After years of waiting for an upgrade, Park’s girls’ gymnastics team moved into a new gymnasium upstairs at Central Community Center. With new equipment, bouncier mats and a fresh look, the gymnastics season kicks off with the excitement of a new space, allowing for better preparation and showcasing of the skills they build throughout practices.
According to head coach Dawn Thielen, the upgrade to the gymnasium has been in the works for multiple years, and the team has been slowly working towards the move. She said the equipment the team was using before had been around for a long time.
“We’ve had a big hope for (a new gym) for a while,” Thielen said. “This was promised to us about five years ago. We have been slowly over the last five years revamping and getting new equipment. A lot of the equipment we had, like some of the mats, we had when I was a gymnast, so they’ve been around, and they were old.”
Junior Tesa Allie said with new equipment, the gymnasts can get practice at the same time, instead of taking turns one by one. She said the additions to the gym make everything more accessible for building skills.
“This year is a little bit different because we have this new gym, and we got new things,” Allie said. “We have a new (balance) beam, we have another set of bars, and it allows more of us to practice at one time. It’s not like everybody is fighting for one spot, and it’s all more available to everybody.”
Senior Veronica Jones said she has hopes for more interest in students to join the gymnastics team now that there is more space offered in the new gym. She said the previous gym felt tight and the new one offers more room to practice.
“With a bigger gym, maybe some girls from the high school or even middle school could be interested (in joining the team), because our other gym was very small and we didn’t have a lot of room,” Jones said. “When they added space, I feel like more girls could be more comfortable and wouldn’t feel as cramped.”
Thielen said she’s excited for the team’s meets and competitions to be in one space so the team and any viewers don’t have to transition from one gymnasium to another when going to a new event. She said the new space also gives the team the ability to host an invite in the future.
“In the past (during meets), we’ve had bars and vaults upstairs, and we’ve had floor and beam downstairs,” Thielen said. “Halfway through the meet, everybody had to get up and go downstairs to step into the gym to watch the rest of the meet. This will be a lot nicer, because the spectators will sit in one place. They can see all the events at the same time, so they don’t have to move
as much. It should also speed things up with less setup. It gives us the opportunity to look at hosting an invite in the future, something that (we’re) really passionate about.”
Allie said the new gym is an improvement from last year, with heating, additional equipment and a fresh space to be in. She said the heating in the new gym is easier on the gymnasts’ bodies than the cold temperature from previous years.
“Our last gym was really old,” Allie said. “It hadn’t been remodeled, and we didn’t have heating either, so it was harsh on our bones, because it was really cold in the gym and we’re close to wearing nothing. But this year is a little bit better. (The new gym) is definitely an upgrade, and it’s not freezing. It’s warm and easier to warm up.”
According to Jones, the addition of a bar set, space for balance beams and vault has benefited the team in practicing skills. She said the added equipment allows the gymnasts to practice simultaneously.
“We have a second bar set, which has definitely helped us a lot more when we’re in groups. We don’t have to rely on one bar, and we can practice at the same time. (We have) more space for vault drills, that’s been fun. There’s a lot more space for beams as well,” Jones said.
