Jaelynn Cobarrubia admitted to her new tumbling coach Thursday that she was new to tumbling wasn’t even good at doing a cartwheel.
This was the 8-year-old’s first try at the class, coming with her father, Jeremie, who sat and watched in the Elmwood Park Parks and Recreation Department’s smaller gym as his daughter stretched and struggled through doing pushups.
It was the first day of a new five-week series of “Beginning Tumbling” classes, one of three series of classes the parks and recreation department offers, which all meet on Thursdays. The other two classes are “Little Rollers Tumbling” for little children and “Beginning Gymnastics.”
Participants range in age from 3 to 12 years old, and this series, they have about 20 children participating.
Karin Newsome, who coaches all three classes, has been involved in gymnastics and tumbling since she was a child.
She, along with her assistant coach, Nathan Winquist, didn’t let up on the strength part of the training. During each class, they combined stretching and strength conditioning exercises into what they learned.
“We pack a lot into the classes,” she said. “Some of the kids couldn’t do a cartwheel.”
Cesar Zamudio, 36, of Elmwood Park has his two sets of twin girls enrolled in the class and says they seem to enjoy it.
“My oldest daughter has been doing it for the past three years,” he said.
He said her two younger daughters, Laina and Alani, both 3 years old, enjoy it as well.
“It keeps them busy and it’s something they are interested in,” he said.
Alan Schmidt, director of Elmwood Park Parks and Recreation, said the cost of the classes has gone down, which has prompted more people to enroll their children.
“It’s a real successful program,” he said. “We go year-round.”
Jeremie Cobarrubia, 32, of Chicago hopes her daughter will stay involved although she is a novice.
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“She’s got a lot of courage,” he said. “I told her in time she will get better. You have to be consistent.”
That’s what Newsome likes to see.
“I love the kids and I love to watch the kids advance,” she said. “I watch the kids develop and get stronger and it shows their leadership. We also teach teamwork; some of the simple things kids need to know.”