E.V. swim, gymnastics clubs see Olympic boost

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing ended with pomp and flair Sunday, its impact intact on Arizona athletes - young and young at heart.

As little girls watched gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin win medals, and children and adults alike saw Michael Phelps' unbelievable accomplishments, their inner drive was unleashed - and phones began ringing at gymnastics clubs, YMCAs and swim clubs around the East Valley.

"I have probably a good 11 new kids, and I'm still getting calls about the swim team. We have a lot more lap swimmers and a lot more people coming to open swim, getting their kids in the water. We've had a definite increase," said Carrie Harding, aquatics coordinator at the Mesa YMCA.

It's an impact that's seen every four years, said Scottsdale Aquatics Club director Kevin Zacher.

"Generally, the Olympics create a lot of excitement in swimming, and we get a lot of kids who are interested in swimming give us a call and want to try out. It's usually two to three times as many swimmers interested in starting than in a typical year," Zacher said.

Zacher's team is about to hold tryouts. Currently, there are about 240 swimmers on the club's various teams. But Zacher said there's room for more if the interest continues.

"Swimming is under the radar until the Olympics come around, which is unfortunate for swimming because it's a great sport. It's nice for the kids to get exposed to that every four years. It would be nice if it was that way every year," Zacher said.

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps has echoed that in his post-competition interviews - his hope that his eight gold medals will propel swimming to a larger worldwide audience.

Even the usually unfamiliar sport of rowing has seen a boost, said Alicia Stuebner, assistant recreation coordinator for Tempe. Classes begin in a few weeks for several programs on Tempe Town Lake. The parks and recreation department also runs adult and high school age rowing teams.

"Our 'Learn to Row' class that doesn't even start until Sept. 9 it's already full. I've never seen a class fill this fast," Stuebner said.

Gymnastics is the dream of many little girls, and the Olympics put those dreams on television nightly. It was the 1984 Olympics and the feats by gold medalist Mary Lou Retton that led then-7-year-old Amanda Borden to the gym.

Twelve years later, Borden was a member of the Magnificent Seven - the U.S. team that won gold during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Borden now runs Gold Medal Gymnastics in the East Valley, with gyms in Tempe and Chandler.

What Borden has seen in the last two weeks is an increased energy in the gyms, and a boost in enrollment of between 75 and 100 kids.

"Even the kids who have been doing gymnastics want to come more than once a week now," she said.

Parents are enthusiastic to jump at the interest shown by their children, most often because of the health benefits, coaches said.

"Swimming is a great aerobic activity ... it's great for overall health," Zacher said. "Swimming works all the muscles of the body - your arms, your legs, your core muscles are a big factor.

"Aerobically, it does great things for your heart and your lungs."

The same can be said about gymnastics, Borden said. Athletes from other sports often seek gymnastics training to build upper-body strength and balance, she said.

"It's a great character builder," Zacher added. "And it teaches - one of our big things - it teaches life skills. It teaches you to be dedicated to something. It teaches you to work hard. It teaches you to manage time. It teaches you that hard work is rewarded by improvement and getting better. It teaches goal setting."

That's one reason Chandler mom Janel Wangsness got her daughters, Montana and Ali, ages 14 and 12, involved in gymnastics. Both are on the competitive team at Gold Medal Gymnastics. The girls started five years ago when Borden began an after-school gymnastics program.

"That's one of the huge benefits. It's teaching them time management. They don't have time to sit around and do nothing," Janel Wangsness said. "It's taught them confidence. It's taught them to try new things. It's taught them to push through their fear, seeing the benefits of the success of trying new things and overcoming their fear and anxiety."

Before getting ready for team practice in a busy gym, Montana and Ali said they were inspired by watching the Olympics.

"It just really reminds me to work hard and remind myself I'm so lucky to be in this sport," Montana said.

Ali added, "It excited me to strive someday. I want to be there like that."

Janel Wangsness said the skills her daughters are learning are invaluable.

"It's teaching them life lessons I never thought it would. Not only that, it's teaching them a healthy way of life."

Gymnasts commonly start the sport early, somewhere between 3 and 5 years old, Borden said, adding that older children should not be discouraged to try.

"Not every kid wants to be a competitive gymnast. There are so many things in the gym that keep you strong and fit and hopefully learning some cool flips," she said.