In the calisthenics world, it's every little girl's dream to win the Royal South Street Graceful Girl competition.
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Mornington Peninsula dancer Angeline Cray set her sights on winning the prestigious title seven years ago when she was old enough to be eligible, and on the weekend finally achieved her goal.
Ms Cray, 23, has not missed a year of the calisthenics competition of the Royal South Street Eisteddfod since taking up the sport as a four-year-old.
The Graceful Girl competition, open to calisthenics participants aged 16 and over, features a solo performance that showcases the skills of the sport.
"Ever since I was a kid I just remember practicing nearly every day before school," she said.
Ms Cray has competed in the teamwork competitions every year except last year when her team did not come to Ballarat because the competition was not at Her Majesty's Theatre, which was under renovations at the time.
But she still came to Ballarat to compete in the solo event, and she has been competing solo since she was just eight years old.
"Competing in Ballarat is definitely a highlight every year, especially at Her Majesty's Theatre. And I love all the buildings and churches, the scenery and just being away from the city is nice."
Although the Graceful Girl win is a highlight, it means Ms Cray must retire from solo events at Royal South Street, but she can continue with her team from Jeaden Calisthenics College or as a pair.
Mum Leanne said they had travelled to Ballarat last Thursday for a full weekend of competition, with the family heading home on Monday.
"It's every little girl's dream to win it and not all of them do. It's the biggest competition in Australia and it's open to the entire calisthenics community so there are entrants from every state - it's the elite and they have to qualify to come," she said.
"It's really hard to win because it's very technical, like ballet, and they need all the techniques but more expression than they use in ballet ... and once you win it you basically retire from the competition."
Competitors from all over Australia were entered in to the Graceful Girl competition, but one unlucky Queensland competitor made it to Ballarat but not in to the competition, injuring herself just before she was due to take the stage.
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