Reids marking 30 years of gym

YAKIMA — Norm Reid vividly recalls those early days of the gymnastics club he started 30 years ago this month.

“It was youthful enthusiasm that kept me going,” he recalled. “For a year and a half, I taught all the classes. I’d go from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“I distinctly remember falling asleep teaching a class of preschoolers one day,” he continued, laughing. “I was sitting on the edge of the pit and I just nodded off.”

Yet Reid, joined three years later by new wife Laurie, persevered through those humble beginnings, and this month the pair is celebrating the 30th anniversary of what has become one of the best clubs in the Pacific Northwest.

Gymnastics Plus has, by Laurie’s estimate, helped train more than 50,000 youngsters since opening its doors, and is today the region’s second oldest gymnastics club under continuous ownership.

“We had some tough times, but we always found a way to make it work out,” Norm said. “It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a rewarding activity and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

As the club turns 30, the Reids are inviting former students to visit this month to share their memories either in stories or pictures.

“We’re just trying to give people some special thanks,” Laurie said. “I want to thank everybody who brought their kids here … and we’d love to see any of the families that have been part of the past 30 years.”

A sentimental journey for the Reids that began with small steps.

Norm Reid, who competed in gymnastics at Kentridge High School and Central Washington University, was a volunteer gymnastics coach at the Yakima YMCA when a group of parents encouraged him to start his own club, even helping his secure a loan to get him started.

“I was kind of ignorant about business … but they had a lot of faith in me,” said Reid, who opened the Central Washington School of Gymnastics in October 1978.

Norm met Laurie at a gymnastics clinic in 1980 and, after some long-distance dating, Bellevue-based Laurie “married into the business” in 1981 and they’ve never looked back.

They eventually settled into their current location at 2121 W. Lincoln Ave. in 1989, and changed the name to Gymnastics Plus, to reflect the expanding scope of what the Reids were offering, including the Kid’s Castle, a swimming pool, and rock climbing wall.

“We had to offer more than most (gymnastics) clubs because of the size of the community,” he said. “We had to evolve or we wouldn’t have made it.”

Even with more varied offerings, gymnastics remains the primary purpose and motivation.

“We got a chance to be with some really neat, enthusiastic kids who really wanted to be there,” Norm said. “Our learning curve (at the start) was huge but the kids quickly started doing better in competitions.

“After Laurie came, we became one of the top clubs in the northwest.”

The club has helped numerous gymnasts eventually go on and compete in college, or inspired them to open their own clubs, such as the one Mark Kindelspire started in Moscow, Idaho.

But developing competitive gymnasts is not the Reids’ sole focus.

“Our goal is to get kids involved and active,” said Laurie, who was a gymnast at Corvallis (Ore.) High School and Oregon State University. “We feel this is one of the best cross-training sports going on. Gymnastics build skills and body control that helps kids in other sports.”

One example of that is Gymnastics Plus alum Doria Holbrook, who became an NCAA Division III champion diver at MIT.

“It’s fun to watch them go through high school and excel in other sports after they leave gymnastics,” Laurie said. “We feel we had a hand in helping them develop their prowess.”

It’s not all about athletics, though. Surrounding the club’s athletic core is a family atmosphere the Reids have fostered.

“Parents think it’s a nice, safe, family-friendly atmosphere to bring their kids to,” said Laurie, noting that their own children, daughters Brianna and Jenessa, and son Chris grew up in the gym.

“The greatest compliment we can get is that (former students) are bringing their kids back to the gym because they had a good experience.”

As for the future, both said they don’t have any plans to slow down.

“We just want to continue to provide a place that’s good for Yakima and the kids as long as we can,” Laurie said. “We haven’t figured out how long that will be, but I think we’re in it for the long haul.”

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