Champions Gymnastics Isn’t Just for the Kids Who Want to Compete

By Scott Arnold

For families looking for a fun way for kids to get moving, make new friends and take a break from screens, recreational gymnastics can be a pretty good place to start.

Champions’ recreational programs give kids the chance to stay active while having fun and exploring the different areas of gymnastics. (photo by Scott Arnold)

Walk into Champions Gymnastics and one of the first things you notice is the noise.

There’s laughter, the sound of feet hitting the floor and the occasional excited squeal as kids work their way through the gym. For some, they’re learning a gymnastics skill for the very first time. For others, they’re building on something they’ve been working toward for weeks.

And while gymnastics can sometimes be associated with competition and high-level athletes, that’s only part of the picture at Champions.

The recreational programs are designed to give kids of all ages a chance to get active, learn the basics of gymnastics and, most importantly, have fun doing it.

Erica Austin, Champions Gymnastics’ Recreation Coordinator, has been coaching gymnastics for more than 30 years after first getting involved in the sport at five years old. (photo by Scott Arnold)

“We do a lot of basic gymnastics, a lot of learning and just teaching the basics of gymnastics and getting them to love the sport,” says Erica Austin, Champions’ Rec Coordinator.

That can start remarkably early.

Champions offers recreational programming beginning at the six-month crawling stage, with programs continuing through the preschool and school years and all the way into adulthood. The majority of participants are children, with particularly strong participation among kids ages 4, 5 and 6.

The goal isn’t to turn every child into a competitive gymnast.

Instead, recreational classes give participants the opportunity to experience different parts of gymnastics through circuits and stations. Rather than spending an entire session working on one skill or piece of equipment, kids can move around the gym and experience the different events.

That might mean working on balance, strength, flexibility or coordination while getting comfortable with the equipment and learning new skills along the way.

And those skills can be useful far beyond the gymnastics floor.

Austin says gymnastics can provide a foundation for children who eventually take part in other sports, helping develop things like balance, speed, strength and flexibility.

“It’s the development for a lot of other sports as well,” she says.

For families looking for an activity that gets kids moving, that makes gymnastics an interesting starting point even if competing is nowhere on the radar.

From balance and flexibility to strength and coordination, gymnastics can help children build skills that can carry over into other sports. (photo by scott arnold)

Something for Everyone

Champions’ recreational programming is also built around different stages of childhood.

There are morning programs for younger children who aren’t in school yet, after-school programs for school-aged kids and weekend programming on both Saturdays and Sundays.

The recreational program is open to boys and girls, and there’s no requirement to arrive with gymnastics experience.

In fact, for many children, that first class is simply about discovering what they can do.

Austin knows that feeling well.

She started gymnastics at five years old, eventually competed during high school and then moved into coaching. She has now been coaching for more than 30 years.

So she’s seen plenty of changes in the sport, including how much the equipment and facilities have evolved.

But one thing remains the same: watching a child figure out a new skill for the first time never gets old.

“It’s really gratifying to watch them learn the skills,” Austin says.

That’s also what she enjoys most about working in the recreational program. The coaches aren’t simply teaching skills from one station to the next. They get to see the progression that happens when a child comes back week after week and suddenly realizes they can do something they couldn’t do before.

And judging by the atmosphere inside the gym, the coaches aren’t the only ones having fun.

With recreational programs offered on weekday mornings, after school and on weekends, Champions welcomes participants at a variety of ages and experience levels. (photo by scott arnold)

A Peterborough-Area Gymnastics Fixture

Champions has been part of the community since 1988 and has been operating at its current Lansdowne Street West location since 2019.

The facility was designed as a private sport centre serving the greater Peterborough area, with the main gym spanning 12,000 square feet.

There’s plenty inside for young athletes to explore, including a 1,700-square-foot foam pit, three vault runways, a 40-foot spring tumble track, a full power tumbling runway and both men’s and women’s Olympic-standard gymnastics equipment.

For younger children, there is also preschool-specific equipment designed to keep them moving and engaged.

The facility also includes viewing areas for families, including an upstairs viewing area that provides a panoramic view of both gyms. A downstairs viewing area is fully wheelchair accessible.

But for all the equipment and space, the heart of the recreational program is considerably simpler.

Get kids moving. Let them try something new. Help them build confidence and skills. And give them a place where they can have fun while doing it.

That’s especially meaningful in an age when so many children's activities can revolve around screens.

At Champions, there are no tablets needed to keep kids entertained. They’re climbing, balancing, jumping, running, tumbling and figuring out what their bodies can do.

And sometimes, they’re laughing while they do it.

For families who have always been curious about gymnastics but assumed it was only for kids who wanted to compete, the recreational program offers a different way to look at the sport.

You don’t have to be a gymnast before you walk through the door.

You just have to be ready to move.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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