SOUTH LOOP — When Carol Menner began her business plan for C.I.T.Y. Club Gymnastics, she knew one of her hardest feats would be getting boys to embrace the sport, but she might have found her answer on the West Coast.
"There was a place out in California, L.A. Gymnastics ... I was reading about things that they offer and they started talking about Parkour, so it was always on my list of things to offer," said Menner, owner of the new gym at 1723 S. Michigan Ave., which opened quietly on June 17.
"The guys who actually teach Parkour actually say that. That it's kind of a cool way to do gymnastics without having the stigma of doing a girls' sport."
Parkour is the sport of moving along a route, typically in a city, trying to get around or through various obstacles in the quickest and most efficient manner possible, as by jumping, climbing, or running. Parkour comes from the French word "parcours," which means "the way through." It originated as a training program for French Special Forces, according to the World Freerunning Parkour Federation.
The gymnastics of Parkour class, which will begin in August, will be taught by Ryan Carr, a stuntman who appeared in "Divergent." Carr began gymnastics when he was 3 years old and began teaching it when he was 16, according to his IMDB page.
Watch Ryan Carr and his buddies show off some Parkour moves in this video.
Despite gymnastics' athletic benefits such as increased balanced and agility, it's been hard to get boys to embrace the mat, but Menner is hoping the Parkour class and a youth athleticism camp will do just that.
And the South Loop was a perfect fit to embrace the class because "it's right by all the parks and all the great stuff the city has to offer," Menner said. "It seemed like a natural thing to offer since we're an urban gym."
The gym is also a place for serious gymnasts and beginners alike. Menner hopes boys and girls from all over the city will flock to the neighborhood to learn or perfect their gymnastics under the leadership of two-time World Champion Natalia Yurchenko.
Yurchenko won world championships in 1982 and 1983 and currently coaches the the USAG girls team at Lakeshore Academy of Artistic Gymnastics. She began coaching in 1986 and has coached several nationally and internationally recognized gymnasts. Her full list of awards is available here. She is best known for creating the Yurchenko vault, one of the most popular vaults used by women.
"The South Loop is obviously high density for population and families and it doesn't have any gymnastics facilities for families here," Menner said, adding the central location can attract athletes from various neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Bucktown, West Town, Bridgeport and Hyde Park.
Since the facility opened, Menner has been rolling out different recreational classes to attract people of all ages to the gym, which are set to begin July 14. The facility will offer classes for preschool kids with or without a parent, spring break and summer break camps, adult gymnastics classes, parties, field trips and camps to enhance athleticism for those who aren't gymnasts. Those classes are ramping up and the adult classes are scheduled to begin July 15, Menner said.
According to its mission statement, the club "is the premier Chicago-based elite athletic training facility whose mission is to improve the lives of children and adults of all abilities from recreational to Olympic caliber through the sport of gymnastics."
The club plans to have an official grand opening in the upcoming months. During the fall, the club will offer memberships for $150. But during the summer, it will be using an a la carte format with discounted classes. Hour-long classes for children ages 1-7 are $17 and 1½-hour classes for those older than 7 will cost $25, Menner said.
For more information call 312-888-9080.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
