The Battle Ground Community Center will launch gymnastics classes in collaboration with Jump Start Mobile Gymnastics for children ages 2 to 6.
Director Kim Cederholm said the classes are a great opportunity for small children to get active early on.
“It is a high-energy activity, as the emphasis will be on the fun of gymnastics since the kids will just be 2 to 6 years old, so we have to bring the fun factor,” said Cederholm. “They’ll be doing bars, balance beams, trampolines and many other fun things.”
She said gymnastics is beneficial for kids because it may be their first exposure to any type of sport. It provides them with an opportunity to be around peers, learn something new, or be in a high-energy atmosphere.
Despite the other programs the community center offers, Cederholm felt the gymnastics classes are important for the children.
“I felt like there was a need to get the 2 to 6 year olds out and active, so bringing in a quality gymnastics program was a natural solution to get them an opportunity to learn a new sport and have some fun,” she said.
Although the program wasn’t in high demand by parents, she felt it would be a success because of her years of experience in running programs and activities. On Jan. 17, the center hosted a free demonstration for parents to see if they wanted to enroll their child in the program.
“The free demo day is a neat thing because parents can come, they can sign up, they can try it out. If they like it, then they can enroll in a six-week session,” Cederholm said.
Eleven families pre-registered for the demo class. Those who want to sign up for the classes that start on Jan. 24 can do so without having attended the demonstration.
Jump Start’s instructor, Sarah Ahl, is excited to start working with the children, as she’s worked mainly in Portland and Beaverton.
“I’m curious to see how it goes, as I haven’t tested how long it takes to get out there yet,” said Ahl. “However, I think it’ll be worth the drive, and the response has been great from the community. A lot of families are interested, so I’m looking forward to it.”
She said Cederholm reached out to her after being referred by someone else to her business. Ahl has instructed at Jump Start Gymnastics since 2013.
Aside from gymnastics, the community center also offers Saturday soccer classes, co-hosted by Soccer Shots, where kids can learn the basics of soccer, Cederholm said. According to the community center’s website, the coaches “utilize creative and imaginative games to focus on age-appropriate soccer skills like dribbling, passing and shooting,” which “highlights positive character traits such as respect, teamwork and appreciation.”
Classes are offered for 2 and 3 year olds and 5 through 8 year olds.
The next session will begin on March 12. There’s also Skyhawks, which is a six-week summer camp at Kiwanis Park that Cederholm says “will expose the kiddos to different sports like tee-ball, soccer, flag football and basketball.”
The community center also does a spring break camp and winter break camp as well.
Six-week sessions of the gymnastics class are held each Monday beginning Jan. 24 at the Battle Ground Community Center, 912 E. Main St.
Registration for gymnastics and the other programs, as well as prices, can be found online at tinyurl.com/bdh5s529.
