Mae Yates, 9, of Mount Cotton has skipped her way to becoming the Queensland age champion for her age group.
She took out the coveted award at the Queensland championships held at the Gold Coast on April 22 and 23, also bringing home a further seven medals.
“We are very proud. When she started she could only skip backwards and now she is showing some real aptitude,” her mother Melissa Yates said.
Melissa said Mae started skipping in Year 1 with the Mount Cotton State School’s Jump Start program, skipping once a week.
By the end of that year, she had signed up for the Hot Shots program and later the Cotton Hoppers at the school.
“Any success she has had has to be attributed to her coach [Taryn Hodgson],” Melissa said.
“Taryn is amazing and gets the most out of her. Taryn lives and breathes the sport and it really shows through the athletes.
“I remember when she started, Taryn told me not to worry about anything. It was important to start them young.
“Within months she was doing tricks and quite good at it
“But most of all she loves it. She gets really excited and has a great passion for it.”
