Highlands resident Kathy Judson was fed up hearing about people having to leave the County to get their kids into professional gymnastics programming, so she’s stepping up to do something about it.
The mom of two has been working since the fall on a business plan for Haliburton Gymnastics. So far, she’s secured $100,000 in funding from the Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC), gotten sponsorship commitments from several local businesses, received non-profit status and, most recently, found a home base on Industrial Park Road.
“We’re at the very initial stages of this. It’s one of those things that will be a community project. It cannot just be me; it’s going to take a lot of people pitching in to bring this to fruition,” Judson told The Highlander.
“I’ve been taking my kids out of town for several years now for sport, so this is something I’ve always been dreaming up [the idea] and hoping someone else would take on,” she added, noting the nearest dedicated gymnastics clubs are in Bancroft, Bracebridge and Peterborough.
The response has been “amazing” since she went public with the idea in early January, with tons of encouragement from excited families. Several businesses have offered support, too, Judson said – with Haliburton Electric sponsoring $10,000 worth of labour and materials and Paradigm Electric pitching in $1,000 cash and $4,000 of in-kind work to help retrofit the building. A half dozen other businesses have also committed support, Judson said.
With approximately 8,000 sq. ft. of space, Judson said there’s lots of room to bring a pro-level gymnastics club to life. She’s looking to install a spring floor and have beams, bars, trampolines and vault. She’s also hoping to install a rock-climbing wall.
Core programming will be aimed towards kids aged three to 14, but Judson also plans to offer adult programming and activities geared towards seniors.
“We can offer yoga classes, fitness classes – so this won’t just be a gymnastics club. It will be a space the whole community can use,” she said. “The bread and butter of any gymnastics program is recreational programming, but we do anticipate having a competitive team in the future.”
There will be job opportunities for youth too, via junior coaching roles. Judson will also be looking for a head coach with experience she can lean on to help build the program.
This won’t be a first-time entrepreneurial endeavour for Judson – she has operated gyms in Ottawa and Amherstberg, while also establishing a women’s soccer league in the County in 2022. She has 22 years’ experience as a coach and fitness instructor.
With the business being a non-profit, her goal isn’t to get rich. Instead, she wants to plug what she sees as a major gap in the community and help keep Haliburton residents in the area.
“People living here have to drive at least an hour to get to a good, competitive gym. The idea is to keep our families here, spending money here,” she said. “So, not only will this give our kids something to do, keeping them off screens, but it will also help the local economy.”
If all goes to plan, she envisions a soft opening in late summer. She’s well on her way with fundraising, bringing in just over $28,000 of her $100,000 goal as of Feb. 12.
“My plans for the next few months will be crowdfunding in any way that I can – we’re making incredible progress already and the encouragement I’ve been getting from the community has really helped to drive this,” Judson said. “We’re well on our way to turning this dream into reality.”
Anyone interested in donating can contact haliburtongymnastics@gmail.com.
