The Young Men's Christian Association, better known as the YMCA, was founded in 1844 by George Williams in London. It focuses on enhancing communities by nurturing children, teens and adults. The YMCA has grown and is now established in over 10,000 neighborhoods in the United States. The Chicago Metro area is home to 16 branches of the YMCA with four of them offering gymnastics programs for children of all ages.
Chicago
Chicago is a multicultural city that sits 578 feet above the sea level of Lake Michigan. The third largest city in the United States, Chicago has over 70 communities and a population of more than 2.7 million people. Chicago has YMCA programs that cover a multitude of sports for children including Tai Chi, swimming, dance and gymnastics. Each Chicago area YMCA focuses on health and fitness for children, with four of them utilizing their facility for child gymnastics programs.
Infant to Kindergarten
The Greater LaGrange YMCA has gymnastics classes for children 18 months to 6 years of age. Their Little Tots Gymnastics program teaches children 18 to 36 months beginning gymnastics, including forward rolls, backward rolls and balance beam and involves parent participation. Greater LaGrange's Little Gymnasts program for children 3 to 6 years of age includes tumbling, rolling, balance and bending, with no parent participation. Classes range from $30-$60 dollars.
Toddler and Up
The Indian Boundary YMCA in Chicago's metro area offers a variety of gymnastics classes. Littlest Leapers for children 2 to 4 years of age is a basic parent/child class that introduces children to tumbling and develops strength, flexibility, coordination and body awareness. The Little Leapers class, which caters to children 3 to 5 years of age, allows them to learn tumbling as well as basic moves on gymnastics apparatus. Children 5+ should enroll in the Rollers class where they will learn more advanced moves and strengthen technical skills while having fun and progressing at their own pace. Indian Boundary's Swingers class is for children 6+. In this class, children will build on the skills learned in the Rollers class. The Swingers class rounds out the development of the young gymnast and gives her the skills she will need to continue in the sport. The Indian Boundary YMCA also offers a dance and gymnastics class for children 4 years of age and under. Classes range from $30 to $45 dollars.
School-Age and Up
The Buehler YMCA offers a School-Age Recreational Gymnastics Program. Children must be at least 6 years of age to enroll. Buehler YMCA has a Beginner Boys class for children ages 5+ and an Intermediate Boys class for children ages 8+. They also offer a Young Beginner Girls class for children 5 to 6 years of age. Beuhler's Level 1-3 classes are for children 6 to 16 years of age. There is an Advanced Gymnastics class, which gymnasts can enter once they have completed Buehler's Level 3 evaluations or have obtained special permission from the program director. The Buehler YMCA also offers Beginning Tumbling, Flip Flops and More, Rhythmic Gymnastics/Dance and Gymnastics Open Gym. The Competitive Gymnastics class is open to teams by invitation only. Prices range from $5 to $333 dollars.
Toddler to Teens
The Leaning Tower YMCA offers gymnastics classes for kids 2 to 18 years of age. Classes include Parent and Tot, Beginner and Advanced Beginner. This Chicago area YMCA has team gymnastics classes as well. Pre-Team and Intermediate Pre-Team gymnasts must be evaluated by the head coach before they can enroll in the classes and must be YMCA members. The Gems Gymnastics Team is available for gymnasts that are ready for competition and will be coached for gymnastics meets. Extra practice time is available for Gems team members to focus on their skills. Prices range from $50-$600 dollars with the more expensive fees attributed to team members. Team member prices include travel and coaching costs for meets.
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