After years of searching, the Wallaceburg Flying W’s Gymnastics Club have finally found a place they can call home.
The group recently moved into a 5,400 square foot space located at the back of the Tatro Properties building at 6850 Baseline Road in Wallaceburg.
“When we were running at the high school we always had great registration numbers, but we were set at a limit because of the accessibility to the high school and cancellations all the time,” Linnea Druer, the head coach for the club, told the Sydenham Current.
“Sometimes they would call and say ‘oh you can’t use the gym because there is volleyball or a tournament going on.’ So we would be calling parents and trying to expand and then it would cut into other sessions. It would reduce how many sessions we could have which would make it so our numbers were lower, and our income was lower.”
Druer added: “Now we don’t have that issue. We run our classes when we are available and we can offer a ton more because now we can run daytime classes. We can have birthday parties now, we can have summer camps, PD day camps, or anything really.”
Druer the club took over the space just over a month ago, and have been busy working since.
“In that month we have painted everything, fixed everything and have been setting up the equipment,” she said.
“We have been here everyday working our butts off trying to get everything set up and ready to go.”
Druer said the Flying W’s have seen an immediate increase to their numbers.
“Completely. I am surprised. Right now we are almost at 200 kids just for this session,” she said.
“This session will run for 10 weeks. We are almost at the 200 mark. That is quite a big jump from what we could do at the gym in Wallaceburg. The highest we ever had at the Wallaceburg gym was like 130 or 135 so we have increased a lot.
Druer said the group is also able to host birthday parties at their new space, which is already filled up for the est of September.
“At the birthday parties they can an hour in the gym free time,” she said.
“So we will do a quick little warm up and then they can go and play. It is supervised by coaches but they get to go and play for an hour. They get the party room upstairs for 45 minutes where you can have your pizza ordered for you and your juice is supplied. Parents don’t have to bring anything but a cake. So it’s all taken care of for them here. The mess is left here, they can go home and everything is done. It’s a bonus that way.”
Druer the cost depends on how many children are attending:
– 1-8 kids: You get the gym for an hour and party room is $100.
– 9-16 kids: It’s $150 with the party room or $125 without the party room
– If people want pizza included with it, it is $20 more for pizza and juice.
The Flying W’s executive consists of Druer, head coach; Pam Druer, president; Colleen Meyer, coaching director; and Michele Garraway, secretary.
Linnea Druer said the club also has a ton of coaches, who are mostly high school students who went through gymnastics and are now traiend and certified.
“They have all been with us for awhile,” she said.
Druer said the fall session is already underway, but kids can still sign up.
“We have 4 sessions a year, so we have the fall, winter, spring and summer. So they can sign up for whatever sessions they want.”
For more information about the Flying W’s Gymnastics Club visit them at their website or on Facebook.
– Photo: Mason Williams, 4, was hanging out with his mom, Linnea Druer, recently at the new home for the Flying W’s Gymnastics Club in Wallaceburg.
