Question 1

Who is Best Gymnastics?

Accepted Answer

Cindy Perison and Brad Turner own Best Gymnastics. We created Best Gymnastics because we love teaching children the great sport of gymnastics. We understand and have seen firsthand the positive effects of gymnastics on children and teenagers as they become young adults. We not only experienced it as gymnasts ourselves, but have seen the outstanding positive attributes gymnastics created in our own children and in the children we have coached over the last 30 years.
 
Our staff has combined gymnastics experience of over 100 years as athletes and coaches. We have coached gymnasts to over 50 individual and team state championship gymnastics titles, but just as importantly, we have seen many of our former gymnasts progress to college in gymnastics as well as athletes in other sports, and even count a current professional athlete as a former competitive gymnast of ours.
 
Our staff hold many certifications:
• Former National Gymnastics Safety Instructor
• USA Gymnastics Safety Certification
• USA Gymnastics Skill Evaluators
• USA Gymnastics Professional Development Program
• National Association of Women’s Gymnastics Judges
• USA Gymnastics Kinder Accreditation
• CPR and First Aid Course Completion
• USA Gymnastics Meet Director Certification
 
The most important experience we hold is working with children. Nothing can prepare an individual for working with children better than experience. We’ve managed multiple gymnastics facilities at the same time and have created large gymnastics leagues and teams. We’ve worked at gymnastics facilities both large and small, and we have worked with thousands of children from as young as a few months to young adults preparing for college. We’ve experienced the joys of winning many championships and the pain of comforting a child who lost a family pet. We love being a special part of a child’s life. We love gymnastics.

Question 2

How will gymnastics benefit my child? Isn’t gymnastics only for girls?

Accepted Answer

Strength, flexibility, agility, balance, coordination… the list goes on and on.  This statement is one of the best summations of the benefits of gymnastics:
 
“Gymnastics is a terrific sport for young people. Many people have grown up in and by gymnastics to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, business people, professors, police officers, nurses, scientists, and many others. Gymnastics provides an outstanding way for young people to test their mettle against themselves and others. Gymnastics can provide opportunities for physical development, character development, and education that are hard to find anywhere else.” – William Sands, Ph.D.
 
Obviously this statement pertains to boys as well as girls. Many boys who began gymnastics at a young age have graduated to excel in other sports like football, basketball, soccer, baseball, swimming, and track and field. More than a few former gymnasts have gone to college on pole vaulting scholarships!

Question 3

What steps does Best Gymnastics take to help keep children safe?

Accepted Answer

1.  All practices are open and parents are allowed to observe. We have open spectator viewing.  Parents are seated inside the gymnastics area, not in a room behind glass. Everything we do is visible to the spectator.

2.  Under NO circumstances are Best Gymnastics employees ever allowed to be alone with a child.
Best Gymnastics employees are not allowed to transport a child to any event at any time.
Best Gymnastics employees are required to have a parent or another coach of the opposite gender present during all private lessons.

3.  All full-time coaches are USOC SafeSport trained and certified which trains us to recognize grooming and abusive behavior.   In addition, all coaches are Safety Certified.

4.  Camera surveillance on the entrances to offices, restrooms, and gym entrance.

5.  Background checks are conducted on every employee.

6.  We hold in gym trainings to reinforce safety procedures and techniques.

7.  A coach may not make up their own discipline policies.  When disciplining a child is necessary, the coach must follow our protocol, which is a 3 step process.  
Step 1:  The child is made aware of the offense.  
Step 2:  The child is set out for 5 minutes. 
Step 3:  If step 1 and 2 have not been effective and the behavior happens a third time, the parent is called and may be requested to pick up the child for the day.

8.  Children may not wait outside for their ride home after gymnastics.

9.  We employ a sign in/out identification system for every event in which the parent isn’t normally present.  ​​​​​​​

Question 4

We want to come to the gym, but our schedule is so busy with school and other sports. What can we do other than a class?"

Accepted Answer

Some fun events that do not require a monthly commitment are Best Night Out and Best Gymnastics Camp.  These events require pre-regsitration, so sign up early!

