About Us - Gladstone Gymnastics Club

Mission Statement

To provide a full-service gymnastics program to the greater Gladstone community so that each member can maximize their potential and sporting personal goals through gymnastic sports.

In doing so:

• Provide safe, high quality skilled movement experiences for all participants.

• Provide members with a learning environment that is challenging, rewarding and enjoyable.

• Produce a high standard of gymnastics in all competitive disciplines of gymnastics.

Mission Statement

To provide a full-service gymnastics program to the greater Gladstone community so that each member can maximize their potential and sporting personal goals through gymnastic sports.

In doing so:

• Provide safe, high quality skilled movement experiences for all participants.

• Provide members with a learning environment that is challenging, rewarding and enjoyable.

• Produce a high standard of gymnastics in all competitive disciplines of gymnastics.

Core Beliefs

01.

Gymnastic sports programs offer new movement experiences, challenges, improved skills and fitness, a sense of achievement and a lot of fun.

02.

That positive movement experience through gymnastics can influence a child’s outlook on physical activity for life.

03.

That success can be measured in many different ways through setting realistic expectations for successful performance and achievement.

04.

That by providing opportunities for male and female, young and old, talented and less skilled, an organised gymnastic sport has special significance in the lives of our members.

Our Venue

The Club operates from the Anna Turetschek Gymnastic Arena located at the PCYC Multi Purpose Sports Complex, 53 Yarroon St, Gladstone.

Gladstone Gymnastics is a not-for-profit organisation and boasts a state of the art 1300 square metres of space designed and built specifically for our Gymnastic programs. Our facility features 2 full size gymnastics floors, 2 vault runways, four high and two low beams, two sets of competition bars, three single rails, two sets of P-Bars, canopy rings, numerous mushrooms for boys, FIG pommel, strap bar rails, tumble track, as well as an in-ground trampoline with harnesses. We also have a large range of Kindergym equipment, including Kindergym uneven bars, p-bars, rings and single bar which are customed designed for small bodies.

In addition to all of this equipment the club also has hundreds of teaching aides including an in-ground resipit, rope activity centre, and a 14 metre Ninja frame, and countless boxes and wedges and mats – and that’s just part of what is on offer.

History

Anna Turetschek established the Gladstone Gymnastic Club in 1977. The club headquarters was a shed in Auckland Street. The Club had very little equipment and a concrete floor. With just 12 budding female gymnasts, the club had a humble beginning. For 26 years the Club’s home was that run down shed on Auckland Street. Over the years equipment was bought and more gymnasts signed on.

The club has continued to grow from strength to strength and is a testament to the hard work and dedication, which was put into it from the beginning and over the many years.

In 2004 Gladstone Gymnastic Club moved to new premises to become part of the PCYC Multi Purpose Centre. The Mayor Mr. Peter Corones officially opened the new gym hall at a function held on April 3rd 2004. At this function he also announced that the gym hall would be named the “Anna Turetschek Gymnastic Arena” after Mrs T who has dedicated more than 41 years to the growth of Gladstone Gymnastics.

Peter Dowdell was appointed as WAG Head Coach at Gladstone Gymnastics Club in August 2020, with his wife, Kym Dowdell, accepting a key operational role as Technical and Education Manager in September 2020. Peter’s collaboration with Kym , who provided her expert knowledge in governance and operational processes, saw Gladstone Gymnastics experience its strongest growth in 45 years.

In 2022, GGC moved into a larger section of the PCYC complex and upgraded to a 1300sqm state of the art gymnastics area desgned by Peter Dowdell, boasting new equipment, extra floor space and designed to accommodate our growing club. The official opening of the new “Anna Turetschek Gymnastics Arena” was held on 10 December 2022.

Mrs T is still an integral part of the club and rightly so. Many others over the club’s history have also played such a large part in the success of the Gladstone Gymnastics Club. Life membership has been awarded to some of these dedicated people.

LIFE MEMBERS INCLUDE:

Anna Turetschek
Silke Hetherington
Suzanne Neucom
Lara Neilsen

Amy Dew

Christine Stringer
Trevor Dowdell
Karen Parker
Ngaire Moran

Leigh Macleod

Our Club

Our Club is a non-profit organisation that is led by a management committee made up of volunteers. The committee works in conjunction with the operational GGC team to provide an outside perspective and opinion during important decision makings regarding our club’s strategic direction. The members of the committee are elected annually at the annual general meeting. Any volunteers interested in joining the committee are welcome to run.

The current committee members for 2023-2024 include:

President: Paul Howlett
Vice President: Danielle Webb
Treasurer: Peter Sharpe
Secretary: Dominique Gleixner
General Committee members: Anita McNamara, Larissa Mylonas, Robbie Cupitt, Annya Turner.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Below is a diagram of Gladstone Gymnastics organisational structure for you to refer to:

I recommend all parents put their children into gymnastics before starting school. The KinderGym program at Gladstone Gymnastics Club stimulates brain development that will make starting school easier for your child. The long term benefits continue as the gymnastics training journey increases. Time management, organisation and self discipline are bonus skills, but the best awareness is your child learning, physically and mentally, to try again, and face defeat in order to achieve success. Gladstone Gymnastics Club teaches our children all these things.

Anita

Our family has been with the Gladstone Gymnastics Club for the past 7 years. We love our gymnastics family and the boys have made lifelong friendships with their fellow teammates and coaches. Gymnastics has not only formed our children into amazing allround athletes, but it has taught them commitment, concentration, and discipline. Learning how to use these skills at a young age, they have experienced that hard work pays off, and this not only helps with gymnastics but with all other aspects of life. We would highly recommend the Gladstone Gymnastics Club to all our friends and family, it's 100% a lifestyle choice not just a sport.

Regen and Nicole Dunn

My 6 year old granddaughter has been involved in Gymnastics for 5.5 years and her brother, aged 3 years, and has been involved for 2 years. Each enjoys and finds success, self-motivation, developing new skills and respect for others in their weekly sessions.

Gymnastics provides the essential development of every child’s gross and fine motor skills through age appropriate sessions. Each child learns through play, laughter, stimulating environments and being actively encouraged to try challenging, yet safe, accessible activities. Gymnastics relies on analytical thinking, combined with creativity and therefore, enables both sides of the brain to be engaged. Through Gymnastics, this essential thinking pattern is enhanced from a young age and underpins life-long learning, through active participation with dedicated coaches.

Skills such as listening, following directions, balance, body position in space, strength, self -worth and self-discipline, underpin formal education in all subject areas and life in general. As an overall sport, I chose to enrol my grandchildren in Gymnastics. As an educator, I understand and promote the need for children to be involved in an active sport promoting cognitive and physical development, as well as encouragement and supportive skill development. A further consideration for me was that Gymnastics is held indoors, negating the sun damage caused by a sport where training and competition can subject children to long exposure to the sun.

Yvette