Gyms as Community Centers

[Alex Douglas]

Historically, gymnastics has been the hub of community centers. Of course, what has been called “gymnastics” has changed throughout history. But going as far back as the Greek Empire, the gymnasium was the academic meeting ground for the philosophers, Socrates, Aristotle and Plato. They believed in a “sound mind in a sound body” and would debate academic subjects between exercise games.

Modern gymnastics retained its historical roots in the Greek Empire. Frederick Jahn, called Turnvereinsather of gymnastics” was a German who was dismayed at the weakness of the German citizens during the 19th century. He drew upon the ancient activities of tumbling, acrobatics and the pommel horse of the cavalry, and added the new inventions of his such as the rings and the high bar.

Jahn set a foundation for the community centers that spread throughout Europe and came to the United States, called the Turnvereins. Likewise in Sweden a doctor, Per Ling, who wanted new ways to increase physical therapy adopted and added equipment to gymnastics, such as the parallel bars, as a way of bringing health and strength to invalids. His followers took his program and founded the community centers of the Sokols. In England, George Williams, saw these community centers and decided that Christianity should have the same, so he founded the YMCA which spread around the world, as well.

These organizations spread because gymnastics was the nucleus of physical health, but their founders sought a total health harking back to the time of the Greek Empire.

Modern gymnastics clubs left the community orientation in their pursuit of competitive gymnastics. Before Olga Korbut showed up at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany gymnastics was still within the community organizations (and NCAA) and there were no clubs to speak of. After Olga dazzled the world, suddenly millions of little girls wanted to be gymnasts which opened the market for the private club industry.

These competitive clubs had only one goal in mind: train high level athletes to enter the Olympic competition. The reality of running a business with astronomical overhead forced them to expand their horizons by building recreational class programs to glean their future athletes, to run birthday parties, invite field trips into the gym, setting up mobile gymnastics programs, building preschool programs and even subletting their facility for karate, yoga, and other kinds of programs.

In the last Artistic Gymnastics club that I worked for, the owner planned to open up a soccer program within his business. Likewise other clubs include horse back riding (if they are in the country) or swimming. Some of these expansions are the result of the many successful gymnastics summer camp businesses that built high level training facilities, brought in famous high level athletes to coach, and added all the amenities of a usual summer camp: dorms for sleeping, rec centers, canteens, canoeing, horseback riding and so many other things depending upon the camp you are talking about.

The modern club industry has been moving towards community centers in a reverse order. Of necessity they are reaching out to the communities to supplement their Olympic ambitions. I believe the time has come for the gymnastics industry to take a renewed look at becoming community centers again on purpose, and not because of financial necessity.

The gymnastics industry, for some in the industry not all, has been very selfish in their interest. I have coached for 30 years and I am an eyewitness to the changes in the industry. In my opinion, I believe the 1980’s was the most abusive time in the industry. The focus on training high level athletes was so intense, verbal and physical abuse occurred way too often on the little girls blinded by this dream. The 1990’s brought some arrest to this behavior, partly because of lawsuits, but also because of a conviction of conscience. But the focus in the industry still remains the same: Olympic champions.

I am no longer coaching Artistic Gymnastics. I have my own school that I am building in Stunt Gymnastics. I do not call it an Acrobatic Gymnastics school, which is the USAG competitive version, but Stunt because I am building a community center around stunts and health. I may not go back into competition again, since that is not my goal. I am using the Stunt Gymnastics as a focal point to bring families together. I am encouraging them in diet and exercise, especially since Americans are far too obese for good health. And as a Christian, I am creating a Christ centered community to encourage spiritual and mental health as well.

Please hear my call, all who own gymnastics clubs. Be intentional in building your business as a community oriented business, not just a athlete training center. I am not advocating going the route of the Turners, Sokols or the YMCAs which went way beyond gymnastics in becoming Recreation Centers. Almost every local government has a Rec Center, and their service goes outside the realm of gymnastics.

