By Tom Rohrer
When comparing the world’s greatest athletes, gymnast, both female and male, are justifiably brought up in the conversation.
The sport, a combination of every athletic skill imaginable, has found a home in Thurston County, with youth athletes representing the area each year at state, regional, and national competitions.
In the late 1990’s, Black Hills Gymnastics relocated to the Hawks Prairie area, where the facility has become one of the best and most complete gyms in the nation for youth.
Dave Pisano, the head coach for the clubs girl’s team, has been in charge of the gym since its beginning, and has seen the skill level around the area, and the country, increase significantly.
“The sport, it’s always becoming more challenging, more physically demanding and constantly is pushing the limits,” Pisano said. “So, the athletes have to keep up with that change, that demand. We’ve seen that the skill level of the athletes, even at a young age, keeps on growing. Here, we’ve had national participants each year since 1997 and several national winners in individual events.”
This past competitive season for the club, which runs from January to May, three girls’ team members placed at the national competition. Kaitlin Lane finished 2nd in the uneven bars, and 14th in the all-around, while Ashley Castle also participated in the uneven bars, taking ninth, and Allyson Rudd qualified for the event as well.
“It takes a lot of dedication from the athletes to get to that level, and not just from them, but their families as well,” Pisano said. “We are talking at least 25 hours per week in practice during the summer and down months, and then traveling for competitions.”
Competing in a region with gymnasts from Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana and Alaska, the team travels to four meets within the region, and one national meet. Following the five meets, gymnasts participate in the state competition, and if qualified, a trip to regionals and then nationals.
“The upper level girls who compete in the level nine or ten divisions, they are going up against around 400 other kids at nationals,” Pisano said. “That’s a lot of talented competition.”
While the girl’s team has had success, the boy’s team is amongst one of the top in the nation as well, and has several individuals in various age groups of the U.S. Olympic Junior Team.
Right before the start of the London Olympics, Troy Jenkins Jr. of the Black Hills Gymnastics boy’s team headed to the U.S. Olympic training center in Colorado to work out at the Junior National Team Camp and observe the 2012 U.S. National Olympic team.
Jenkins Jr. was joined by coaches Bob Young and Troy Jenkins.
“I think experiences like that, they just show our kids what it takes to get to that level,” said Young, a former gymnast at the University of Michigan who has been a coach at Black Hills for 14 years.
Young, who took up gymnastics following a move to Washington as a child, cannot stress enough the benefits there are for youth who participate in the sport.
“They are able to develop core strength and base strength at a young age that will really help them stay physically fit as they grow up,” Young said. “We take a camping trip every summer, and we went to a river with a rock to jump off of during the trip. Other kids were there just hanging out, and you could just see the differences between our kids and the others.”
Pisano has seen several individuals enrolled in the program later become scholarship athletes at universities, but in other sports.
“One gymnast earned a rowing scholarship at the University of Washington, even though she had never rowed before in her life,” Pisano said. “Another went on to the University of Denver for track, never ran track in her life. So the skills and strength they learn here carries over.”
During the summer, the athletes spend over two hours a day on flexibility and strength and conditioning alone, while honing other skills for the next season. Pisano says the sport requires as much mental toughness and capacity as physical talent.
“It’s tough, physical work, but it’s really demanding mentally,” Pisano said. “The kids really have to push through some barriers and focus, and that builds skills they can use for life, like time management and focusing on goals. The kids enrolled in our program, for the most part, are 4.0 students, and they have to be well rounded and driven.”
Young concurs with Pisano regarding the benefits of the sport.
“You really have to put in the work to be successful. Of course talent and natural athleticism helps, but that is nothing without the hard work required,” Young said.
When the Olympics roll around every four years, the sport is pushed to the forefront of the country’s interest, and generates interest amongst young athletes.
“We see a huge increase in enrollment after an Olympic year,” Pisano said. “But it also motivates the current athletes we have even more. The day after an Olympic event, there’s a greater focus amongst the kids at practice because they see what it takes to become a champion or excel in the sport and they want that.”
Both coaches credit much of their club’s success to the tremendous facility they call home.
“I’m biased, but this is one of the best gyms in the country,” Young said. “We don’t often get noticed as much as teams from other areas, but this is a tremendous facility, and we have one of the most accomplished youth male teams in the country. It helps to have a great place to train.”
“To see the gym become what it has is impressive,” Pisano said. “We have had a lot of help and support from athletes, parents, and the community. It’s great to have the knowledge and the materials to help the kids succeed.”
For more information on Black Hills Gymnastics, visit www.blackhillsgymnastics.com.
