Waikanae Gymnastic Club celebrates 40th birthday

Tara Fitzgerald (left), and Nathania Ellis both received life membership of the Waikanae Gymnastic Club.

The Waikanae Gymnastic Club has celebrated its birthday by naming two new life members, Nathania Ellis and Tara Fitzgerald, at a small function with coaches, committee members and life members present.

Ellis, who is the mother of two current gymnasts, and Fitzgerald, who is a graduate of the Ollerup International Academy in Denmark, are ex-club gymnasts who have held committee roles and coached voluntarily at the club for 10 years.

The club was opened on July 23, 1984, and club member Kay Brown said very quickly the roll built up to more than 100 children.

Waikanae School helped to get the club started by lending its gymnastic equipment, the Athletic Club lent its large crash mat to use until its season began, and generous financial donations were given by the Rotary, Lions, Lionesses, Jayceettes, 19 local businesses and a few individuals.

In the 40 years since, the club has had thousands of gymnasts, coaches, committees and supporters as a part of its journey, and it remains one of the few clubs in New Zealand where all the coaches are still volunteers.

The current senior coaching team of six has collectively given almost 100 years of voluntary coaching to the club.

The club started as a competitive artistic club but then focused more on the European sport of team gymnastics.

This has led to several members attending World Gymnastradas, one of the biggest sport leisure events in the world, and a strong connection being made with Ollerup Physical Education School in Denmark.

The Waikanae Gymnastics Club has hosted six Ollerup graduates with two more to join the club next month.

Three of the club’s young coaches have received scholarships to attend Ollerup, with a fourth, Molly Cutting, leaving to take up her scholarship this week.

In the 1990s the club established a Gymnastics in Schools Programme. At the time this was one of the biggest and most successful school programmes offered in the country.

At their peak, they were operating in three school halls, as well as classes in Waikanae Hall and various Kāpiti gymnasiums.

“The programme still flourishes albeit a little less ambitious with them now only providing programmes in the Memorial Hall for all the primary aged children of Waikanae.”

About 30 years ago the club was on the ground floor in becoming involved with the innovative two-year National Youth Gymnastic Coach Training Programme targeted specifically at college students.

The club had 14 teenagers in the first regional programme and still continues to support it today. The programme provides a great incentive for teenagers to stay in sports when so many are dropping out.