New IRV Head of Cyr – Hauke Narten

The IRV is very happy to announce that Hauke Narten has been appointed IRV Head of Cyr, a position that has been vacant since early 2022. Hauke is a skilled Cyr Wheeler and holds several World Championship titles, including the 2022 World Men’s All Around championship title. He has demonstrated his organisational and technical capabilities in connection with IRV online competitions, the IRV Academy Hollywood Days and the upcoming (soon to be announced) IRV Club Trophy. Hauke has already invested a huge amount of time and effort in spreading enthusiasm for Cyr Wheel at an individual and club level, and we hope that his position as Head of Cyr for the IRV will provide a platform upon which to promote even more internationally oriented activities. We are convinced that there are synergies to be achieved.

Not only does the IRV have a new Head of Cyr – we also have a new dedicated member of the IRV Cyr Team.

New IRV Cyr Team Member – Melanie Hanisch

As a member of the IRV Cyr Team, Hamburg Cyr Wheeler Melanie Hanisch will support Hauke in building up international Cyr Wheel activities. Melanie is a software developer with a passion for Cyr and is also the brain behind the IRV Cyr online difficulty database.

“We are extremely happy to welcome Hauke and Melanie on board to head up the new IRV Cyr Team”, says IRV Vice President Maria Sollohub. “Hauke has an extensive Cyr Wheel network and will be able to bring new momentum to the development of Cyr in the IRV and in the wider wheel gymnastics community.”

Hauke’s predecessor, Eric Deschênes, was IRV Head of Cyr from 2013-2022 and played a crucial role in developing and documenting the current Cyr Wheel Code of Points, establishing a difficulty catalogue and preparing competition formats. As the new Head of Cyr, Hauke Narten will now promote and further develop international Cyr Wheel activities for the IRV.

“My first priority is the World Championships in 2024”, says Hauke. “We want to see as many nations as possible competing at this event.” With a little less than a year to go, this is an ambitious goal, as not all international Cyr Wheelers are familiar with the competition regulations. “How-to” videos and online training courses can provide assistance in reaching the necessary skill level and these tools will be evolved further in the coming months. “I want to motivate people and show them how much fun a competition can be”, says Hauke.

Cyr Wheel is still a young discipline in the IRV competition scheme – the first World Championships took place only 10 years ago – in Chicago 2013. The IRV is looking forward to the next steps and hopes to see an expanding community of competitive Cyr Wheelers.

Attendees at the IRV Annual Seminar welcome Melanie as a new member of the IRV Cyr Team, while Vice President Maria Sollohub congratulates Hauke on his appointment as IRV Head of Cyr.