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Katie Stevens is a talented, up-and-coming young gymnast from Wokingham in Berkshire. She was born January 30th 1992 to parents Gary and Clare (a former gymnast herself). Katie started gym at the age of 4. "As a toddler I was always climbing and leaping around and that is why my mum decided to take me to a gym," she explains. Katie began her gymnastics career at Pinewood GC in Wokingham, where she remains to this day. Her younger sister, Rosie, is also a very promising Pinewood gymnast.
Katie is the 2004 Southern Region Espoir champion. She placed 20th all-around in her first British Championships as an Espoir in 2004 and qualified to the floor final. Previously, she had been successful in age group competition, placing 7th at the level 4 national finals in 2001, and helping the South team win gold at level 2 in 2003. Katie was a member of the Pinewood team at the British Teams championships in 2003 and 2004. She has represented the South at the British Schools junior championships, finishing 14th all-around in 2004. Katie competed internationally with her club in 2003, placing 2nd with the team and 4th AA in the Youth section of the Malar Cup in Sweden. She is a member of the Southern Regional squad and was the reserve for the World Class Start (National U-12) squad in 2003.
Katie trains 23 hours a week at Pinewood, where her coach is Natalie Ryan. Her favourite pieces of apparatus are floor and bars, and her favourite move is 2½ twist on floor. Katie prefers competition to training. Her gymnastic idol is 1996 Olympic champ, Lilia Podkopayeva. Katie's ambition is to represent Great Britain in an International. Outside of the gym, Katie enjoys shopping and chatting to her friends on MSN. The subjects she likes best at school are PE and English. Katie's favourite book is 'Girls Out Late' and her favourite food is tuna and pasta salad. Her dislikes include spiders, eggs and bananas. She has a pet rabbit called Nibbles. When she is older, Katie hopes to become either a gym coach or a physiotherapist.
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