By Casey O'Connor
The Warwick Gymnastic Club has been around for over 50 years now and while most people associate the word ‘gymnastics’ with children, the local gymnastics club offers so much more.
There are of course recreational and competitive gymnastics classes for kids, and afternoon classes run five days a week for school aged children. Gymnastics however is not something you need to start at a young age, there are classes for all ages, fitness, flexibility and skill levels.
Something that is not well known is the Warwick Gymnastics Club have classes available for toddlers, adults, injured or disabled people and retirees.
Toddlers, Tiny Tumblers ’can begin at 18 months of age. Classes run on a variety of mornings after the older kids are at school and are parent assisted.
One of the most popular classes the club offers is ‘Fitter for Life’. Anyone can participate and at the moment the oldest member of this group is 86. Age certainly is no barrier. The program focuses on keeping or reclaiming balance and prevent falls in the older generations. Studies show quality of life declines rapidly after in aged people once falls begin. Everything is soft at a gymnastics club, and it is the perfect place for fragile or injured people to exercise those joints and keep them working.
It is also a great source of self-paced exercise too, and there is a huge social aspect to the classes. The club understands the financial constraints of injured and retired people so these classes run on donations, generally gold coin.
For the in-betweeners, there is ‘GymFit 15+’. This is essentially an adult’s class using the apparatus throughout the gym for high energy, freestyle and obstacle course training. Classes are self-paced, allowing and you do what you can as your fitness, flexibility and agility develops. These classes run in the evenings after the kids classes.
The Club is located at 29 Easey Street, Warwick and can be contacted on 07 4661 9852, or admin@warwickgymnastics.com.au. More details can be found by visiting the club’s webpage, Facebook or Instagram.
TINY TUMBLERS PROGRAM AVAILABLE…
Gymnastics is a sport we normally associate with slightly older children but it can be a great source of entertainment with health benefits as well for the littlies among us. The local Warwick Gymnastic club holds special classes for toddlers.
Toddlers can begin at around 18 months of age. These are the aptly named ‘Tiny Tumblers. Classes are held in the morning and parents are encouraged to assist their children through the activities and obstacles. Of course, they can join in if they wish.
Gymnastics is not necessarily something associated with the very young and while it is not necessarily an activity that you need to take up at a young a very young age there are plenty of benefits for toddlers. The Tiny Tumblers activities assist in the development of fine and gross motor skills and help toddlers to be active and social while having heaps of fun jumping, bouncing and tumbling around the shapes and in the foam pits. The classes are designed for parents and children and parents can choose to either guide their child through the sessions, or join in which ever they prefer.
Of course, there is another upside for parents – it is a great activity to tire them out before their morning nap.
Classes have resumed following the COVID-19 shut-down and the club is looking for interest from parents to get more classes and days open as soon as possible.
Contact the Warwick Gymnastic Clubs club if you are interested on 07 4661 9852, or email admin@warwickgymnastics.com.au. You can also go to their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram of check out the website.
