F.A.Qs
Who is this penguin & why is he so important?
That's Opus. He is the introduction penguin at Boing! He flies all the way back from his summer home in Argentina every fall just to welcome all our new members to the classes. (You kind of have to be around us to understand why this all makes sense.)
That's Opus. He is the introduction penguin at Boing! He flies all the way back from his summer home in Argentina every fall just to welcome all our new members to the classes. (You kind of have to be around us to understand why this all makes sense.)
Who runs Boing?
Boing is run by Mark and Donna Gibson. Mark is a former member of the British junior national team and assistant coach the US junior Olympic national team. He has written three books for gymnasts and has been a consultant to over 800 US gymnastics centers. He teaches most of the classes and sets up all the lesson plans. He also empties the diaper pail in the bathroom because no one else will. Mark's wife Donna has her degree in early childhood education and was an old (sorry, make that former) Pennridge gymnast. She handles all the class schedules. Their daughters (Bri, 27 and Missy, 25) help teach all the classes. Boing is about as family as a family business can get.
How big are your classes?
Our average class size is about twelve gymnasts with two instructors. We like to limit our classes to a 6 to 1 ratio but once in a while we may have 7 gymnasts in a group if we have a lot of snow make ups. Our "Just you and me kid" classes are designed to be a one on one experience between a parent and child. We have one instructor leading these classes.
What apparatus do you use?
We teach real gymnastics on real gymnastics apparatus. That means your little tumbler will learn on a fully sprung floor, balance beams, uneven bars, parallel bars, vault, tumble track and trampoline.
What do we wear to classes?
You can sit in the lobby wearing your old prom dress if it makes you feel special, but your gymnast must be dressed appropriately.
Girls wear leotards or T shirt and shorts
Boys wear T shirts and shorts
Everyone goes bare feet and long hair needs to be in a pony tail
What should we not wear to classes?
Baggy stuff gets in the way, so no...
Oversized shorts or shirts
Long pants that drag below our feet
Leotards with skirts that get tangled around bars
Jeans shorts or anything with belt loops or bulky zippers
Also no:
Jewelry
Gum
Foot coverings (bare feet only)
Can we stay and watch classes?
Sure you can stay and watch. We have a comfortable area for you to hang out (nap if want... you wouldn't be the first.) As parents ourselves we'd be bummed out if we were told to push off to Landis' for an hour. However... do keep in mind that watching your child's class is not the same as participating in your child's class. In other words, sitting quietly in the observation area secretly comparing your child to the others is OK. (Oh, like you don't do that.) Waving, yelling and running out to fix messed up pony tails is not OK. Please try to contain yourself, it’s only an hour, you can do it.
Any hidden costs I should expect?
No! You pay a membership fee once a year and then a class fee every ten weeks. That's it! We don't make you buy special outfits or uniforms and we don't surprise you with meet or show fees. If you can't live without photographic evidence of your kid's cartwheel feel free to bring your own camera and snap as many Kodak moments as you want. We like to keep life simple around here.
Do you do competitions or recitals?
You mean those four hour marathons where you get to see your kid for three minutes wearing an outfit that cost you a week’s pay? No! We don't do that. Boing! is a non-competitive program. We love teaching the most fun gymnastics classes around and providing kids with a unique experience they won't find anywhere else.
Boing is run by Mark and Donna Gibson. Mark is a former member of the British junior national team and assistant coach the US junior Olympic national team. He has written three books for gymnasts and has been a consultant to over 800 US gymnastics centers. He teaches most of the classes and sets up all the lesson plans. He also empties the diaper pail in the bathroom because no one else will. Mark's wife Donna has her degree in early childhood education and was an old (sorry, make that former) Pennridge gymnast. She handles all the class schedules. Their daughters (Bri, 27 and Missy, 25) help teach all the classes. Boing is about as family as a family business can get.
How big are your classes?
Our average class size is about twelve gymnasts with two instructors. We like to limit our classes to a 6 to 1 ratio but once in a while we may have 7 gymnasts in a group if we have a lot of snow make ups. Our "Just you and me kid" classes are designed to be a one on one experience between a parent and child. We have one instructor leading these classes.
What apparatus do you use?
We teach real gymnastics on real gymnastics apparatus. That means your little tumbler will learn on a fully sprung floor, balance beams, uneven bars, parallel bars, vault, tumble track and trampoline.
What do we wear to classes?
You can sit in the lobby wearing your old prom dress if it makes you feel special, but your gymnast must be dressed appropriately.
Girls wear leotards or T shirt and shorts
Boys wear T shirts and shorts
Everyone goes bare feet and long hair needs to be in a pony tail
What should we not wear to classes?
Baggy stuff gets in the way, so no...
Oversized shorts or shirts
Long pants that drag below our feet
Leotards with skirts that get tangled around bars
Jeans shorts or anything with belt loops or bulky zippers
Also no:
Jewelry
Gum
Foot coverings (bare feet only)
Can we stay and watch classes?
Sure you can stay and watch. We have a comfortable area for you to hang out (nap if want... you wouldn't be the first.) As parents ourselves we'd be bummed out if we were told to push off to Landis' for an hour. However... do keep in mind that watching your child's class is not the same as participating in your child's class. In other words, sitting quietly in the observation area secretly comparing your child to the others is OK. (Oh, like you don't do that.) Waving, yelling and running out to fix messed up pony tails is not OK. Please try to contain yourself, it’s only an hour, you can do it.
Any hidden costs I should expect?
No! You pay a membership fee once a year and then a class fee every ten weeks. That's it! We don't make you buy special outfits or uniforms and we don't surprise you with meet or show fees. If you can't live without photographic evidence of your kid's cartwheel feel free to bring your own camera and snap as many Kodak moments as you want. We like to keep life simple around here.
Do you do competitions or recitals?
You mean those four hour marathons where you get to see your kid for three minutes wearing an outfit that cost you a week’s pay? No! We don't do that. Boing! is a non-competitive program. We love teaching the most fun gymnastics classes around and providing kids with a unique experience they won't find anywhere else.
