SPORTS

Fantastic Gymnastics

Hong Kong’s first gymnastic and parkour academy has cartwheeled its way into Tseung Kwan O.

The Covid pandemic has a lot to answer for but some good has come out of it. For former gymnast and dancer Gay Williamson, the lockdown prompted her to open her Flipping Kids gymnastic and parkour academy in Tseung Kwan O, the first of its kind in Hong Kong.

“Growing up, watching the Russians and Romanian gymnasts, I loved everything about gymnastics - the strength, power and grace required. I thought it was the ultimate sport,” says Williamson, a Clearwater Bay resident, who has been teaching gymnastics for more than 40 years in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong. “The feeling of mastering a new skill, regardless of ability, is empowering to all children who try gymnastics, and coaching children to achieve these skills is equally rewarding. Gymnastics is good for the soul!

“Belonging to a local gymnastic club, having the opportunity to train as often as you choose, meet friends, participate in competitions and the sense of community, was also what I loved about the sport when I was young and I wanted to offer the same experience for children here.” Established in 2013, Williamson’s Flipping Kids gymnastic classes were historically run out of the Clearwater Bay Golf 30 | SAI KUNG

& Country Club and she has taught legions of children how to flip, cartwheel, jump and swing. Her new academy now offers two separate sports: artistic sport gymnastic classes and parkour. The fun, action-packed gymnastic sessions teach correct techniques and provide a pathway for baby gymnasts as young as two-and-a-half to progress to competitive level as they get older, should they so desire. For anyone not in the know, parkour is a physical and mental training discipline that was inspired by military obstacle courses. Participants learn to overcome all obstacles by jumping, climbing, vaulting and swinging in the most efficient way possible, using mind before body. “It’s an exciting way to stay fit both mentally and physically,” says Williamson. “It’s art, exercise and play with a purpose – all within a safe environment.” With three local coaches and one on his way from Spain, the parkour classes are proving to be a big hit, with children as young as four able to give it a go and most classes suited for kids up to age 13. The purposebuilt 7,000 sqft space has all the equipment you could possibly wish for - warped walls, ramps, monkey bars and poles as well as gymnastic heaven with vaults, a sprung floor, asymmetric bars, beams and a trampoline track with foam pit to name but a few. In addition to regular classes, Flipping Kids offers gymnastic and parkour birthday parties at weekends, with an option to bring your own food or order catering from nearby Oolaa (which also recently opened in the area). But Williamson’s plans for her new academy don’t stop there. Coming soon are a café; an open play area, where you can bring your children to a non-structured session; an open gym,for adults who similarly want to work out at their own leisure; adult gymnastics; and early-morning adult fitness circuits. “We have new enrolments every day and many classes are already full,” says Williamson. “Parkour is proving to be as popular as gymnastics and the progression and confidence we can see in these kids, who started only a short time ago, is great!”

Flipping Kids Gymnastic and Parkour Academy, shop 101, Savannah Place, 3 Chi Shin Street, Tseung Kwan O; flippingkids.com. Open seven days a week. Regular classes run from 45 minutes to two hours from HK$280; open play, gym and adult fitness will be HK$150 per session.

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