Whanganui Boys and Girls Gym Club puts the bounce in play

Annette Cox, WBGGC Operations Manager and Gareth Jones, Dealer Principal at David Jones Motors. Team image: Annette Cox - Operations Manager; Hana Haruru - Recreation Coach and Holiday Programme lead; Leo Rodrigues - Gymnastics for all Programme Activator; Kelly Taylor-Ward - Competitive Coach (doing the splits), Jenny Worsley - administrator. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui Boys and Girls Gym Club has hit the new year running, with a record number of new members joining the gym.

Management of the gym club now sits under the umbrella of Sport Whanganui, and Annette Cox has got her feet under the desk as the operations manager of the much-loved club.

"The team are really passionate about what the gym can offer the community, from toddlers through to adults: it's about movement that is really fun and ticks the boxes on challenging our participants too," says Annette.

"People are often surprised to hear that we have sessions for adults." Annette adds with a wry smile.

"There's nothing like experiencing the bounce of the spring floor. Sometimes we adults lose our bounce, you find it again at the gym."

Speaking of bounce, the team at the WBGGC have had their bounce boosted not only by the record number of new members across all age ranges, but the new Suzuki Swift provided by Gareth Jones at David Jones Motors.

"The membership numbers are really astounding, and we love having the new members on board — the gym is buzzing," says Annette.

"What we really want to do is get out into the community too. We're building plans for that, and having the Suzuki Swift not only solves our day-to-day transport, but it means we can get out and about and tell the gym story."

There have been some great changes and a return to the past too.

Leo Rodrigues arrived in Whanganui as an exchange coach in 2006, after attending Ollerup, the International Academy of Physical Education in Denmark.

From his position as Head Competitive Coach for six years, Leo moved to Auckland, coaching trampoline and tumbling with some of the country's top clubs.

He made the move back to Whanganui this year.

"Whanganui is my New Zealand home; it's a great community and I love the lifestyle. What I love most about being back at the Boys and Girls Club is the friendly atmosphere. The old saying 'It takes a village to raise a child' is also true in sports.

"We can achieve a lot more and enjoy what we do a lot more when you are part of a club that has a community feel and can create a great atmosphere for our members to enjoy the sport they love," says Leo.

"At the moment we offer Freestyle Gymnastics that is quite popular with boys, but that is a completely different kind of gymnastics than Men's Artistic Gymnastics (MAG). Also, the gym offers a traditional Artistic Gymnastic class specifically for boys.

"Whanganui Boys and Girls club have always had a successful history with MAG and we are building towards offering MAG again in the future, as part of our competitive pathway."

Freestyle Gymnastics, often referred to as FreeG, uses traditional gymnastic equipment in an exciting new way. It draws on free-running, parkour, trampoline and tumbling over obstacles.

Term two registrations are now open.

For more information on the Whanganui Boys and Girls Gym Club sessions, holiday programmes, which can be booked now for the April school holidays, and birthday party hire, visit the website www.whanganuigymclub.co.nz