Trinity’s DU Trampoline have disaffiliated from Gymnastics Ireland. The club announced that it officially separated from the organisation on August 14, with club captain Orlaith Geary sending an email to its members today notifying them of the decision. The club attributed this decision to rising costs and membership fees.
In an email seen by Trinity News, DU Trampoline noted that “the cost of being an affiliated club has grown exponentially”. It pointed out that it would be forced to pay a €1,500 membership fee to Gymnastics Ireland, and that this would “financially cripple the club”.
Geary pointed out that this decision followed consultation with the Gymnastics Ireland members of DU Trampoline, who “decided that it was in the best interest of the club and its members to disaffiliate”.
Students also have to pay individual membership fees in order to become a member of Gymnastics Ireland, which provides various benefits and facilities. However, the club have argued that “the cost to benefit ratio just doesn’t level out”.
The club announced that despite this, members will be able to attend Gymnastics Ireland events, which include coaching courses, national competitions, and judging courses. Supersonic Trampoline Club have agreed to sign up DU Trampoline members for these events, provided that they train and actively participate within the club. This will allow them to participate as before. Geary also noted that the group was exploring other options.
She concluded her email and said that “ideally affiliation would be a much cheaper and a more viable option”.
Gymnastics Ireland provides its members with various training programmes and exercise facilities, as well as the opportunity to participate in competitions and events. It also assists members in rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatics, men and women’s artistic gymnastics, and various other gym based activities. However, many of these resources require additional payments in addition to standard membership fees.
Disaffiliation from Gymnastics Ireland means that DU Trampoline will no longer have access to these resources directly, but may still be able to avail of them through participation in indirect links such as Supersonic Trampoline Club. It is still unclear whether their members will be able to avail of other membership services during the coming year.
