The Whitsunday PCYC has worked its way up from zero gymnasts after the devastation of Cyclone Debbie all the way up to 180 this year as it continues to expand.
Starting out with just a single coach, the local branch now has four dedicated staff members taking the lead across the diverse gymnastics’ curriculum.
“We’re building towards even greater variety of classes at the moment, even bringing back our adult classes in the next few weeks,” Branch Manager and Police Sergeant Billy Li said.
Tara Brady, Dominic Di Benedeto, Amelie Marshall, and Jessica Ferguson are the gymnastics coaches at the PCYC.
Tara has a background in gymnastics as a competitor, as well as Amelie, while Dominic began his gymnastics at the local PCYC in years past as a student.
Jessica on the other hand started her own gymnastics journey alongside her daughter.
“I had done no gymnastics before my daughter started it – she was three and a half at the time and started here and I always found myself here,” Jessica said.
“It just progressed from there and I absolutely love it.”
The group each take individual classes – with at least one class every day of the week - which includes variations like Under 5s KinderGym, BabyPlay, Ninja and regular gymnastics.
The club is growing exponentially in terms of numbers but also with the capability of their coaches who are now able to train at higher levels, going from gym three up to gym six.
“That means we’re growing with our gymnasts, giving us the ability to coach at a higher level,” Jessica said.
One of the favourites for kids at the moment is Ninja, which sees its participants take part in obstacle courses set up by Dominic, who leads the class.
“He’s extremely talented on the gym floor and has been such a boon for us,” Jessica said.
“The kids in particular really look up to him; the young ones aspire to do the things he can do and I think that’s so important for our region.”
On a competitive level, the local PCYC branch is hoping to send some of its gymnasts to events and allow them to grow as young athletes.
“We’re excited to be able to give them the opportunities and that comes from the local community supporting us and helping us expand this gymnastics program,” Sergeant Li said.
Representatives from the gymnastics team
The excellent facilities make gymnastic easy at Whitsunday PCYC
