Family-run Northampton gymnastics club celebrates ‘electric’ experience at national final
A family-run Northampton gymnastics club is celebrating their “electric” experience at a national final, with four of their gymnasts having secured prestigious spots.
Jo Kelly is the founder and owner of GLK Gymnastics in Bugbrooke, and she is supported by coach and competition organiser Jess Legge.
Jo has been offering gymnastics after school clubs since 2014 and it was in 2020 when she took it a step further by creating a competition squad group – for the young people who wanted to come along outside of school and progress their hobby.
The business suffered during the pandemic when Jo was unable to visit schools or teach, but soon secured her pop-up gym location at Bugbrooke Community Centre when the restrictions eased.
GLK Gymnastics offers pre-school classes, which feed into recreational sessions from the age of four upwards. There is no age limit on the classes, but the oldest children are 14. Some attendees then make it to competition level and compete with GLK.
Four of their gymnasts qualified for the IGA national final in November, and they also had a display team who performed at the event. This was the first time any GLK gymnasts qualified.
Maya and Genevieve both performed well, Jess placed second overall and Jessie won the overall competition. As Jess and Jessie both came in the top three, they have made the national squad.
This will open up more opportunities for the pair moving forward, as they will attend four training sessions a year with top coaches and gymnasts.
The competitors, three coaches and a massive group were in attendance to support GLK, and Jo said: “The atmosphere was electric, and there were a few tears from me and Jess. I had to take a step back – we’re a small gym in Bugbrooke and to see them compete was wonderful.”
To top it all off, Jess was nominated for ‘south coach of the year’ and Jo was named ‘south judge of the year’ at the IGA Awards.
Looking to the future of GLK Gymnastics, Jo would love to secure a home of their own and remain on the side of town they are currently in. With four pieces of full-size apparatus and a sprung floor, the club is growing out of Bugbrooke Community Centre.
“We want to continue doing what we’re doing,” Jo concluded. “We have a lovely recreational base of gymnasts and we want to keep growing. There’s only so many sessions we can do a week until we have our own home.”