CENTENNIAL —It is no stretch to say gymnastics programs are thriving in the . One might say they are growing by leaps and bounds.
For evidence, look no further than the recently completed winter gymnastics camp at Centennial’s , the base of South Suburban’s gymnastics offerings. An estimated 180 kids between the ages 4 and 11 participated in at least one session of the four-day program over two weeks at the end of December, district gymnastics programs coordinator Ashleigh Klausner said. That’s a substantial increase over the 99 kids who participated in the inaugural winter camp in 2014, Klausner said.
“These kids have such cabin fever right now,” Klausner said as she observed the action on the camp’s final day in Goodson’s more than 8,000-square-foot gymnastics center. “This is great for them to come and run. The purpose of these camps is to provide a safe place to have fun.”
Over the past few years, South Suburban has added a handful of gymnastic mini camps slotted between its regular eight-week gymnastic programs, usually aligning with breaks in school schedules. They are offered on top of drop-in sessions offered at Goodson six days each week and an expansive cycle of ranging from parent-tot sessions — during which children as young as 6 months old are taught basic motor skills — to intermediate, pre-competitive classes for kids as old as 16.
South Suburban’s girls competitive team, the Sparks, sent to the regional competition in 2014 and repeated the feat in 2015, Klausner said. The district added a boys team in 2014. The Spartans, as it has been dubbed, has eight members who all competed in CARA events last year.
“It’s a constantly growing program,” Klausner said, adding that the district typically serves between 700 and 750 kids per eight-week session. “Our next class session we are offering 72 classes, and that’s in addition to our Sparks program and pre-competitive feeder program.”
Klausner has had a front-row seat for gymnastics’ steady growth at South Suburban. She competed as a member of the Sparks in 1994, became a coach several years later, and was named supervisor in 2003. She credited dedicated coaches, including 20-year leader Heather Trammell, for helping build and maintain the program, as well as an organizationwide approach to the sport focused on enjoyment first.
“I truly believe we teach gymnastics in a fun manner,” she said. “We have kids come from other gyms because coaches are too hard on them. My goal for every class is for it to be so fun kids don’t want to leave.”
That approach was on display at the final day of winter camp. The morning session, made up of pre-school and elementary school aged children, was split between free time and skills training work cleverly disguised as games. Coach Katy Roehrs taught her pupils how to “walk like a giraffe,” getting them to walk on their toes, and used hopscotch to help them better visualize jumping and to teach better balance when switching from two feet to one.
Four-year-old Cole Jackson’s favorite activity was jumping into the ever-popular foam pit, diving in so deep at one point, coaches had to help him climb out. Cole’s sister, Harper, 8, was also in the camp. She has already taken gymnastics classes with South Suburban and wants to continue because “you can do cool tricks and flips.”
Centennial resident Samantha Chen enrolled her 4-year-old son, Alekzander Berecz, in winter camp. He has been participating in gymnastics activities at the Goodson Rec Center for almost a year, his mom estimates.
“I saw it as an opportunity just to get him to exercise, to stretch. Stretching is good,” Chen said. “And he really likes it. They said he is good enough to move up to the 6-year-old class and he was into that. He’ll start that this year.”
Joe Rubino: 303-954-2953 or jrubino@denverpost.com
Gymnastics program
Call South Suburban Parks and Recreation District at 303-483-7085.
