Through a fun, community-minded way of gearing up for Halloween, the Stettler Gymnastics Club is hosting a Halloween Family Dance on Oct. 25th.
Things get underway at 6:30 p.m. at the gymnastics studio (5402 - 51 St.)
The event is also a fundraiser for the Club, noted Becky Scott, treasurer. “We are fairly new - we’ve only been in the community for five years,” she said.
“We also rely a lot on the fundraising in order to pay for specialized gymnastics equipment, and for the building and of course our coaches. So we are trying to find fun, family things that can encourage families to be together, and to be healthy and active,” she said. “That’s the whole reason why we came up with this concept for the dance. We also like to get involved with the community; we like to have things that aren’t typically available here in Stettler, too.
“We will be having games, a DJ and it should be a lot of fun. We hope to get a lot of families out.”
Looking back to the formation of the Club, Scott noted how excited she was to have a place for gymnastics in the community.
“I’ve always loved the sport. And it was actually Karen Sernecky, who used to be one of the town councillors, who saw the need to have this kind of an opportunity and facility. So she really spearheaded it,” said Scott.
“Also, Tav Fuller really does everything - she’s the vice president, the president, the secretary - everything rolled into one,” she added with a laugh. “We work together really well, and we come up with ideas together. We’ve also tried to incorporate as many parents into the organization as we can,” she added. “And of course, our coaches have a huge role to play, too.”
These days, Scott’s youngest daughter is involved with the Club and her eldest daughter is coaching.
“When you do gymnastics, your entire body is involved,” she explained. “You are using strength, you are using endurance, you are (expressing) beauty - it’s a beautiful sport. The human body is capable of so much.”
These days, about 50 students are enrolled in the various age levels.
“It incorporates so much - and there is also that piece of being centered and the calming influence of that as well.”
A number of programs are offered at the Stettler Gymnastics Club, including a ‘Mom and Tots’ program to help introduce the little ones to the sport.
“We start at 18 months with the littles in that program,” said Scott. “Later, they start doing it on their own when they are three. Then it just goes by level - you have ‘badge’ levels that you work your way through,” she explained.
To Scott, it’s a joy to see the development unfold in the participants. “They become more disciplined. They eat better - they are healthier. They care more about their bodies and become stronger and healthier in a lot of ways. It’s a beautiful thing.”
For more information, find the Club on Facebook at ‘Stettler Gymnastics Club’.
“I love that every session gets a little better. We are building something that is hopefully going to remain and last in this community - ‘healthy kids and healthy lives’. Kids will always need a place to go and be healthy, happy and to have a good time.”