Young gymnasts will be tumbling soon in a new gymnastics center at the
Bob Sierra YMCA Youth & Family Center in the Carrollwood neighborhood of Tampa.
The $1.7 million, 11,500-square-foot facility is expected to open by fall and will double the number of children who can sign up for the YMCA's programs and services.
The existing gymnastics program is housed in the Bob Sierra Y building at 4029 Northdale Blvd. The new center will be a free standing building on nearby Ragg Road.
The construction project was proposed nearly three years ago to ease overcrowding. A fund-raising campaign was launched.
"Kids have to wait for their teams to practice," says Lalita Llerena, the
Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA's communications director.
A variety of gymnastics opportunities are offered at Bob Sierra Y including pre-team classes, teams and private lessons for toddlers to age 18.
“We serve nearly 3,000 kids in our current gymnastics area," says Dena Shimberg, chairwoman of the Y's capital campaign. "With the new gymnastics center, we will be able to serve over 5,000 kids, as well as a more diverse program menu to help serve children and families in our community.”
In the future, the Northdale building will undergo a makeover in a multiphase project to upgrade one of the YMCA's oldest facilities. Llerena says an announcement on that could come at the ribbon-cutting for the gymnastics center.
Coming up next is the 2014 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships hosted July 1-5 by the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA at the Tampa Convention Center. The event will draw more than 5,800 athletes, spectators and visitors and pump about $4.5 million into Tampa Bay's economy.
Writer:
Kathy Steele
Source: Dena Shimberg and Lalita Llerena, YMCA
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