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Morgan Park Sports Center's Olympic Boost Hampered By Flooding

By Howard Ludwig | August 19, 2016 8:26am
 A pit of foam blocks at the Morgan Park Sports Center took on water after a pair of storms late last month. The blocks are used to help gymnasts practice their dismounts, and the pit will be repaired Friday.
Morgan Park Sports Center
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MORGAN PARK — It's never a good time for a flood, but a seepage problem at the Morgan Park Sports Center was particularly ill-timed.

A pit of foam blocks used by gymnasts to practice their landings took on water July 25 — 10 days ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, said Tammy Findlay, the gymnastics coordinator in Morgan Park.

Cleanup began three days later, including removing and disposing of roughly 1,000 soaked blocks in the pit. Other equipment was also moved to disinfect additional areas that saw water. That's when another storm hit July 28.

This time, workers could see the water was coming in. The facility re-opened about four days later — still ahead of the Olympic torch being lit Aug. 5 — but on a limited basis until repairs were complete.

Workers hope to stop the leaks using a special foam on Friday, and the gymnastics center will be fully operational again on Monday. That said, the flooding took a bit of wind out of the Olympic sails, as open gym courses — used to showcase the facility — were canceled as a result of the water, said Joe Vryhof, facility manager.

A spokeswoman for the Chicago Park District did not return calls or emails regarding the precise cause of the seepage or the price tag on the repairs. Vryhof did say that adjustments to the exterior drainage system have been made since the flooding occurred.

The ice rink and gymnastics center at 11505 S. Western Ave. was otherwise poised to take advantage of the Rio 2016 Olympics. The fall schedule features 92 gymnastics and 18 tumbling classes — the most ever for the facility that officially opened Sept. 13.

Registration began Aug. 2 and the anticipated Olympic boost came through despite the soggy setback. Gymnastics classes in prime slots have filled and others are seeing steady enrollment, Vryhof said.

In fact, he said the sports center was No. 1 among all park district facilities in terms of the number of registrants for the summer session. In the spring, the facility was No. 3 with 976 registered users, behind the McFetridge Sports Center in Irving Park and Welles Park in Lincoln Square.

Vryof believes this momentum will continue to build in Morgan Park as gymnastics courses take hold and the hockey and ice skating programs grow. In fact, he said the facility will add an in-house youth hockey league next year known as the Horned Frogs.

"Our goal is to see our programming continue to grow," he said.

That said, Vryof said the gymnastics center outpaces the hockey and skating programs in terms of overall popularity. And Stephanie Parisi, assistant coordinator of gymnastics, said she's always on the lookout for the next Simone Biles or Aly Raisman.

"Our facility is built for gymnastics. Other facilities are made for something else and gymnastics moves in," Parisi said.

Most of the gymnastics classes in Morgan Park are tailored to beginners. But Parisi has since started teams for high school girls and others with a high skill level. She said most Olympic hopefuls start showing promise around age 6.

A young gymnast would be well-positioned to compete out of the South Side gym as it is situated in USA Gymastics' Region 5 — an area well known for producing top talent, Parisi said.

A future Olympian might get his or her start at Morgan Park, but they'd likely move on to a more elite club as they get closer to preparing for the Summer Games. That's fine with Findlay, who said such clubs can be expensive as they focus on a handful of athletes.

The focus for Morgan Park will remain on introducing the sport to nearby residents and graduating its best gymnasts to the next level. This approach also helps with the financial stability of the center, as the volume helps keep prices reasonable, Findlay said.

That said, it's probably too ambitious to think a gymnast from Morgan Park could make the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but neither of the Morgan Park coaches would rule out seeing a homegrown product in 2024.

"We are building our USA Gymnastics team here," Parisi said.

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