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Friday, September 26, 1986 / University Daily Kansar
Students jump at chance to teach budding gymnasts
By JANE ZACHMAN
Sports writer
A three-year-old girl sits on the floor and giggles with her new friend as the instructor demonstrates the correct way to do a somersault.
Eric Hockersmith, Fairway senior gives Ryan Patch, Lawrence resident, a helping hand on the parallel bars. Hockersmith is one of several Kansas
Across the gym a five-year-old boy is being shown how to chalk his hands before getting on the parallel bars. As the instructor turns his back to adjust the bars, the boy manages to get the white chalk on his hands, arms and face.
When the instructor turns around, the little ghost just smiles.
These kids can be found at the Kansas School of Gymnastics, which conducts classes from the gymnastics room at Robinson Center.
the school has been established through a combined effort of the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Committee and the University of Kansas.
The school provides gymnastics programs for children 3 to 18 years old. Robert Lockwood, health, physical education and recreation faculty member and program director, said Tuesday.
Courses include tumbling and beginning, intermediate and advanced gymnastics.
ed gymnastics.
Participants in the classes meet one or two hours each week under supervision of KU student-teachers who meet United States Gymnastics formation standards. The teachers have been active as gymnasts and are finding the school to be an alternative way of using their skills, since the University does not have a gymnastics队.
Eric Hockersmith, Fairway junior and teacher at the school, came back to Kansas after being released from the Pennsylvania State gymnastics team.
Hockersmith said he began gymnastics at age nine and began competing when he was 11. He was a member of the Elite Gymnastics Club based in Kansas City, Kan.
Cilbo based in Kenya at Penn State. He spent two years at Penn State, but he said that he would have come directly to Kansas when he was a freshman if the Jayhawks had had a gymnastics team.
Kim McVey, Olathe sophomore, also has been active in gymnastics but is content with teaching at the school instead of competing.
'I couldn't get out of gymnastics
because I love it too much, she said.
"As a physical education major,
teaching here will also help with my career."
career'
Hockersmith said that he enjoyed teaching at the school because he liked working with kids.
ed working with what I
"it's great to watch them develop
and fall in love with a sport that I've
been involved in for so long." he said
"I'll probably coach in some capacity forever," he said, "I really enjoy it. Eventually, I'd like to go to a bigger city where gymnastics programs are stronger."
p14
Heckersmith he thought the new Kansas gymnastics School was the best program that the area has had since Elite Gymnasties had a club in Lawrence. He said that Elite ran into financial difficulties in the late 1970's and was forced to close their Lawrence club.
then Lawrence and the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Commission had been sponsoring a gymnastics program on its own for about 20 years, said Kathy Fode, Parks and Recreation spokesman.
Hockersmith was also an instructor at that program, but he said the facilities were not adequate.
"We had the classes in a gym," he said, "but we had to work in between people shooting baskets and balls bouncing on the mats.
"The (this the Robinson gymnastics room) is as good a facility as you're going to find outside of Kansas City." Hockersmith said.
Hocket senior said.
Two hundred fifty students are enrolled for the first four-week session, which began Monday. Future sessions are planned to be eight weeks long.
Students in beginning levels of the school will be able to compete with other students in the class at their skill level, Lockwood said. More advanced students will compete with other area gymnastics clubs.
Plans are already in the works for meets sponsored by the USGF, Lockwood said. A meet for boys has been scheduled for February.
The recreation commission had meets in past years with clubs from Leavenworth and the Topeka YMCA.
In the past, Lockwood said, the commission has not had the staff or facilities to adequately train youngsters to compete.
The recreation commission is paying the instructors and arranging
enrollment. The equipment and staff are provided through the University
"We have nice facilities here and can put them to good use while we supply a service to the community." Lockwood said.
Thousands of dollars worth of equipment are in the gymnastic room, he said. The equipment has not been fully utilized since the University dropped gymnastics as a varsity sport in 1979.
"Every other school in the Big Eight Conference sponsors a gymnastics school," he said. "Most of them have very good varsity programs also."
An incentive Lockwood cited for university involvement is that the program may provide a way for the University to upgrade its equipment
The recreation commission and the University will divide any revenue produced by the program, he said.
students who teach in the Kansas School of Gymnastics which has classes every day in Robinson Center.
Brenda Street Kawahi
Hockersmith helps Geoffrey Strole. Lawrence resident, perform a header
Hookersmith, center, leads his boys' gymnastics class in push ups.
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