By Nigel Maxwell

New home approved for Nipawin gymnastics club

Jul 11, 2018 | 12:00 PM

Some Nipawin families may be turning summersaults after hearing the news that a three-year dream to build a new home for the Tumblers Gymnastics Club is coming to fruition.

A site for the building was approved by town council at their meeting July 2. Recreation Director Doug Gudnason, who handles the coaching duties along with his wife, said the club has outgrown its current location at Wagner School.

“We only have a total of six or seven hours we coach, and we run 180 kids through that,” he said.

In order to relieve the board of any mortgage pressures, Gudnason said he and his wife made the decision to create a corporation specifically to finance the building. They will rent it to the club at the lowest rate possible, he said, to keep the not-for-profit club running.

“The intention is that when I’m finished coaching and we’ve got our succession program built in and we have another, younger head coach that is ready to take over, either continuing to rent it at a low cost to the gymnastics club or transfer of ownership,” he said.

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Gudnason said he hopes to see construction start this fall at the new location, which is on the south side of 10th Ave. W. and Third St. W, just a few blocks from Wagner School. The building will be roughly 6,000 sq. ft. in size, and will have a 29-foot ceiling to accommodate the club’s high-flying aerial stunts.

“We’re looking at space for rhythmic gymnastics and a trampoline, and with the trampoline for gymnastics the minimum clearance is 26 feet,” he said. 

The Tumblers Gymnastics Club has been operating in Nipawin since the early 1980s. At their July 2 meeting, town council recognized the club’s contributions to the community and agreed to sell the land for $10,000. The club will also be exempt from paying taxes for three years.

“They gave me one year less tax relief than what I want originally asked for, but I’m quite happy with it,” Gudnason said. “It gives us some start-up costs relief.”

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell