An Armagh woman who just one year ago was “barely fit to walk” has been crowned ‘Ireland’s Fittest Dancer’ at a competition in Donegal.
Gemma Smith is the first to admit that she felt “lost” in life.
She says she wasn’t fit enough to “walk the length of myself” and had set the personal goal of becoming strong enough to walk her dog.
However, when she decided, on January 2, 2024, to start the gym with a personal trainer, everything in her life changed.
“I gained strength and energy and my mental health improved drastically. My confidence grew more each day”, Gemma explained.
She eventually built up the courage to get involved with a jiving class in June, where she says she “fell in with the most wonderful people”.
At the weekend, James McGrath and JivinGym organised a country music weekend at the Abbey Hotel in Donegal, and held their first ever “Ireland’s Fittest Dancer” competition.
Alongside the competition, the event was a showcase for up-and-coming country artists, giving them the platform to showcase their music and talent.
A huge range of dancers took part, from all over Ireland and even from as far away as London.
Throughout the entire weekend, Gemma never left the dancefloor, clocking up a huge 83,297 steps over three days of dancing!
In recognition of her performance, she was crowned Ireland’s Fittest Dancer (Female) 2025!
“The place was full,” she told Armagh I. “There were live singers and we had to check in and check out our steps. Mostly, I did line dancing, but I did do jives and waltzes and quick steps.”
Gemma says she thought she didn’t stand a chance of winning, however, against all odds, she proved herself wrong and took home the trophy!
“I was very shocked. My aim was for 60,000 steps for the weekend and then I ended up with over 83,000.
“I loved it,” she added. “Me and my friend went down and then I met up with a few others who I went jiving with. I met so many people through the gym and even just down there I met more people which is really nice.”
Gemma says joining JivinGym marked a turning point in her life.
“I went to James’s class on my own, and then I just fell in with these new people. There’s a great community involved in it which I really enjoy. It just takes you away from everyday life. it’s such a different environment.”
After the news of her victory got out, Gemma took to Facebook to share her story.
“It has been a crazy year and I think it is going to get crazier,” she said. “Moral of the story… take the plunge and do not care what anyone else thinks. Do what makes you happy and follow your gut.
“Life is too short to have regrets and you never know what you will achieve.”
