When I was a kid, I was fortunate enough to grow up with a dad who absolutely loved to be active and play sports. He was always encouraging my brother and I to run around the yard, climb trees, rocks and walls, ride our bikes, kick and hit balls, jump in the pool, the ocean and pretty much to get into anything that was “jumpable.” Best part of all, he would be right there with us: teaching us how to play tennis, climbing mountains, telling us not to be scared and getting us into all kinds of outdoor adventures.
My dad used sports to raise me into a strong confident woman. He wanted to show me, at a young age, that just because I was a girl, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t run fast, jump high, lift heavy, and participate on the soccer pickup games that my brother and his friends would organize. I was the most bad ass little girl out there (got confused with a little boy a couple of times but whatever) I could run fast, I could push, kick and hit hard and was pretty much fearless….except when it came to cartwheeling. God gave me many athletics talents; unfortunately, flexibility and gymnastic ability were not some of them. Growing up I always had one or two friends, who for no particular reason, would bust an amazing backflip while hanging out on the back yard or would start walking on their hands or performed some crazy acrobatic spin while hanging at the local park’s playground structure. I COULD BARELY DO A FORWARD ROLL!!!!!!!!!! I know it is not a big deal…but this really makes me mad, even today 🙁 At 30 something years old I really wish I could do and hold a legit handstand…don’t ask me why but I really want to! Well, I just found the perfect place in Fresno that might make all of my wildest gymnastics dreams come true!! : Gymnastics Beat
Gymnastics Beat is one of the premier gymnastics facilities in the Central Valley. With their state of the art 12,000 square gym, experienced coaches and gymnastics programs for every age (from 1 to 100 years old!) this place seemed like PERFECT place to help me with my childhood gymnastic traumas. So last week I decided to stop making excuses for my gymnastics suckiness and I signed up to coach Jill’s adult’s gymnastics class.
I am not going to lie, I was kind of nervous when I got there: “what if everyone in class used to be an Olympic athlete and I can’t keep up?! What if I break my neck trying to do some crazy flip? What if I look like an idiot?”
Fortunately Coach Jill nipped all my fears in the butt as soon as she introduced herself. She told me that in fact there are some students who have been doing gymnastics for a long time but that there were also people, like me, who had decided to give it a try later on in life. Either way, she said, the class is flexible enough for everyone to have a good time and learn a few tricks. She also mentioned that a few people had in fact felt intimidated by the more experience students and had decided not to continue, but that the ones that had stuck with it were now able to do some tumbling and cartwheeling and other stuff they never thought they could do. She had me at “doing stuff they never thought they could do.”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got really excited right then and there 😀
We started the class with a few stretches then we moved onto the trampoline. There, some of the other students warmed up by flipping in the air and leaving me with my mouth wide open. I on the other hand got strapped in a safety harness and guess what, I did some aerial flips (with a lot of help) of my own!!!!!!!!
After that we moved onto the spring floor where we got our booties kicked for about 20 minutes with some tough core and full body exercises. Afterwards the experienced students continued to do some amazing things and I practiced on my handstand. Coach Jill split her time between everyone equally and I left the class with a huge smile on my face and a big sense of accomplishment. Before going to Gymnastics Beat, I can’t remember the last time I jumped on a trampoline, or rolled on the floor or did a headstand without the fear of breaking something. I left feeling like my old fearless-butt kicking little girl again. IT WAS AMAZING AND SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!! If you ever want to get a trampoline then you must click here to see more trampoline reviews in prior.
At no point I felt intimidated by anyone; I was having such a great time and getting such a great workout that I didn’t have time to think about what other people thought of me (plus honestly I didn’t care). Plus Jill and the other students were really nice and fun to be around; we were all just playing around, trying things and having a great time.
Gymnastics Beat is a great place for everyone to get fit and get a great workout. For the past 7 years they have been voted “Best Children’s Gym” and “Best Children’s Birthday Parties” in Fresno by Central Parent Magazine. The funny thing is that on their website they list the top reasons to sign up your child for a class (and they are all very true)…I personally would add that these are the same reasons you should sign up “your adult” for a class here as well!!!!!!!!!!!
Top 10 Reason to sign your child (and adult!!!) up for classes at Gymnastics Beat!
1. Coordination
2. Flexibility
3. Strength
4. Learn to Follow Directions
5. Self-Esteem and Confidence
6. Social Interaction
7. Set Goals
8. Learn Fundamentals of Movement
9. Develop Skills to Enhance Other Sports
10. IT’S FOR THE FUN OF FIT!
You have to check out this place. Gymnastics Beat is the only gym in the valley with so many programs under their roof: Gym Beats Jr. (Ages 1-5), Recreational Gymnastics (Ages 6-18), Tumbling (Ages 6-18), Urban Gymnastics (ages 4-Adult), Adults (16 & up), Private Lessons (Ages 2.5-100) and Power All Stars Cheerleading.
They also have a ton of fun events coming up:
- Turkey Camp: November 23rd – 25th
- Pilgrim Playdate: November 20th
- Winter Camp: December 21st – January 8th
- Open Gym: Every Friday and Saturday (all ages) 7:30 – 10PM
If you want more information you can check out their website at www.gymnasticsbeat.com where you can find out more about the classes and sign up for them.
I personally can’t wait to go back to Gymnastics Beat. I almost have my handstand down and I am debating whether my next trick should be a cartwheel, the full splits or some sort of back flip. Either way, I am up for the challenge!
She lives in Fresno with her husband and two Boston Terriers, Babushka and Bambino who like to run after soccer balls just like their dad.
- Fresno Fitness: Favorite FREE Workout Spots - February 9, 2016
- Fresno Fitness: Hensley Off Road Races - February 2, 2016
- Fresno Fitness: Emergency Healthy Eating Ideas - January 26, 2016
Leave a Reply