Black Hills Gymnastics is well known and highly regarded throughout Thurston County and the region for its competitive and recreational gymnastics classes – but they also offer a Family Activity Center that brings fitness, fun, and much more to the entire family.
“We train high-level gymnastics, but the whole crux of what we do is teach life skills through the sport of gymnastics,” owner Alisa Muller says of the mission of Black Hills Gymnastics.
A former gymnast herself, and a coach since 1988, Muller stresses that gymnastics is a very important part of what she and her team of 60 coaches do. “But at the end of the day what we care most about is that their character is developed. The life skills part is what we focus on.”
Muller opened her second facility, the Family Activity Center, last year on Mottman Road near South Puget Sound Community College.
“Our Family Activity Center is focused on the family,” says Muller. “We have family fun nights with movies and open style play for the family.”
Recreational gymnastics classes also take place at the Family Activity Center, focused on the life skills portion of the sport, not team gymnastics. “Our Black Hills Gymnastics location is the expert gym for team gymnastics,” says Muller.
Whereas the Black Hills Gymnastics space is packed with non-stop gymnastics classes all day long, the Family Activity Center serves up a more diverse range of classes – for kids and adults.
The Family Activity Center offers recreational gymnastics classes for children 18 months and up and a variety of adult fitness classes. The goal of this new facility is to help adults and kids get active and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Adult fitness classes at the Family Activity Center include P90X, Zumba, circuit training, and more. Join the 90 Day Win Lifestyle Transformation Challenge and for only $15 a month receive nutritional support, a team t-shirt, and access to all Family Activity Center fitness classes.
Free wifi is available for parents in a cubicle that overlooks the gym, so they can work while their child takes a class.
Muller’s dedication to this community she grew up in is clear. Though busy running both Black Hills Gymnastics and the Family Activity Center, she still goes the extra mile to bring in big events that further round out her gymnasts’ experiences.
A recent Saturday found Black Hills Gymnastics hosting 70 campers – local and from as far away as Portland and Coeur d’Alene – for Dan Alch’s two-day Summer Camp of Champions. The yearly event brings Olympic gymnasts and World- and Olympic-caliber coaches to the Lacey facility.
Dan Alch is the owner of the Arctic Gymnastics Center in Anchorage and runs his Summer Camp of Champions and clinics throughout the Northwest.
“We bring the staff and gymnasts to the camps, instead of sending them somewhere in other people’s gyms,” says Alch. “This way, the kids get to learn on their own equipment.”
And they learn from some of the best. This year’s camp included Olympic gymnasts Jamie Dantzscher, Samantha Peszek, and Lu Li, as well as a team of accomplished, professional coaches from across the country and the world.
Jamie Dantzscher was a member of the bronze-medal winning U.S. 2000 Olympic team; Samantha Peszek was a member of the U.S. 2008 Olympic team and currently competes with UCLA; Lu Li was a 1992 Olympic gold medalist, winning the uneven bars in Barcelona with a perfect 10.0.
“This is an amazing gym,” says Alch, looking around the Black Hills Gymnastics’ facility.
The Summer Camp of Champions team spent the weekend running through rotations with all the girls, offering pointers and areas of improvement.
“It’s great for the kids,” says Alch.
Muller agrees. “That’s why we bring in outside people. Exposing the kids to people who really did it, so they can see them and talk to them. The energy of that is just amazing.”
It’s also hugely beneficial to Muller’s own coaches. “It’s great for our own coaching staff to have other people come in. It’s a learning tool.”
Black Hills Gymnastics and the Family Activity Center offer a wide variety of different classes and events for the entire community. Check out their website for more information.
Black Hills Gymnastics
7961A 29th Ave. NW in Lacey
360.413.9855
Family Activity Center
3395 Mottman Rd. SW in Tumwater
360.339.7297
