In the age of video games, tablets, and YouTube, kids are tanking more and more time with electronic devices. Getting them moving has become all the more important.
That’s why gymnastics, like those taught at KT’s All Star Gymnastics at the Santa Maria Town Center, are so important—they instill the art of movement. The coaches at KT’s can help those looking for their start in the world of gymnastics, whether they’re couch-potato kids or adults looking for a vigorous activity, explained owner and founder Katey Eckenrode.
“We had a 72-year-old woman doing gymnastics with us at one point,” Eckenrode said. “She did lessons once a week and just wanted to learn gymnastics. We were like, ‘OK, let’s do it!’”
But KT’s didn’t start out from an ambition to teach the elderly how to tumble. In a sprawling city filled with more than 100,000 people, Eckenrode felt like there weren’t many places that she could take her daughter to train in the sport she herself had grown to love.
“I opened the center so gymnastics could be brought back to Santa Maria,” Eckenrode said. “It used to be a big thing here, and then it went through a phase where we didn’t have a consistent community all the time.”
When the center opened its doors and rolled out the mats more than 13 years ago, Eckenrode didn’t expect more than a hundred kids to enroll in classes. It didn’t take long for the center to exceed that conservative estimate and thrive.
To meet the demand of all the local kids enrolling in after-school gymnastics programs, she had to hire many more qualified trainers for her staff. The roster of instructors is one of the main reasons why KT’s has garnered local acclaim, Eckenrode said.
One of those instructors is coach Cameron Rea, an accomplished gymnast and KT’s veteran in his own right. Rea is one of very few Santa Maria locals to train in gymnastics at the collegiate level, a feat he credits to his time there.
“That’s basically what my whole life has been,” Rea told the Sun in 2015, when he was profiled as Athlete of the Week. “I’ve tried different sports but nothing gave me the same amount of fun as gymnastics.”
The 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio at KT’s is a rarity in classrooms or school programs, but Eckenrode discovered that more attention put on individual students was necessary to develop well-rounded young gymnasts.
“We are very involved with our students and take a hands-on approach,” she said. “Safety is always first, but we care about both their fitness and emotional well-being too.”
Eckenrode and company give their young athletes lots of support, but they also stress the importance of hard work and consistency over constant recognition.
“We want to challenge the kids, and we don’t just let them pass or win,” she said. “That’s like a thing now where everyone has to get a ribbon, and we don’t do that. When the kids earn something they have to really earn it.”
That type of no-nonsense training has paid off for those enrolled at KT’s. The center consistently sends athletes to state competitions and has a travel team that shows well at gyms around California.
But for Eckenrode, it isn’t about collecting medals or finishing first in competitions. Having been around the sport for most of her life and watching her daughter grow up at KT’s, introducing newcomers to gymnastics gives her the most joy.
“I love gymnastics, and I can’t imagine not doing it. It’s just great to see kids active and succeeding,” she said. “Even if it is like a basic goal like a pull-up or somersault, when one of the students pulls it off for the first time, it is just as great to me as someone doing two backflips.”
Contributor Keenan Donath wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, mail, or email at spotlight@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 6, 2017.