Remembering Denise Goddard

Denise was 10 years old when she took up the sport of gymnastics at the Cardiff Olympic Youth Club, where the coach Walter Maidment must have quickly recognised her talent. She was strong, explosive, and gutsy.

Denise, the teenage talent

She soon won the Welsh Junior championships and was only 15 years of age when she was entered into the senior British Championships in 1960 held at Shoreditch Town Hall. This must have been quite an experience for Denise to travel to London for this event. She was competing against Great Britain’s team gymnasts. What a surprise it must have been for all concerned when she came 2nd to Pat Perks and beat the 1952 Olympian, reigning British champion Gwynedd Lingard. After the Olympic set exercises, Denise was lying in first position with a score of 36.432, 0.566 ahead of her nearest rival, Pat Perks. However, it was in the voluntary competition that Pat leapfrogged Denise by over a mark to take the title with a score of 73.3 against Denise’s 73.2.

1960 The Rome Olympics 

The British championships had taken place in February and were a selection event for the forthcoming Olympics in Rome. What a heartbreak for Denise, for despite her achievements, she was unable to be selected for the team; according to the International Gymnastics Federation, she was too young.

Her disappointment must have turned to excitement when her neighbours in Trorchy Street collected enough money to send Denise as a spectator to Rome.

Having made such an impression in 1960, you would think that the 1961 British Championships was hers, but another young gymnast was on the scene, Monica Rutherford who took the top spot with Denise second again.

Competing for Great Britain 

As a result of their 1st and 2nd places, Monica and Denise travelled to Leipzig for the Women’s European Championships. This was a first for British women; no one had competed in a European Championships before. They didn’t set the world alight with their performances, but they must have learned a lot and perhaps overawed to be competing against Olympic stars Larisa Latynina and Polina Astakova. 

Gracious in defeat

1962, another British Championships. Once again, Denise has to settle for 2nd place on the third occasion.  Then second again to Monica in 1963 and 64; would she ever win?

The Gymnast magazine for the 1963 Championship says that after 3 pieces of apparatus, Monica was 0.11 behind Denise. Beam the last piece of apparatus on this day, Denise put in a great beam performance to score 9.4.  Surely Monica could not match that!

Tony Morse for The Gymnasts magazine, described Monica’s exercise as

“A virtuoso display which was rewarded with a 9.6 and the title was her’s again.”

Jim Prestidge recalls this occasion of Denise’s defeat

“Her answer to her disappointment was a smile, a hug and a big kiss for the girl who had shattered her hopes and dreams.”

1965 was the magic year when Denise could proudly lift the trophy.

So on five occasions, Denise had come 2nd. On each occasion, she had only been tenths away from winning the title.

The first female gymnast to make not one, but two, European Finals

Travelling to Paris for the 1963 Women’s European Championships was exciting for many of us training in the sport at this time. We were going to see the gymnastics greats, and Monica and Denise would have their chance to compete once more against the world’s best.

However, politics reared its ugly head; East Germany was a top nation in gymnastics but was not officially recognised by some nations, including France, the host nation. The DDR team was refused visas, and as a result, nearly all of the European Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the event. 

Monica injured herself during the championships, so it was up to Denise to carry the flag, which she did admirably. She secured a place in the floor and the vault finals, a wonderful first for women’s British gymnastics.

Monica recalls one of their escapades at the Europeans 

“At the European in Paris in 1963, we bought a cake from a Boulangerie. It looked delicious as we sat on the window ledge of our room. We were just about to sample the cake when June (the team and Monica’s coach) called at the door, so we chucked the cake from the 3rd floor room window. 

 

A while later we had a complaint from the concierge about our cake landing on a customer. We denied all knowledge of the cake!!!”

Every gymnast’s dream – the Olympic Games

Denise went on to compete at the 1964 Olympics along with Monica. Neither of the gymnasts excelled, but it’s important to understand the training conditions in gyms at this time. Apparatus was poor, often homemade, time available in the gym was limited, and our knowledge of the sport was lacking; we had a lot to learn, but these two girls were leading the way in our steady progress.

Above – Denise and Monica Tokyo bound, along with team member Jack Pancott, and Bob Trenholm to wish them well, Nik Stuart the men’s coach is in the background, and June Groom, nee Allison is on the right – photo courtesy of Beverley Pancott

In 1965 following her British title Denise went on to coach at the gym now called the Cardiff Central Club. She would continue to coach for twenty years. 

Denise, the coach remembered – with thanks to three of her gymnasts

Moving from an Olympian in 1964, to coaching soon after, was a natural development for Denise. During her early years as a coach, she worked closely with Walter Maidment, MBE, and their coaching partnership was second to none. Denise’s no-nonsense approach dovetailed perfectly with Walter’s softer, cajoling approach.

Denise had an eye for talent. By the early 1970s, she had been responsible for producing dozens of gymnasts for junior and senior Welsh National squads and representing Wales internationally. She formed a good coaching partnership during that time with Lyn Avery, father of one of Denise’s early successes, Nicola.

Denise’s next generation of gymnasts in the mid-to late 1970s included gymnasts who were selected for British squads and GB international events (eg Bev Watts and Julie Smith).

 Training in Cardiff Central during the 60s and 70s was a bundle of fun. The gym was vibrant – always full of groups of gymnasts on all apparatus. Denise’s mother, always referred to as Mrs Goddard, was a permanent feature and everyone’s first port of call.  She sat at a table to collect the subs and chatted to every gymnast before they got down to work. She was ever-present at the summer displays, a feature of club life during the summer months. The display team particularly enjoyed a regular slot on a Sunday afternoon at Barry Butlins, entertaining holiday-makers, after which, the gymnasts were given some free time to enjoy the camp facilities before afternoon tea.

Denise was an excellent technician who paid close attention to detail. All her gymnasts were well-versed in set exercises and the teams and individuals she coached were always praised for the accuracy with which set exercises were performed. She also had a particular flare for choreography. Floor exercise was a key strength for Denise; she would always work with each gymnast to select music to suit her artistic strengths.

Many thanks to Bev Smith, nee Watts, Kathy Jefferies, and Leigh Fowler. for their memories. Leigh has continued at the Cardiff Club acting as a community coach. 

Sadly, Denise died in 2023. Her time in gymnastics could have been longer but with a family tragedy and after the death of her mother, she left the sport. Denise played an important part in our gymnastics history as her story and photos illustrate.