Gymnasts perfect their form on the beam at Gymtegrity Gymnastics and Cheer.
Michelle Sampson was having trouble finding the right kind of gymnastics program for her 13- year-old daughter, Ellie, who started when she was 8. A former gymnast herself, Michelle felt every gym they went to was missing something.
Beginning students learn to be stable on a low balance beam.
“One gym would be perfect for one aspect but lacked something else,” says Sampson. But when Ellie trained at a gym in Arizona while visiting family, Sampson saw something better. “No one was crying, no parents were mad, kids weren’t injured,” says Sampson. She wanted a gym that wasn’t made up of just the highest level of athletes but was instead focused on the athlete, the parent, on customer service and on positive coaching with no yelling.
Coach Kevin Bhark observes beginners working on tuck jumps into the pit.
“I felt like I at least had to give it a try,” says Sampson, who created a program with everything she felt it should have and called it Gymtegrity Gymnastics and Cheer. The concept is to develop talent on the outside and integrity from within from the athlete, the coach and herself as owner. “It has to come from everybody all the way down.”
Gymtegrity offers recreational and competitive classes in gymnastics plus cheer, which includes tumbling, jumping and dancing, starting with parent/tot classes from age 18 months to 3 years up to competitive levels. Taking full advantage of 18,000 square feet of matted, spring-loaded flooring, both gymnastics and cheer classes can be accommodated, so if a student is interested in both, there’s an opportunity for cross-over.
Ellie Sampson practices on uneven bars.
There are plans for special needs classes, an area Sampson feels is overlooked and underdeveloped in Colorado. She feels every child, no matter what their physical or developmental situation may be, can benefit from her classes. Kids learn coordination, balance, life lessons and passion. “It’s all about a healthy lifestyle,” says Sampson. “You don’t have to be competitive to be taking part in a sport. When they come here, no matter the age, it’s all about physical fitness.”
The first class is free at Gymtegrity and they offer day camps for school days off, a parents’ night out and birthday parties. Gymtegrity Gymnastics and Cheer is located at 4720 Lima St., north of Northfield. For more information, call 303.371.1338 or visit www.gymtegrity.com.
