Giant leap forward for gym club
ATHLETES turned business owners Jill and Paul Needham moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast to start their gymnastics club in 2014, growing its membership from 60 to 350 – with a waiting list – in the five years since.
Now their Varsity Lakes Trampoline and Gymnastics Club has just moved into vast new quarters, double the size of its original venue, and is looking to take on new students and exciting new programs.
The club has leased the 1186sq m warehouse at 10 Ramly Drive off Saibona Pty Ltd, which bought the then-vacant site for $924,000 in 2016 from the State Government.
“Two weeks ago we moved to a bigger venue because we had got to capacity where we were,” Ms Needham said.
“We’d been trying to find a venue of this capacity for three years. It had got to the point where we didn’t have room to expand, as athletes get to higher levels, we needed space to do other programs.”
The couple’s sons are also involved with the business, Mitchell in administration and Wesley, a former national trampolining competitor, as a coach.
The facility caters for all ages, starting at Kindy Gym, running seniors sessions and catering for people with special needs.
The business has also branched out into birthday parties and school group sessions and is looking to tap into a growing demand for ninja and acrobatic classes, fuelled partly by popular reality television.
“Because we’re a family business, we are here for everybody, not just those who are great athletes but also people who need something to do and somewhere to grow.
“Gymnastics is one of the top three sports in the country and world in terms of participation and for the people involved in it, it’s a real building block for most sports because it includes motor skills and balance. We’ve had kids represent us at the national championships already.”
Ms Needham, who represented Australia in trampolining, and is a national and international judge for the sport, which she said needed more recognition.
“We want to make sure that people realise that it is an actual sport, rather than just a thing to do,” she said.
“It’s not just jumping at trampoline parks – this is with accredited coaches.
“It’s actually an Olympic sport and, if taught correctly and safely, it’s a great sport.”
Ms Needham said the business hoped to ensure its athletes had access to career paths within their sport if they chose to follow them.
“For our athletes getting into their teens, we’d like to offer some kind of apprenticeship to bring them through in administration or coaching accreditation, so it’s a whole community effort,” she said.
While the club has exciting plans, and are seeking sponsors to fund new equipment, the Needhams are not interested in opening other facilities.
“We don’t want to be a big business, it’s about a family way of life and kids,” Ms Needham said.
“Once you get too big, that goes out the window and we don’t want to lose sight of that.”