One of the most demanding sports pursuits for a youngster is gymnastics. To make it on to the international stage requires years of dedication and self-discipline and, with so many distractions in childhood years, few will realise an Olympic dream.

Margaret Brady, a director of the Broadwood Gymnastics Academy in Cumbernauld, has overseen many of Scotland’s brightest prospects in the sport since the centre opened almost eight years ago. The academy caters for all levels and ages, from toddlers upwards, and is the only stand-alone facility of its kind in Scotland.

“We spent 25 years teaching gymnastics on a badminton court in The Tryst (the sport centre at Cumbernauld),” says Mrs Brady.

Gymnasts from all over the world come for its annual international event, which took place at The Tryst last weekend. Gymnasts who competed for Great Britain in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney in addition to international teams from Hungary, Germany, Poland and Switzerland were among those who found their way to the unusual gymnastics outpost.

The standard of performances gave an idea of what can be achieved but Mrs Brady warns that sacrifices have to be made for young gymnasts to make it at international level.

“It takes sheer hard work for gymnasts to make it to national level and be able to take part in competitions at Great Britain level,” she says.

“Gymnasts need strong self-discipline and to compete at a high level it takes at least 20 hours of training a week.

“Also, gymnasts must not overeat. We do not allow gymnasts to diet but they have to watch what they eat. I think it is obvious what g-forces will do otherwise.”

As an example of the commitment required, Mrs Brady says: “We had a girl who came to us two years ago and joined our development group for three nights a week. She then moved up to advanced level, which involved four nights a week, and now she’s doing six nights a week and she’s still only 11.”

Similar dedication can be seen by 13-year-old Shereen Gibson, who attends the Scottish School of Sport in Bellahouston, Glasgow. She was spotted at a gymnastics fun day at Castlemilk, in Glasgow, and her potential noted as an eight-year-old.

Shereen has gone on to win the Scottish junior gymnastics title, is ranked in the top 10 in Great Britain and is hoping to compete for Scotland at next summer’s Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She has achieved this standard by practising for four hours, six days a week, in addition to attending national squad training.

Mrs Brady is keen to emphasise that the Broadwood Gymnastics Academy is as much about the leisure side of the sport as the elite. It is the leisure gymnasts who provide the base of the pyramid and there is a large number of children at the club. By welcoming children from a very early age, there is the chance to spot talent early.

“We like to be able to cater for every area, from the children that do gymnastics for leisure to those that want to do it more seriously.

“It is possible to spot youngsters that have the potential to do well in the sport but it is also the case that youngsters develop at different ages,” she says.

In addition to coaching children at the academy, Mrs Brady takes classes at primary schools. “We visit primary schools and do six-week blocks where we can give instruction for an hour a week,” she explains. “We recently visited Chapelgreen Primary in Kilsyth, Glasgow.

“The most important thing is for the children to enjoy gymnastics and many take to it naturally. Many just do it recreationally and that’s fine by us.

“Our numbers at the club have been fairly constant but the interest in gymnastics tends to increase after every Olympics, as the sport gets a lot more media exposure.”

Finding enough qualified coaches is always a problem and the academy has brought in high-profile coaches from England, Romania and Hungary. “But some of our best gymnasts find they have to go south of the border to reach their full potential,” says Mrs Brady.

More girls than boys are drawn to the sport but Scotland has produced some top male gymnasts. The latest among them is 22-year-old Barry Collie, from Aberdeen. He has had to go south for further coaching and is presently a member of the Hinckley club in Leicestershire. In October, he became the first Scot for four years to win a Great Britain vest, when he was included in the team for the World Championships in Belgium.

Gymnastics can provide the perfect base for progressing to other sports and Mrs Brady has seen more than a few go from the Broadwood Academy to excel in sports such as swimming and athletics.

“Obviously, in terms of strength and flexibility, gymnastics is the perfect training for athletes,” she says.

“We had one girl - Pamela O’Connor - who moved south and went on to become British ice-skating champion and is now ranked in the top 10 in the world.”