South 40 Mile Gymnastics Club looking to start again with new coach

Mo Cranker
Alberta Newspaper Group

The South 40 Mile Gymnastics Club has been out of operations for roughly three years — leaving kids in Foremost and area without a place to take part in what could be their favourite sport.
The group has been operational for more than 30 years and it aims to give kids a fun, safe place to learn and practice gymnastics.
“It would be really nice for us to get the club running again,” said former president and secretary Lara Mitzel-Smith. “It’s been a while and it’s a bit of a shame.
“In smaller towns it’s hard to bring coaches in when you lose one, so we’re hoping someone with a bit of time and knowledge can step in and help us out.”
The group is recreational and not competitive and operates Monday nights from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The coaching position is paid a bit of money and it requires a working knowledge of gymnastics and how to work with children.
“It’s a fun environment and we meet at Foremost School,” said Mitzel-Smith. “We leave the equipment at the school and they use it when we’re not — it’s a win-win.
“There’s always opportunities with hockey in Canadian communities, but for kids not interested in that, gymnastics is a great option — there’s so many great friendships to be made.”
Mitzel-Smith served as secretary from 2006-10 and then as president from 2010-14 and she said gymnastics can be a very important part of being a kid.
“It’s a lot of fun for them,” said Mitzel-Smith. “It’s a really great environment that doesn’t pressure kids to do things they aren’t comfortable doing — we don’t pressure kids to do a balance beam if they aren’t ready for it — we work toward doing things like that.
“I think it just builds a level of confidence in kids and that’s important for development.”
Mitzel-Smith says the anyone interested can reach out to her or current president Kendra Jaeger.
“We’re hoping someone with a bit of time will contact us,” she said. “There’s training available if people need it.
“We’re just hoping to get this up and running again in the community.”
Contact Mitzel-Smith at (403) 808-0229 for more information.