Question 5

Isn’t gymnastics expensive and time-consuming?

Accepted Answer

It can be, but only if you choose to let it be that way. Our philosophy is to pack in as much gymnastics in as short amount of time as possible. We’re talking about children. They don’t need a full-time job at 7 years old. They need to have fun while learning how to love the sport and develop strong social skills. Too often gymnastics clubs will demand their upper level athletes commit their entire lives to the sport. This is not only foolish, but futile. Much of this training time is wasted and can produce diminishing returns. One day a gymnastics career will end, but you will have your body forever. We want to keep our gymnasts’ bodies in the best shape as possible! We have been very successful with students of all levels by keeping training hours low, but extremely productive, encouraging the best grades in school, and fostering positive social interaction with peers and coaches. These principles also help to keep the financial obligation of the family reasonable.

Question 6

What is the best age to start a child in gymnastics?

Accepted Answer

Right now is the best age! We have seen students begin gymnastics in their early teens and go on to have very successful gymnastics careers. It’s also beneficial to place your child in a gymnastics class as early as 14 months. You know your child best and know what he can handle. Many times a gymnastics class is the first interaction a young child will have with an adult other than a family member.

Question 7

What makes you different from other gymnastics clubs?

Accepted Answer

Our primary focus is on our students, their parents and family members, and our staff. Our goal is to provide the best and safest gymnastics instruction to our students, unparalleled service to their parents, and to hire, train, and retain the best instructors for your child. We use all of our resources to attain those goals. We base every business decision on those goals.
 
We teach awesome, safe gymnastics. We don’t ‘dabble’ in gymnastics. We don’t teach other sports. Good gymnastics is the foundation for all other sports. On the other hand, we don’t require your child to give up her childhood to become a great gymnast. We want our students to learn great gymnastics, have fun, and to take advantage of all the benefits this great sport has to offer.
 
We have the best coaches. Our coaches and employees endure a tough interview process that involves background checks and multiple interviews. We have an extensive training program that each coach must complete before he or she is allowed the honor of coaching your child. Many of our coaches are former gymnasts, but a great gymnast does not always make the best coach. Our coaches love being around kids and passing on their love of gymnastics to each student.
 
We maintain low student to teacher ratios of 6:1 in our beginner classes. Your child can not have fun and learn good gymnastics if he or she is sitting down. Level 1 classes are the most important classes in which to develop proper habits and our coaches are hands-on fixing body positions and techniques. We also keep our students moving by utilizing circuit training and multiple pieces of apparatus. Did you know we have 6 trampolines?
 
Our coaches all teach the same curriculum. If you have to switch days and times and your child gets a new teacher, she will learn the same skills as her previous class and pick up right where she left off. Students are promoted by merit and skill accomplishment.
 
We track progress. In level 1, you will receive a weekly student record report so you will know what skills your child has accomplished. You can also track these skills online from your family account. In Level 2 and above, students will receive student record reports about every other week as the skills can take longer to master.
 
We are not a daycare. We are an instructional facility that teaches your child gymnastics, a very athletic sport. Even our Best Events focus on some kind of gymnastics. Many gymnastics clubs will use their equipment as a giant playground with no instruction of any kind and very little or poor supervision. This philosophy wastes your money and places your child in a very dangerous situation.
 
We never stop learning. We constantly and continuously train our coaches on not only gymnastics skills and techniques, but child development, discipline, and psychology. We understand how important a coach can be to a child, and we only hire the BEST for your child and train them very well.
 
We don’t charge an annual registration fee. Many clubs will charge you a registration or family fee EVERY year. Not us. You only register with us one time. If you decide to take a break and come back a year or two later, you do not have to pay another registration fee. BEST students are for life.

Question 8

Is my banking information and/or credit card information secure?

Accepted Answer

Best Gymnastics is an verified merchant with SafeSave, our payments gateway processor. Our class management software, Jackrabbit Class, which stores your financial data, takes the most secure steps to keep your data safe.
 
