Thirty-year-olds bounced on trampolines, 5-year-olds instructed their parents, and for more than an hour, the sounds of laughter echoed off the walls.
The fun was all part of Stormy’s Gymnastics’ “Parents’ Day,” which took place at the Cortez Recreation Center on March 18, and included more than 30 young gymnasts and several parents.
“I do “Parents Day” to educate parents about gymnastics,” said Stormy’s Gymnastics coach Rayna Hale.
“Parents have expectations when they watch something, but when they try it themselves, they realize the difficulty,” she said. “Everyone always has a great time.”
More than 20 children of various ages are enrolled in classes through Stormy’s Gymnastics, which has been offering classes in Cortez for four years.
“We range between 80 and 100 kids in our program at any given time,” said Hale. “Because we’re a recreational program, we don’t do sessions. We want to be a friendly program that allows people to come in when they can.”
Parents practice skills
As part of Parents Day, young gymnasts participated alongside their parents in classes that were supervised by members of the Stormy’s Gymnastics’ coaching staff.
Throughout the hourlong sessions, parents traversed balance beams, bounced on a trampoline, and cart-wheeled down a track at the behest of their children, who eagerly demonstrated various skills.
At one point during the class, former cheerleader Kiffany Veach climbed onto a balance beam and walked cautiously as her 5-year-old daughter, Reagan Veach, strode confidently down the narrow structure.
“I was a cheerleader in high school, so I learned a little bit of gymnastics,” said Kiffany Veach. “I was surprised though. You watch the little kids walk across the balance beam, and you don’t realize how high it is up there.”
Parents elicit laughs
In addition to showcasing their gymnastics skills, several parents elicited laughs from young gymnasts, who could not help laugh as adults struggled.
Among the most entertaining parents to attend the class was Gary Noyes, who walked onto the gym floor wearing a green wrestling singlet from his days as a high school wrestler.
As Noyes energetically bounced along padded mats, the singlet elicited smiles and laughs from young gymnasts, who were clearly amused by Noyes’ form-fitting singlet.
“I was just going to bring it as a joke,” said Noyes. “My daughter, Grace, was like, ‘You should wear it.’ I said, ‘Are you sure?’ She said yes, and I said I would.”
Children gain valuable skills
While in many ways “Parents Day” was all about fun and games, parents agreed such events, and gymnastics classes as a whole, have helped their children in various ways.
Among the parents to note the tangible benefits of Stormy’s Gymnastics’ classes was Amanda Hill, whose four-year-old daughter, Emilynn Hill, has been participating in gymnastics for nine months.
“Emilynn has gained a lot of motor skills through this and I think that she has gained a lot of strength as well,” said Amanda Hill.
“My favorite part is the balance beam,” said Emilynn Hill. “I like walking on it and doing the butterfly.”
After an exciting “Parents Day,” Amanda Hill can now, just maybe, say the same.