MOUNT Gambier Calisthenics College will celebrate its 50-year anniversary tonight with a reunion dinner at The Barn Palais.
Among the guests expected at tomorrow night’s event will be several founding members, who helped grow calisthenics into an all-inclusive club for the Mount Gambier district.
Members held activities at the then YMCA on Keegan Street – now home to SwimSkool and dance studios – with gymnastics offered to girls and women in 1970 before the college became an official entity later in the year.
The college has tasted success throughout the years, including in 1975 when its junior team claimed a division win at the Ballarat Eisteddfod, considered one of Victoria’s biggest competitions.
It also hosted its first Mount Gambier competition in 1981.
Current calisthenics coach Belinda Butler has been a member for over 30 years and revealed the depth of training required to become a calisthenics coach.
“It is a very strict art form that is overseen,” Ms Butler said.
“Not anyone can just start teaching it because it teaches the students a number of different aspects.”
Ms Butler said coordination, flexibility, control, strength and self confidence were all taught through the art of calisthenics.
“There are four different levels of competition teams and the students travel inter-state to compete, which means a lot of weekends away,” she
said.
“This also allows the parents to make friendships along the way as well which is what the reunion is all about.
“It is for everyone who has been involved in the club to come back and catch up.”
Ms Butler said one of the biggest changes within the club is the outfits for competing students.
“When I was competing we used to have the same leotard for every dance,” she said.
“Now there are different outfits for each dance and we actually make most of the outfits ourselves.”