Their servers are located in a Tier One state of the art computer facility, www.Peak10.com, specifically built for supporting Internet servers. This facility was designed for providing high availability to the Internet. The data center is engineered with multiple levels of security, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), redundant HVAC systems, and fire suppression, as well as 24 X 7 monitoring and management. It is our belief that their systems will have a higher uptime than our own computer systems.
 
Security Measures:
Biometric (fingerprint access) scanning technology verifies identity for authorized access into the facility.
Proximity card access with PIN, in addition to biometric clearance, is required to enter/exit the facility.
No open cabinets. All of our steel mesh cabinets are fitted with combination locks. As a result, no keys can be lost or duplicated.
Video surveillance cameras are hidden throughout the facility, monitored by our 24×7 Solution Support Center (SSC); tracks and records access throughout the facility.
Strategically placed motion/vibration detection devices alert Peak 10 SSC personnel of any forced entry.
Redundant, uninterruptible power system and diesel powered back-up generator.
Regular testing and maintenance of back-up systems and procedures.
 
These are some of the reasons why we believe your data is extremely safe. We do not store any of your data in our facility nor on any of our computers.

Question 9

I’ve already paid for the month at another gym, but I want to enroll. What can I do?"

Accepted Answer

No problem! We’ll credit you the month you’ve already paid at the other gym so you can start now. We don’t punish our customers with notices and lack of session refunds for making a consumer choice. We know you’ll be happy at Best Gymnastics and if for any reason you’re not, you should be free to leave without paying us any extra money for classes you don’t want.

Question 10

Do I get a credit for the holiday closings or if I miss a class?

Accepted Answer

We do not give credits for holiday closings just like we do not increase your tuition when you receive 5 classes in a month. Every student is guaranteed 4 classes per month, on average, or 48 classes per year.
 
We do not give credits for missed classes, but you will be eligible for a make-up class if our office is notified of an absence prior to 3pm the day of your child's class. Think of your tuition as leasing a spot in one of our classes. As long as you are current on your tuition, you will not lose your spot if you miss a class, and we will always provide a class, other than major holiday closings.

Question 11

We’re going to be out of town for the whole month of July, but we want to keep our place in class. Can we do that?"

Accepted Answer

Sure! Summer is one of the best times for skill training. We highly encourage students to stay enrolled all summer. Many students add additional classes in the summer to take advantage of the free time.
 
However, we know that many families take vacations during the summer. In order to maintain your enrollment, simply enroll in the automatic bank draft or keep a credit card on file, and then you may make-up your classes that you missed during your vacation when you return pending availability. This way, you don’t have to worry about remembering to pay your tuition while on vacation and your spot is reserved. For example, if you are on vacation and miss 2 classes in July, simply book 2 make-ups for the classes you missed. You can come two times a week for two weeks to make up the classes you missed.

Question 12

What happens if we paid for a month but my child was unable to attend?  Can my payment be refunded or rolled over?

Accepted Answer

Since your payment is used to ‘hold’ your child’s spot in class, refunds cannot be given for missed classes.  Tuition cannot be rolled over to the next month for the same reason, but as long as your student is active, you may make-up any classes that you miss as long as you notify our office in advance of the absence.

Question 13

Do you have a customer referral program?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We love when our customers tell their friends about Best Gymnastics as it is the highest compliment we can receive. If your friend enrolls in a class, you both receive a $35 credit on your account.

Question 14

What happens if I’m running late to pick up my child from camp or class?

Accepted Answer

Just give us a call and let us know! We completely understand that things happen. We will have a coach stay with your child until you arrive. There is a $15 fee for anyone who is 15 minutes late picking up their child from camp or class and a $1 fee for every minute after until you arrive.

Question 15

What are Best Bucks?

Accepted Answer

Best Bucks is the Best Gymnastics currency! Bucks are earned during classes as rewards for positive behavior and skill acquisition. Bucks can be used at Best Night Out to purchase items at the Prize Station! Best Bucks never expire and students are encouraged to save them to purchase the items they really want.

FAQs