By JoAnn R. Walter —
The Owego Gymnastics and Activity Center, located at 748 Rte. 38, in Owego, N.Y., is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year.
It was 60 years ago that local parents came together to establish an athletics program that focused on the rewarding sport of gymnastics.
Since 1964, the Owego Gymnastics and Activity Center, a non-profit, has made it their mission to teach gymnastics in a fun and safe environment that allows participants of all ages and levels to build confidence while mastering technique.
Owego Gymnastics and Activity Center Coach Lynn Jenner assists a gymnast during a recent Bears class for five and six year olds. The Center is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and continues to flourish with a wide array of activities and programs for young people. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)
Today, the center continues to flourish with a wide array of activities and programs for young people, and has prevailed during difficult times, too, such as flooding and the pandemic. Those challenging periods, instead, ultimately strengthened and re-emphasized the role that the gym plays in everyone’s lives.
Director Jana Bowen is extremely proud of the center’s longevity, and one motto being, she shared, “We are building skills to last a lifetime.”
Known in its beginnings as The Girls Gymnastics Athletic Club of Owego and the Owego Scamps, those early days featured practices inside a barn on Main Street, where equipment had to be set up and broken down and put away every evening, and before a move to the former Washington Gladden School.
For many years, classes were held in the basement of the Tioga County office building until the flood of 2006. The facility on State Route 38 opened in 2011, and has since provided much needed space, improved features, and more class offerings.
Bowen, and one of the early gymnasts who paved the way for young gymnasts today, shared, “There is nothing better than working with children,” and added, “And for me, 42 years later.”
Gymnasts in the five and six year old Bears class enjoy multiple challenging gym stations during a recent class at Owego Gymnastics and Activity Center. In celebration of their 60eth anniversary, the Center is holding an Open House and Chicken BBQ on Sat., May 18. A proclamation and rededication is planned for 12:30 p.m., followed by a public tour from 1 to 2 p.m. A drive-thru Chicken BBQ will be available from 10 a.m. to noon. Chicken halves will be sold for $8 each; this does not include sides. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)
Recreational gymnastics beginning as early as age one, competitive gymnastics, open gym along with Tae Kwon Do, T.A.D.A. Dance, private lessons, field trips, family fun days and parties, the options are plentiful at Owego Gymnastics and Activity Center. The Center also offers programs for non-verbal young people.
To celebrate their 60th anniversary, the Center is holding a special Open House and Chicken BBQ on Sat., May 18. The public is welcome to tour the facility from 1 to 2 p.m. A proclamation and rededication is planned for 12:30 p.m. Following the open house an annual meeting is scheduled from 2 to 2:30 p.m.
A drive-thru Chicken BBQ will be available for purchase from 10 a.m. to noon at the May 18 event. Chicken halves will be sold for $8 each; this does not include sides.
The month of May is competition season, and the Center has consistently brought home awards from multiple events.
A gymnast in the three and four year old Tigers class learns to roll on a balance beam during a recent class at Owego Gymnastics and Activity Center. Registrations for summer classes and fun weeks are available now. To learn more about the Center, call them at (607) 687-2458, find them on social media, or visit owegogymnastics.com. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)
The Center is gearing up for summer, too. Signups are now available for their Summer Classes and Fun Weeks from July 8 through Aug. 23, 2024.
Looking ahead, the Center’s annual golf tournament is scheduled on Aug. 18, 2024. Contact the Center for details.
Bowen explained that proceeds from the tournament support the Center’s Scholarship Program and Capital projects, and are also used to expand programs at the Center. New sponsors are welcome.
The scholarship program is approved for gymnasts whose families qualify, and Bowen remarked, “In all of these years, we have never turned anyone away.”
Bowen thanks the local community and parents for their continued support, and to several local organizations who have extended grants to the Center for the purchase of new equipment.
For information about the Center, call (607) 687-2458, find them on Facebook, or visit owegogymnastics.com.
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