Local recreational activities such as youth sports and clubs were a typical part of growing up and helped create fond childhood memories with our peers. Given that most public events and activities have been heavily limited or unavailable the last two years, it’s worth noting just how important these recreational outlets are to the community and those within them.
Recreational activities are an integral part of maintaining a well-rounded community as they allow for people to interact, work together and participate in activities that promote healthy lifestyles and develop strong communication between our family members, friends, and peers.
For kids, they do that and much more. Participation in local recreational activities offers children the chance to gain valuable skills and develop various qualities that they can carry with them as they enter adulthood.
Local resident and owner of Genesis Gymnastics club in Bradford, Donna Katz, believes that kids' recreation is an incredibly valuable asset in the community.
When asked why she believes local outlets for recreational activities are important, Katz said, “The lives of children have become so sedentary and gym isn’t an everyday event in school anymore. There's not the same degree of extracurricular activities anymore either. So it's important that children fall in love with sport and physical activity when they’re young so that as they grow older, it becomes natural for them they continue to care about their health and athletics.”
Katz has been working in the gymnastics industry since 1995 and was an athlete in the sport herself. She has also owned and operated her own gymnastics club, Genesis Gymnastics, here in Bradford since November 2012 and has fallen more in love with it every step of the way. Katz feels that these resources for recreational activity are more important than ever considering the multiple lockdowns and restrictions due to COVID-19 over the last two years. She explains, “Since we have been able to reopen, our [enrollment] numbers have been amazing. This has been the best fall session ever since I opened nine years ago. People are so ready. Parents and kids are so ready to be back [at the gymnastics club] and it really shows what happens when you take all the stuff away.”
In regards to how she has felt in terms of local, community support, Katz adds, “It's been really great and I am so grateful for this community, they’ve been so supportive, everyone has stuck with me and has come back and it's just been amazing.”
As a local business owner and passionate member of the community, Katz is incredibly grateful to be involved with such a friendly, supportive community that she considers family. She explained that she initially decided to open her gymnastics club in Bradford after she worked for her sister-in-law’s business here in town. During her time there, clients frequently told her how much they disliked having to go out of town for their recreational activities. Given her extensive experience in the gymnastics industry, this sparked her initial steps to open up her own gymnastics club.
“The fact that I get to do this is a dream come true to me”, says Katz “[Opening Genesis] was a long process and it took about a year, but we got the place and opened in November 2012. What's really awesome is that even outside of here, I get to know so many people which is so amazing. No matter where I go in town, I end up seeing someone or running into someone I know because of this place. I see their smiles and it’s amazing just to know I get to make people happy.”
Creating an environment of learning for kids of various ages is certainly challenging, but for Katz, it’s an incredibly rewarding journey. She explains, “For me as a small business owner I only employ about 15-20 local people and for most of them, it's their very first job and more often than not, I met them as kids and now they’re coaching here. I'm so happy to have 'homegrown' coaches now. It’s so rewarding to be able to work in an industry that I love and to be able to teach kids about staying positive and taking the negative out and getting rid of the words ‘I cant’. I can see that it’s shifting their perspective of what they feel they can really do.”
When asked about how she views the community she has created since opening back in 2012, she says, “I really feel we are a family. We promote positivity only and to be the best version of ourselves. I won’t always know what’s going on with them outside of here and this could be the only hour of the day where they feel good. And we can make that impact and our coaches learn so much about making an impact and that it’s not just a job.”
Katz has become an advocate for the benefits of recreational activities for both children and their families. When asked why she thinks having these resources available locally is important, she explained that “It’s important for everyone, but parents for sure. Understandably, they dread that drive outside of town and to be close-by and local, gives more people the opportunity to join and participate. And for kids, it gives them the opportunity to see their friends and gives them another outlet outside of school or regular everyday things to interact and engage socially while getting physical exercise. And for myself, it's fantastic as I live in town so I am just 10 minutes away which allows me to have flexibility and just makes things easy!”
Her business has also impacted the lives of those outside of the gymnastics industry. Genesis Gymnastics offers a variety of different recreational services besides gymnastics classes and lessons. Katz mentions that her club also offers services such as organized camp programs during Christmas break, March Break and summer break. More recently, Katz has introduced “Date Night” on Friday evenings where parents can drop off their kids for some exercise, pizza dinner, and movie night while they enjoy a night out together.
Katz has gone above and beyond to demonstrate her passion for not just gymnastics and the benefits of recreational activity in the Bradford community.
