By Hayley Wildes
Reach Gymnastics Club has become a staple of the local community and was officially recognised at the recent Gymnastics Victoria 2018 Family Ball and Awards Night.
Boasting clubs in Pakenham and Emerald, Reach Gymnastics was nominated for four major awards on the night and came away winners in two categories; 2018 men’s artistic gymnastics (MAG) official of the year and 2018 Gymstar coaching team of the year.
Reach Gymnastics coach and judge Gordon Wallace won the 2018 MAG Official of the Year and his contribution to the club has been massive.
A talented gymnast himself, Wallace plays a vital role in helping Reach Gymnastics provide elite-level coaching.
“Gordon has been involved with gymnastics since he was little and is still a gymnast today,” owner of Reach Gymnastics, Rebecca Tilley said.
“He competed last year at the Australian Championships and did quite well and he’s been with us for about three years now.
“The goal is to be able to offer professional, high-standard coaching, while still making it fun and friendly for everyone.”
Wallace spoke about his love for the sport and encouraged others to get involved.
“I was honoured and very thankful to have received this award,” Wallace said.
“I really enjoy judging and would encourage other people to support the sport by becoming a judge or coach”.
Taking home the 2018 Gymstar coaching team of the year award was another great honour for the club and highlights the progression since opening in Emerald four years ago.
“We started by running one night a week with 17 kids for a one hour class in Emerald, now we’ve got about 500 kids between the two venues after opening Pakenham in early 2018,” Tilley said.
“It’s very exciting and we’ve been able to grow all of our programs; we’ve got kinder gym for the littlies, we’ve got recreational gym for kids coming once a week to have some fun and learn some new skills and we’ve got competition training too.”
There’s no doubt that gymnastics has its health benefits and in such a fun and community-focused environment, Reach Gymnastics offers programs for everyone.
“We encourage everyone and strongly believe in gymnastics for everybody – it’s such an important foundation of movement,” Tilley said.
“We’ve got everything from one-year-olds to adult gymnastics and you don’t have to know anything; that’s what we’re here to teach you.”
Reach Gymnastics has previously been awarded small club of the year, in 2016 and 2017. They offer programs for toddlers all the way through to over 55’s and welcome any new members to the club.
For more information, visit: reachgymnastics.com
