There’s no way to tell from outside, but the Glacier Gymnastics facility at the Civic Centre is capable of hosting a club that consists of nearly one-tenth of Nelson’s population.
With 850 regular members and hundreds more on their wait-list, the flourishing club is looking for ways to expand its programming and continue to promote a healthy approach to gymnastics.
“We have a philosophy of being a well-rounded, gymnastics-as-a-lifestyle, healthy sport. We don’t really buy into super high-level training, 25 or 30 hours a week,” said club manager Steve Long. “A lot of that negative stuff that can come with gymnastics we don’t see because we have a very wholistic perspective.”
Long oversees the club, which has two divisions — recreational and developmental — that cater to athletes of all ages.
It’s not unusual for high-level competitive gymnasts to vault across the room in the presence of a parent and tot class, and that’s something Glacier Gymnastics is proud of.
When the Star swung by for a visit recently, hundreds of kids swarmed across the floor and engaged in a variety of high-flying antics. Many girls and boys were completing military-style training, working their way through a series of exercise stations.
Currently athletes who enrol at Glacier Gymnastics can learn how to compete in vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercises.
A number of Glacier’s top performers have traveled to competitions across the province and in the US, and have been performing impressively. Recently their charges have taken home a number of medals.
“We do really well on floor exercises and balance beam, but we’ve got some catching up to do on bars. In BC we’re looking really good, and at a recent competition in Kelowna a bunch of the girls came home with medals,” said head coach Sandra Long.
Recently, the club bought new trampolines and introduced that element to their training. Steve Long will serve as the trampoline head coach.
“The renovations we just finished allowed us to take on that sport. It came after a vision from some parents, and a lot of hard work,” he said.
Their newly increased space gives them more room for programming, but even that is not quite enough. Right now their after-school hours have been filling up quickly, and they have wait lists for many classes.
“It’s a good problem to have until parents are complaining they can’t get a class,” said Sandra.
Glacier is considering future improvements that could help the club continue to evolve.
“We’ve reworked the entire gym layout. We spent about $35,000 on equipment, we made some substantial changes, and it’s really opened up a lot of space. It’s been an ongoing process and a lot of work.”
The renovations continue. Glacier plans to spend at least an additional $10,000 this season and launch a corporate and member sponsorship program.
Steve said the community has been incredibly supportive, and many local businesses have given them discounted materials and special deals.
“We want to move our reception area upstairs, out of the gym, so we can serve the members better up there. We’re looking at getting some paint on the walls and getting everything cleaned up.”
The club continues to aggressively expand its trampoline program, as right now they can’t host some aspects of the sport due to lack of equipment.
For more information visit glaciergymnastics.com.
