken a more media related role, appearing on Blue Peter, BBC's 'They Think its all Over', TV advert for Physio Sport, 'Simply the Best' and commentating for the BBC on Gymnastics. He now visits schools around the UK, recently visiting Musselburgh Grammar School near Edinburgh, Scotland and The Hereford Academy in West Midlands, England, he has also visited Hathershaw College of Technology and Sport in Oldham
, Lancashire
and was a guest speaker at their Prize Presentation Evening, on the 12th November 2009.
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Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
Gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
winning gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
who has represented England over 100 times in various international gymnastic competitions. He has been the English and British champion as well as the captain on many occasions and has won 5 World
World Gymnastics Championships
The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:...
and 5 European titles in his career.
History
Heap began as a gymnast when he was just nine years old after his parents took him to classes out of simple desperation as he was very hyperactive as a child, in an interview with the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
he stated;
I was a bit of a tearaway as a kid, always jumping over the sofas and racing around the yard. My sister Nicola used to go to gym classes and one day my mum said: 'Instead of leaping over the furniture, get yourself down to the gym with your sister.
After progressing as a junior gymnast Heap eventually became professional and trained full time though he struggled for money as the grants from Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
were not vast sums of money nor was much money generated through sponsorship. A series of injuries only helped to exacerbate his financial shortfalls as long periods out meant even less money. Heap had many such injuries throughout his career, undergoing five operations on his left elbow
Elbow
The human elbow is the region surrounding the elbow-joint—the ginglymus or hinge joint in the middle of the arm. Three bones form the elbow joint: the humerus of the upper arm, and the paired radius and ulna of the forearm....
, surgery to both shoulders
Shoulders
Shoulders is drinking game that involves players competing in a fast paced game attempting to "count" to 21.-Game play:*The game begins with a player slapping his left/right shoulder, this starts the count at 1....
, calves
Calf (anatomy)
In human anatomy the calf is the back portion of the lower leg . In terms of muscle systems, the calf corresponds to the posterior compartment of the leg. Within the posterior compartment, the two largest muscles are known together as the calf muscle and attach to the heel via the Achilles tendon...
, shins, an ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
and a wrist
Wrist
In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as 1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand;...
. Since retiring from Gymnastics Heap has taken a more media related role, appearing on Blue Peter, BBC's 'They Think its all Over', TV advert for Physio Sport, 'Simply the Best' and commentating for the BBC on Gymnastics. He now visits schools around the UK, recently visiting Musselburgh Grammar School near Edinburgh, Scotland and The Hereford Academy in West Midlands, England, he has also visited Hathershaw College of Technology and Sport in Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and was a guest speaker at their Prize Presentation Evening, on the 12th November 2009.
External links
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