This year, P.H.D. Fundamentals marks 15 years of bouncing, flipping, performing, competing and creating opportunities for people across the Borders.

Founded by Lori Lee in 2011, P.H.D FUNdamentals began with just two trampoline classes on a Sunday morning.

In 2014, the club successfully secured funding to purchase gymnastics equipment and introduced classes. As participation grew, P.H.D established a satellite club in Galashiels, widening access to the sport and creating more opportunities for young people across the region. Its annual Club Championships and Christmas Display also became important fixtures in the local sporting calendar, giving gymnasts the chance to perform, compete and celebrate their progress closer to home.

Ms Lee said: "Today, P.H.D FUNdamentals has grown to more than 300 members and a dedicated coaching team of 10.

"Behind those numbers are hundreds of individual journeys, countless hours of coaching and volunteering, and a community built around a shared belief - every young person deserves the opportunity to discover what they are capable of."

Registered with Scottish Gymnastics, the club works to secure pathways for young gymnasts to develop their skills, test themselves against their peers, progress through competition and aspire to national representation.

The club's competitive programme spans multiple disciplines and levels, from local events to national championships and international opportunities.

P.H.D hosts its own Scottish Gymnastics-registered floor and vault competition at the Gytes Leisure Centre in Peebles, now entering its sixth year. Welcoming clubs from across Scotland, the event brings competitive gymnastics to the Borders, attracts visiting gymnasts and coaches, and gives local competitors the chance to experience the excitement of competition on home ground.

In two-piece gymnastics, P.H.D athletes compete from club level through to regional competition, with gymnasts travelling to Glasgow to compete at the end of October. The club also offers four-piece competitive gymnastics, with athletes working towards their next gradings in 2027 after an encouraging appearance at the Classic Challenge in September, where gymnasts achieved top-eight placings.

This year has already provided the club's organisers with plenty moments for celebration.

In September, seven P.H.D gymnasts qualified for the 2026 Scottish Trampoline and DMT National Championships in Dundee, where they competed for national rankings. The team returned home with personal-best performances and an outstanding collection of results, including sixth, fourth and second-place finishes - alongside a Scottish national champion.

The success continued in July, when Ms Lee and two gymnasts, Ivy and Poppy, were selected to represent Team Scotland at the Trampoline, Tumbling and DMT Inter-Regional Finals in Birmingham. Ivy finished fifth and Poppy fourth, both narrowly missing the podium. However, alongside their fellow Team Scotland athletes, they helped bring home the DMT trophy.

In 2019, P.H.D established Team Evolution as a display team using their gymnastics skills to develop acrobatic gymnastic balances, pitches, catches and throws. The team has since evolved into a competitive performance squad.

In 2024, Team Evolution travelled to Paris to compete internationally, returning with a second-place trophy and two third-place trophies.

Last year, the team staged the first-ever display show at the Gytes Leisure Centre, showcasing its award-winning routines. Supported by FIG-level gymnasts from Avondale Acrobatic and Gymnastics Club, the production was a tremendous success and sold out.

Last September, Team Evolution travelled to Blackpool to take part in Ministrada, winning the Innovation and Originality Award. The team is now fundraising for another international adventure in Paris in 2027 and will debut a brand-new routine at Scottish Gymnastics GymFest this November.

In 2020, P.H.D FUNdamentals gained charitable status, which boosts funding opportunities for the club and allows it to explore community partnerships.

Ms Lee said: "For children growing up across the Borders, local provision means that sporting opportunity does not have to be reserved for those living near Scotland's biggest cities.

"Young people should not need to move away from their community to discover their potential.

"A gymnastics club can teach a child to tumble. A great gymnastics club can help them discover their confidence, their resilience, their friendships and their future."

She continued: "As P.H.D celebrates this milestone, it is right to celebrate the medals, trophies, personal bests and unforgettable performances.

"But its achievements cannot be measured by podium places alone. They can also be seen in the child who finds their confidence, the young person who discovers a talent they never knew they had, the volunteer who develops new skills, the aspiring coach who finds a career pathway and the family who finds friendship and belonging through the club.

"These are the achievements that don't always make the results sheet - but they are every bit as important."