On Wednesday, Dec. 19, the Moose Mountain Jumpers held an open house performance to show off their skills developed over the fall session. Many were in attendance as the 97 youth enrolled in the club jumped, flipped, rolled, and showed off their multitude of skills.
"This is a way to show of our product, to get people fired up," Claudia Mullis, a member of the club executive, explained. "When it's time to perform they puff up and they like to show off."
They will begin again in the New Year, set for Jan. 9, and it will be an exciting time for the club which is going into its 20th year.
The youth were taught by coaches Dave Barker, Amber Curtis, and C.J. Wilson, with the help of junior coaches Bailey Cutler and Hayley Hislop last year, who are continuing to coach the first session this year as well. Barker a very experienced coach came back to the club after a brief hiatus. They are thankful for his return as he is very good with the youth and loves the sport of gymnastics to the extent of volunteering for the opportunity to teach young gymnastic enthusiasts about the sport.
Barker had in fact coached Curtis in the early years of the club and she is now an integral member of the team. Wilson, a grade 12 student, has done a fantastic job and the club is already sad for the day when she leaves for her post-secondary schooling in the fall of this year.
The junior coaches were also a large help during the season. Cutler and Hislop are both dedicated gymnasts and their involvement provides good role models for other gymnasts in the Jumpers.
Each year they hold two sessions, one from September to December and the other from January to March, this allows for interested youth to join without having to commit for the full year as people can be busy at different times in the year.
The club first got its start in 1993. As a way to unite everyone in the area, it came to have the name, Moose Mountain Jumpers. People from across the southeast came together to partake in the physically demanding sport situated in Arcola.
Beginning in the Arcola School gym their equipment would come to take up a lot of space; so, when Prairie Place was beginning to be built the Jumpers helped with fundraising efforts and the hall accommodated the gymnasts since the beginning. When the cement floor was poured latches for equipment were installed simultaneously for the gymnastics club.
Though the gymnasts had the run of the hall to start with, there has come to be much more use of Prairie Place for a number of events. This means the gymnasts and their families are constantly helping to set up and tear down all of the equipment, which is quite a bit of work though the dedicated members come together making the process go quickly.
A large space is needed for all of the equipment and for the number of gymnasts enrolled in the club. They are extremely appreciative of the Prairie Place Board for continuing to allow them to use the facility; though, the group is feeling the pressures of the popularity of the hall the past few years.
Help from the community came in the form of Carson Energy Services who was a large contributor to the club as well as the Optimist Club of Arcola.
The Moose Mountain Jumpers helped raise the needed funds to build washrooms in the hall and when they first began practicing in Prairie Place there was no heat. They would put a propane heater in the corner; but, eventually "guilted" the Optimists to raise money for an entire heating system according to Barker.
Since the beginning they have gone through some highs and lows of enrollment, but have managed to continue throughout it all coming to this year, which saw a record number of youth involved.
The different coaches who have been able to take part have helped the gymnasts develop different skills and develop an appreciation of those skills during their 20 years.
At the moment they are not a competitive group; but, they hope to once again be able to compete. Under Barker when the club was first started the club was competitive and saw youth bring home medals in the Gymnastics Saskatchewan circuit. One of these competitors was Curtis, now a coach with the Jumpers.
Under Barker, Team Southeast also competed at the Saskatchewan Winter Games and at one point had actually developed a men's gymnastics team as there had been interest from a number of young men in the area. The Jumpers had focused on hockey conditioning, while creating solid gymnasts as well where they took both women's teams and eventually a men's team to the Saskatchewan Winter Games.
With the interest in the area they hope to again become a competitive club. With 97 youth, from Manor, Kenosee, Kisbey, Forget, Stoughton, Carlyle, Arcola, and even Gainsborough, enrolled and parents who are taking a keen interest all that is missing are a couple more certified coaches, which would help the club grow and reach its goal to compete once again.
They are determined to keep the club running and the youth involved thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to learn from experienced individuals.
If interested as a coach, a parent, or a young athlete contact Sonia Wilson for more information.