What I am asking everyone to consider is to make gymnastics a focal point in training the community to live in good health, to regain the Greek view of a “sound mind in a sound body.” Fitness, nutrition, and for those of faith, spiritual soundness. Gymnastics as an industry is anemic and incestuous. It needs to expand its own health as an industry and bring health to the community.

[Coachgeo]

Posted earlier but wanted to edit and could not. Delted then reposted below with corrections.
---------------------

First step is obvious and it is sitting right there in the USAG offices. In fact it is more than obvious. It is GOING TO HAPPEN. First ones there reap the rewards.

There are offices at USAG that are separate. These offices are separate in our minds too. Therefor our organizations model is just a reflection of us. Each office is a competitive office with a different goal of producing champions. Each one is overlapping in human athleticism, Each one is a grand tool to use to teach children to be healthy participants in life thru out all their years, each one is a tool that can build quality character in young minds, yet each aimlessly floats around separately.

GYMNASTICS is the core.

Nooooo.... not artistic gymnastics.... forget compulsory, (pleaseeee the musiccccc lol) forget Uneven Bars NO NO NO... wipe that from your mind.

"Gymnastics in it's original form!

GYMNASTICS as in exercise using human movement around thru and over, equipment. This is our community. Gymnastics in its simple form. Just exercises for the mind and body using human movement and equipment. Displays of the athleticism is part of its nature as well.

Thru out parts of the world this is called General Gymnastics. Here in the US that is a negative term that makes a coach role their eyes. That is because they see the wrong picture. General gym is not a performance group that looks hooky sometimes. It's a SYSTEM.

General gym is the core of the gym. It is teaching the basics that are core to ALL gymnastics. Does not matter if the kid is large or small, tall or skinny. Does not matter if they are talented or not. Yes.... it DOES NOT MATTER IF THEY ARE TALENTED!. Core is the base. Talent is not siphoned off to Artistic Gym. The talent will seek its own path and be more successful due to this. Does not matter if they are destined to be forever recreational. Who cares. They are all just their to exercise their minds and bodies using various pieces of gymnastic equipment.

It does not stop there though. A core is a nuclease of which energy / electrons surround. The surrounds are the offices we have floating at USAG and in our own minds. It is the other ancillaries; day cares, swimming, dance, martial arts as well. Right now all these with no nuclease to community around. No wonder each office if floundering a bit.

The gym business is set in a path that we need to embrace and stop ignoring. We keep adding new things to our gyms in this floating ancillary way. These ancillaries are only being held in by four walls. One or two break free and start their own business that hurts your pockets. Eventually we all must embrace that these ancillaries are electrons seeking either OUT or A CORE NUCLEASE to surround. We keep skipping creating the nuclease. What choice does that leave the electrons !!! To do this it will mean a change in mind set that gymnastic no longer means..... Vault Bars Beam Floor and means exercising the mind and body with thru, over and around equipment. Once we do that, thus allowing the core nuclease to form; the smart electrons will seek it. The whole unit will begin to take on a stronger life, and bigger payoffs.

Core, Nuclease will utilize bars, beam, floor, double-mini, Trampoline, Stunting, Rhythms (ribbon and hoop dance -Rhythmics?). Another words... General or Foundational Gymnastics as a core.

Those floating offices/ancillary programs will begin to encircle as electrons gaining strength for the WHOLE UNIT from the core nuclease. Offices called Artistic, Rhythmic, T&T, and of course ACRO will flourish. The whole unit will flourish for now it is ALIVE.

[Alex Douglas]

George,
You really get what I am talking about. There are really two spheres that I am addressing: owning the business and working for the business. The owners should see the big picture and hire the employees as he builds the big picture. Coaches in general are all about their specialty. In Artistic Gymnastics there are usually bar coaches (often men) and beam coaches (often women). This is appropriate from the employee's point of view. But the idea of a community center is from the owner's point of view. And most owners are specializing in Artistic Gymnastics or some other specialty. But in a recessed economy we need to go back to our roots. Great reply to the article George!