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Some of the gymnasts who participated in a recent “show off” meet at Flipstar.
By Kai Taylor, MCP Contributing Writer
PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP – The first thing that you will notice when you walk into Flipstar Gymnastics Center, 5905 W. US 10, is the baffling amount of trophies sitting across the wall. Though Flipstar has been around for nearly 15 years under the ownership of Amy Rohrbach and Aimee Goff, the amount of trophies would make you think they’ve been around much longer than that.
Amy and Aimee first met at Central Michigan University. Aimee competed with the storied CMU Gymnastics Team, and was a part of a championship winning squad in the 90s. Amy, meanwhile, studied journalism and advertising. After Central Michigan, Amy worked for 10 years in what she called “business boot camp” for a company in Grand Rapids, while Aimee taught Kindergarten and first grade for 13 years.
In August of 2009, the two officially bought and took over operations at Flipstar Gymnastics, which had existed since the late 90s, and moved the location of the gym to where it is today.
“It was scary at first,” Amy admitted. “I’d never owned my own business, but I had that training from the other company I worked at. I knew what numbers to look at, I knew what decisions had to be made, I had been in every department, and Aimee had the expertise in gymnastics and kids. We knew we could do it, it was just going to take a while.”
And time has paid off. Flipstar has never looked better. The team photos from years past are all hung up on the walls, showcasing the growth and evolution of the gym and teams as a whole. Flipstar has almost quadrupled the amount of gymnasts from the first photo.
“We’ve gotten better and fine-tuned what we needed. We’ve evolved as the years went on,” Amy said.
One thing that Flipstar continues to pride itself on is its commitment to inclusivity. Its classes range from 18 months to 18 years, and in the last few years, they’ve opened it up to 18 and up.
“I have parents saying ‘My kid’s 13, is it too late?’ It’s not too late. It’s never too late,” Amy emphasized. “I don’t care if you’re tall, short, round, square, skinny, big, little, or what. If you want to be in this gym, we want you in the gym.”
And people do want to be there. I had the opportunity to observe not only part of a gymnastics class, but also a tour of the facility. Flipstar uses two connected gyms, one they dub the “little gym”, and the other the “big gym.”Both are chock full of balance beams, bars, and an impressive variety of different gymnastics equipment. The classes themselves are orchestrated by different coaches, some of which were gymnasts for Flipstar themselves. The lesson plans are put together by Aimee, who is “the brains of the operation”, as Amy calls her. The lesson plans themselves have to be carefully put together, considering the classes range from toddlers to adults, and each detail is intricately put in place. “A lot of thought and time has been put into each and every exercise,” Amy noted.
As for the class itself, the energy of excitement and enthusiasm is contagious within Flipstar. The connection that the coaches have with the gymnasts is familial, as is the bond they share with each other. One tradition highlights these bonds and connections beautifully: whenever you learn a new skill, you ring a giant bell in the gym. After the bell is rung, everyone stops what they are doing and runs over to watch the gymnast perform the new skill. I was lucky enough to witness one of these feats in the middle of my tour. I watched a gymnast perform a ‘squat on jump to high bar’, a skill that’s every bit as hard as it sounds. The gym erupted with applause and cheers. It was heartwarming to see everyone come together and support just one girl.
“We’re just one big family at Flipstar,” Amy said, smiling.
The Flipstar team has big plans this summer, with camps and clinics open to everyone, as well as the gym’s regular classes. Boys are certainly welcome at Flipstar as well, which hosts the Ninja parkour style classes on Monday nights.
Flipstar students have the opportunity to participate in the Ludington Area Jaycees Freedom Festival parade on July 4. Sign up by calling 231-845-1385.
Flipstar also hosts birthday parties and open gyms, dates of which will be coming out soon. Space for all classes and events is limited.
You can visit Flipstar Gymnastics website here.
Editor’s Note: MCP Contributing Writer Kai Taylor, author of this story is interning with MCP this month. He is a recent graduate of University of Detroit Jesuit High and Academy and plans to attend Albion College in the fall.
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