Murraylands Gymnastics Academy is homeless no longer

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Five months after a rain storm forced the Murraylands Gymnastics Academy to close down, it’s nearly ready to re-open at a new venue.

Hundreds of gymnasts will be able to resume their classes at the relocated academy on Chris Collins Court, Murray Bridge from April 29.

Volunteers have spent hundreds of hours trying to repair the old shed on Thomas Street, which was badly damaged by water and mould; seeking support from governments and the Murray Bridge council; inspecting buildings; seeking sponsorship and donations; and finally moving into the new facility.

It will be a lot smaller than their previous venue, and they’ll have to leave most of their apparatus behind for now – but it was a start, said coach Jemma Tilley.

“We are excited to get our gymnasts back into action again,” she said.

“While it’s been a really stressful, sad and challenging time for the club since our closure last November, we have been working so hard to find a space for our kids that is affordable, accessible, suitable and ready to move in to now.

“This shed is much smaller than our previous one, and therefore we have limitations; but there is still a lot of great activity we can do with our new plan for smaller classes.”

Planning restrictions prevented the academy from moving into a couple of other venues which had otherwise sounded promising.

However, it was still able to use $20,000 worth of council funding on the move and fit-out.

Ultimately, the Murraylands’ gymnasts will continue their search for a long-term home in Murray Bridge: somewhere at least 20 by 20 metres, with a ceiling at least seven metres high.

That might mean building a custom facility – or potentially even joining forces with other sporting associations to build a bigger indoor recreation centre.

“There’s a long way to until we get there, but we’ve been fortunate enough to have support and sponsorship from local people and businesses to help get this underway,” Ms Tilley said.

“It has been really disappointing that we haven’t been able to find a bigger shed to move into yet – at times it has felt like for every step forward, we have taken about 10 backwards.

“But all of our coaches and committee just want to get gymnastics started in any way we can, as soon as we can, and this is our best option.”

More than 150 of the academy’s 380 participants had already registered to return to classes by Wednesday of this week.

While they won’t have access to all the same equipment at this stage, gymnasts will be able to focus on core skills, building up their strength and flexibility.

Kindergym, home school, Fitter for Life and special Olympics classes will all return.

• More information: Search for Murraylands Gymnastics Academy on Facebook.
• Book a class: www.murraylandsgymnastics.com.au.