While their most recent season was put off due to the impacts of a global pandemic, when the athletes of the Rainy Lake Gymnastics Academy (RLGA) kick off their next season, they’ll do so in a brand-new home.
The move to a new permanent location was necessitated by the agreement the Academy had in place to use their old location. While set up in the auditorium at the Memorial Sports Centre for their last full season, they also had an agreement to share the space with the 908 Rainy Lake Air Cadets and other members of the public. However, the rotating take down and set-up of the academy’s equipment led to unexpected wear and tear, which was set to increase the overall operating costs for the Academy and their members. RLGA president Jessica Ogden explained that the club knew something would have to change going forward, and began to explore their options.
“We had to jump a few hurdles last year with having to share the space, and we understand that it is a multi-use facility for other user groups,” Ogden said.
“Back in the fall I went to Nick (Beyak) just to let him know how the club was doing… so together we decided we would try to find a permanent home for the club. After looking at a few available properties we decided Club 88 was the best option.”
Beyak is the president of the newly formed Beyak Automotive Group that has purchased the building and has been a supporter of the RLGA since its inception, having pitched in to help the club purchase the expensive equipment. The RLGA will be the sole commercial tenant in the building, with the Beyak Automotive Group making use of the upper floor apartments.
Ogden noted the new building is, maybe surprisingly, a great fit for the Academy, owing to its spacious interior and existing amenities.
“It’s perfect, it’s meant for us” she explained.
“It has a viewing area and high ceilings, which are a few of the perks. It has a bit more space than the upstairs of the auditorium, which was a plus as well. Because it was a bar before it has some really fun lighting in there, a good sound system. It’s going to be an amazing space for us.”
Owing to the building’s past lives as a theatre and club, there is work that will have to be done before the academy can begin running its classes in the new space. However, the expected start date of the new season isn’t until September 2021, so there’s plenty of time for any work to be completed.
“Because it was a theatre at one point it does have different levels, so Beyak Automotive Group is going to redo the flooring to make it one level for us,” Ogden said.
“We do need it all one level so we don’t have to worry about anyone hurting themselves and so that we can use the space the best that we possibly can.”
The additional space in the building also means that the RLGA can add more class times and apparatus to their club, things like beams and bars. Ogden says there are also plans to hopefully install a foam pit to allow for athletes to learn tumbles and flips that need a very soft landing space to practice, though there aren’t currently any guarantees it can go ahead. Bigger than equipment and foam pits though, is the hope that the larger space will encourage more people to volunteer to be coaches, something Ogden says the club sorely needs.
“We are looking for people who want to become coaches, that’s probably our biggest struggle right now,” she explained.
“We need more coaches in order for our program to be bigger than it already is. Last year we had 230 athletes and there wasn’t more than 10 coaches. We would like to see more people helping out if they can, even if they want to dedicate a little bit of time.”
Ogden said the academy will also cover the costs of training that individuals would need. In an ideal world Ogden said she would like to see one coach for every five students, and for the club to have a roster of “on-call” coaches who would be available to fill in on an as-needed basis.
With the ongoing COVID pandemic still forcing the closures of many businesses and organizations around the world, the Rainy Lake Gymnastics Academy is unlikely to see much action for their athletes before the scheduled September start date. However, Ogden said there’s still a chance the club might explore some fundraising opportunities in the interim, though there aren’t currently any concrete plans.
“Right now our biggest thing is trying to get the space ready for September,” she said.
“We are as a club helping Beyak Automotive Group with that. They’re going to do some of the work we can’t do, but we’re definitely going to help them so we can get it going a little bit fast. We’re hoping that’s where we can have our registration as well, so everyone can see the building and get excited like we are.”
Anyone interested in becoming a coach with the Rainy Lake Gymnastics Academy can send an email to rlgymnasticsacademy@gmail.com for more information.
