CRESTVIEW — When US Gold Gymnastics shut down unexpectedly earlier this year, Jerry and Jennifer Wayer had no idea what that would mean for them.
The Wayers’ daughter had been attending the gym for almost four years when it closed.
“Our daughter was devastated, and other people that we talked to in the community were like ‘Wow, what happened? We weren’t expecting that,' ” Jerry said.
The couple had discussed the idea of opening something kid-related in Crestview for a while, so when the gym closed they considered buying it.
“There’s so little for kids to do in Crestview anyway, so for this to close also it was like ‘Man you’ve got to be kidding me,' " Jerry said.
Before buying the gym, the Wayers contacted former US Gold coaches to see if they would be interested in coming back and came up with a new name: Flip & Fun Gymnastics.
The couple closed on the building on Aug. 30 and opened their new gym at 2118 Third Ave. on Sept. 30 despite the inside of the gym having to be completely redone.
“A lot of things had to fall into place, and a lot of things did fall into place,” Jerry said. “We felt that God’s hand was in it because we prayed about it and said ‘Look, if we’re supposed to do this, then show us the way.’ ”
The gym offers pre-competitive gymnastic classes for kids ranging from walking age to middle school. Classes include basic gymnastic skills, tumbling and ninja gymnastics, or ninjastics, offered Monday through Thursday.
On Fridays, the gym has Flippin' Out Fridays. In the mornings, parents with children from walking age to 4 years old can come for an open gym. At night, the gym is open to the other ages and children who aren’t members.
The gym also offers birthday parties.
“That’s one way that we see growing gyms,” Jerry said. “That’s how we were introduced to the gym was my daughter came to a birthday party here one time and she really had a lot of fun, so we signed her up for a class.”
For more information, call 850-331-3656 or visit www.flipandfungymnastics.com
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Flip & Fun Gymnastics