Sunday, February 20, 2011

I'll Tumble For You

I'll admit it.  When I Mrs. LIAYF first told me about the class she wanted Lukas to attend this weekend I was a bit skeptical. This particular activity wasn't something I pictured him participating in.
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"It's a Gymnastics class" she told me. 

"Yeah?"  I replied, giving the idea some time to soak in.  Then, when she added that it would just be a drop in to see how he liked it, and seeing how she wasn't really asking but letting me know he would be going, I followed with "Uh...okay I guess it wouldn't hurt."  But what I was actually thinking to myself was: Isn't gymnastics an activity for girls?



It seemed that most of the gymnastics I remembered watching growing up was of the girls variety.  Mary Lou Retton and Olga Korbut came to immediately to mind. Mrs LIAYF solidified this line of thought by letting me know that Lukas' friend Eleanor was signed up, as was Claire from his preschool. In fact, it was made up of mostly girls with maybe one boy.

I remained skeptical, but wasn't really against it. I guess I figured there was a chance we wouldn't end up going anyway with our recent track record on illnesses and diversions.
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Then Saturday came and although it was sunny outside, it came with a strong and bitterly cold wind.  Rather than venture out into it, the thought of sitting in a heated warehouse room with mats while Lukas ran off some steam, free of charge no less, didn't seem all that bad after all.  Even if he ended up being the only boy.

As it turned out Lukas loved the class.  Of the seven kids in the class, he was one of two boys.  He enthusiastically jumped in without hesitation, listened carefully to the coach's instructions, bounced about with loads of energy, and showed his natural athleticism in preforming the jumps, swings, tumbles, and rolls like he had been doing them for months.  He even evoked several comments about his abilities from other parents who, along with us, were watching from the obscurity of an overlooking balcony.

In fact, he enjoyed the class so much that we are considering enrolling him in the class for the next several week session.  It sure seems now like a great way to allow him to dispense of his built up energy in a positive manner, and seeing how much fun he had participating made it all worth while. My initial skepticism was certainly misguided.

Plus, I figure that maybe we're actually onto something here.  Looking back on my high school days now I'm thinking that rather than running around knocking heads with a bunch of other sweaty guys, getting knocked unconscious while playing, and having my knee blown out - it might have been, um, more pleasant to participate in a sport where I got to hang out and practice along side a bunch of mentally tough, flexible, and physically fit girls.

As parents we always hope our kids have it better than we did. We'll see how this one goes.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Mini-Kamp goes to gymnastics every Sat. Her teachers are two jacked men that make me look like a pencil.

Anonymous said...

Now that our Gymboree days are behind us and little man is in "school" one day a week we were thinking of looking into a program like this. I need something to help him burn up his excessive amounts of energy.

Rachael said...

I have thought about getting my son into a gymnastics class. What kid wouldn't love jumping and tumbling around?! Glad it went well!

Jack said...

My son loved gymnastics and frankly it offers benefits for other sports. They learn about balance and that is something that you can apply to virtually anything.

The kids tend to love it. I highly recommend it.

triles said...

Hey James, just tagged you in my latest post.

We did a few tumbling classes with the girls when they were younger, and they absolutely loved them. My wife always let me take the girls, and it was great bonding time. This post brought back some cool memories-thanks.

ericdbolton said...

I think a gymastics class would be perfect for my son. Right now he's leaping off couches with no padding.

Lady Mama said...

Gymnastics is awesome for boys! Glad he enjoyed it.

Scott said...

Yes, gymnastics is wonderful for a boy or girl! I took gymnastics at the local YMCA, as a boy. And though I didn't do as well in it as in swimming, I still enjoyed it--especially the trampoline!

And it is alot more fun to be outnumbered by girls (one reason I enjoy volleyball so much)! My first year of college (1984), I signed-up for aerobics--but withdrew, after my dad said, "Isn't that a girls' activity, Scott?"

A few years later, when I didn't care as much what my dad thought--I signed up for it again. And oh, it was wonderful! I was one of only two guys in this aerobics class--and going through the motions, I got to see alot of girls from different angles! One in particular, a gorgeous Oriental girl in the next line up from me, didn't wear a bra, and...where was I going with this?

Oh yeah--the other guy claimed to have gotten injured early-on, and spent the rest of the quarter just sitting it out. But to this day, I'm skeptical--because he'd just sit in a corner watching all the girls from behind!

Papa K said...

Hell... gymnastics is fun for them but what about you as a parent!!

One of my daughters little friends had a birthday party at a gymnastics place. I couldn't wait to jump in the huge foam pit.

Of course... it's a breeding ground for germs and we all wound up sick afterwards. :(

Otter Thomas said...

Braden had a gymnastics class once a week when he was in school. I didn't like it much, but once I saw how much he liked it I changed my mind. He had so much fun. It put a smile on my face. I'm still hoping for football or baseball or basketball in the future though.