The gymnastics academy Champion Gymnastics and Cheer (CGC) in Santee has a lot to cheer about these days. For example, it is the training ground of four new champions at the state level, two girls and two boys.
This high level of competition is one way that the academy sets itself apart from others like it.
The gymnastics academy Champion Gymnastics and Cheer (CGC) in Santee has a lot to cheer about these days. For example, it is the training ground of four new champions at the state level, two girls and two boys.
This high level of competition is one way that the academy sets itself apart from others like it.
Robyn Ross, owner and manager, says that the family atmosphere and the coaches go beyond the scope of just teaching skills. On any given day, in the hours after school gets out, proud parents huddle together to watch their youngsters dazzle them and each other on the uneven bars, balance beam, rings and floor exercises.
“The appeal of gymnastics for the students, Ross said, is its glamour and fun, of course.” But that is only part of the picture. “They come to achieve goals that the students have set for themselves, and to have their dreams become a reality,” she added.
In some ways, reaching those goals has become exponentially more difficult in the last decade because of the fierce competition. “But it’s nothing that we at CGC can’t achieve,” Ross said. “The sport itself has received more publicity, a face-lift per se, since the Olympic Games in London,” Ross added.
Adding to the competitiveness of gymnastics is the cheerleading dynamic of tumbling.
“Learning how to tumble correctly and safely is what we try to instill into our cheer class and tumbling class as well as our gymnasts,” Ross said.
The gymnasts at CGC are as young as 18 months old, with the eldest a 19-year-old level 10 Olympic student.
“We have quite a few 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds who tell us that they are working on filling their achievement card with happy face stickers. That means that when it is all filled up, they get to move up into the next level. Our 19-year-old is working on going to the Visa championships and possibly making it to our U.S. Men’s Olympic team,” Ross said.
Many girls’ and boys’ dreams simply include learning how to leap and somersault to their hearts’ content. The gymnastic academy’s spring camp is a perfect introductory course for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 13. The first session of camp is scheduled from March 25 through 29; the second, April 1 through 5.
“Anyone is eligible to sign up, meaning you do not need to have any experience,” Ross said. “Just come ready to have lots of fun, and be prepared to be totally exhausted when leaving each and every day,” concluded Ross.
CGC’s website boasts that “the gym is a state-of-the-art 8,800-square-foot facility, with equipment approved by the USA Gymnastics National Safety Certification Program and the Federation of International Gymnastics.”
