{{short description|American/British artistic gymnast}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox gymnast | name = Shavahn Church | image = | image_size = 150px | caption = | full_name = Shavahn Nikole Church<ref name="UCLA" /> | nickname = | country = {{GBR2}}<br />{{ENG}} | formercountry = {{USA}} | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1989|05|03}} | birth_place = Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, U.S.<ref name="UCLA" /> | death_date = | death_place = | height = {{height|m=1.57}}<ref name="UCLA" /> | discipline = WAG | level = | natlteam = | club = Heathrow, Waller's GymJam Academy<ref name="UCLA" /> | collegeteam = University of California, Los Angeles<ref name="UCLA" /> | headcoach = Chris Waller, Valorie Kondos Field<ref name="UCLA" /> | assistcoach = | formercoach = Kristen Maloney, Don Peters, Yu Feng<ref name="Bio" /> | choreographer = | music = | eponymousskills = Uneven Bars | retired = 2008 | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = <!-- see Template:MedalRelatedTemplates --> {{MedalCountry | {{ENG}} }} {{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}} {{MedalSilver|2006 Melbourne|Team}} {{MedalSilver|2006 Melbourne|Uneven Bars}} }}
'''Shavahn Nikole Church''' (born May 3, 1989 in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California<ref name="UCLA" />) is an American-British artistic gymnast who lives and trained in California. She formerly competed for the United States but decided in 2005 to represent Great Britain.
==Early life==
Church was born and raised in California to British parents Raymond and Mandy Church. She has two sisters, Carley and Jade, who were also born in the United Kingdom. Her grandparents live in England.<ref name="Bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.shavahnchurch.com/bio.htm |title=Biography |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=ShavahnChurch.com |publisher=ShavahnChurch.com |access-date=24 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="UCLA" />
She began training gymnastics at age 7.<ref name="Bio" />
==Career==
Church was a member of the U.S. Junior National Team in 2003. In 2004, she competed at the American Classic, finishing third on floor exercise and fifth all-around. Her placements qualified her for the U.S. championships in June 2004, where she broke her hand on her first event, the uneven bars.<ref name="UCLA">{{cite web |url=https://uclabruins.com/sports/2013/4/17/208190891.aspx |title=Player Bio: Shavahn Church |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=UCLABruins.com |publisher=UCLA Athletics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024203305/https://uclabruins.com/sports/2013/4/17/208190891.aspx |archive-date=24 October 2021 |access-date=24 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="Bio" />
Following an October 2004 ACL tear and faced with the likelihood of not making the U.S. Worlds team for 2005, Church decided to switch to competing for Great Britain while continuing to live and train in the U.S.<ref name="Bio" /> She made her major international debut at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne. Not fully recovered from an injury and severely out of competition practice, she placed 20th in the all-around.
Church was a member of the English team for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m2006.thecgf.com/Participants/Participants?ID=104139|title=Biography and Results - Shavahn Church - 2006 Commonwealth Games}}</ref> Due to an injury to captain and world bronze medallist Beth Tweddle, the team had to compete with only four members, and were unable to challenge Australia for the gold medal. Instead, in the last rotation, they were in a dogfight with Canada for the silver. Church's bars routine secured second place for the team. In the all-around, Church was in medal contention until her beam routine, where a narrow save after a large wobble was not enough to prevent her from dropping behind, and she finished fifth. In apparatus finals, she bounced back, finishing second on bars to Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs of Canada.
Church was also a member of the British team for the 2006 European Championships in Greece. She had hopes of more success on bars (her highest Commonwealth Games score would have qualified her to the European finals), but injury struck in the qualifying rounds and she was unable to complete the competition. Later in 2006, she underwent surgery, and the recovery kept her out of further competition that year.
As a member of the University of California, Los Angeles women's gymnastics team, Church's competition debut was delayed after arthroscopic surgery on her right knee. In 2008, her only year of competition, she scored a season-best (9.875) at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, which was her final gymnastics meet.<ref name="UCLA" /> She was named a UCLA letterwinner for the year.<ref name="letterwin">{{cite web |url=https://ucla_ftp.sidearmsports.com/pdf/gym-mg15-history.pdf |title=UCLA Gymnastics - Decades of NCAA Excellence |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=SidearmSports.com |publisher=Sidearm Sports|access-date=24 October 2021}}</ref>
In July 2008, Church announced her retirement from gymnastics and began a coaching career in California.<ref name="retirement">{{cite web |url=http://www.shavahnchurch.com/ |title=ShavahnChurch.com |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=ShavahnChurch.com |publisher=ShavahnChurch.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702214947/http://www.shavahnchurch.com/ |archive-date=2 July 2008 |access-date=24 October 2021}}</ref>
==Eponymous skill== Church has an eponymous uneven bars release move listed in the Code of Points.<ref>{{cite web |title=2022-2024 Code of Points Women’s Artistic Gymnastics |url=https://www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/rules/files/en_WAG%20CoP%202022-2024.pdf |website=International Gymnastics Federation |access-date=22 January 2022 |pages=98, 208}}</ref> {|class="wikitable" |- ! Apparatus !! Name !! Description !! Difficulty{{efn|name=difficulty|Valid for the 2022-2024 Code of Points}} |- |Uneven bars || Church || Pike sole circle backward counter pike hecht over high bar to hang || E |} {{notelist}}
== Competitive History == {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%;" ! align="center" |Year ! align="center" |Event !Team !AA !VT !UB !BB !FX |- ! colspan="8" |Junior |- | rowspan="2" |'''2003''' |American Classic | |4 |4 |{{gold1}} | | |- |US National Championships | | | |6 | |8 |- | rowspan="2" |'''2004''' |American Classic | |5 | | | | |- |US Classic | |5 |8 |6 |{{bronze3}} | |- ! colspan="8" |Senior |- |'''2005''' |World Championships | |20 | | | | |- |'''2006''' |Commonwealth Games |{{silver2}} |5 | |{{silver2}} | | |- ! colspan="8" |Collegiate |- |'''2008''' |NCAA Championships |{{silver2}} | | | | | |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.shavahnchurch.com}} * {{FIG|bio=19374|name=Shavahn Church}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church, Shavahn}} Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:American female artistic gymnasts Category:British female artistic gymnasts Category:English female artistic gymnasts Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Category:Gymnasts at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Category:U.S. women's national team gymnasts Category:People from Tarzana, Los Angeles Category:Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Category:21st-century English sportswomen Category:21st-century American sportswomen Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in gymnastics