Gym Magic Sports Center & Preschool has brought magic into the lives of thousands of children since opening its doors in 1993. We’ve grown and developed from only a gymnastics school into a year-round multi-sport program that now offers gymnastics, swim, dance, cheer, full day and half-day preschool, aikido martial arts, summer and holiday camps, and fitness programs for children and adults.  

We are an educationally-based center, developing and implementing weekly curriculums for our programs. Our goal is to continually improve because we believe all of us are happier when we’re learning and growing. We believe children learn more effectively when placed in a playful, engaging environment and that through our sports, we can teach that learning can be FUN, exciting and rewarding. Once kids internalize that learning is fun, their futures can explode with possibilities! Building positive learning attitudes that set the stage for a life-long pursuit of learning is a very important issue that ties directly into success. The hope of every parent is to have happy, successful children, and we believe we can assist in this great endeavor!

OTHER BENEFITS OF OUR PROGRAMS
Many of the benefits of our programs are not readily or even immediately apparent because they work internally. Smiles and laughter are always great clues for parents that let them know their children are having fun and enjoying themselves, but there’s another very important side to all of this that isn’t so visible but is extremely important. This relates to brain development and what neuroscience has learned about movement and sensory integration. Let me quote from a noted neurophysiologist, Dr. Carla Hannaford:

“The more closely we consider the elaborate interplay of brain and body, the more clearly one compelling theme emerges: Movement is essential to learning.  Movement awakens and activates many of our mental capacities. Movement integrates and anchors new information and experience into our neural networks. And movement is vital to all the actions by which we embody and express our learning, our understanding and ourselves.”

It turns out the movement and the stimulation of the vestibular system in early childhood actually helps prepare and develop the brain for what we term “higher learning” (focus, concentration, problem solving, speech, language, reading, writing, and social-emotional maturity). Movement (rolling, climbing, spinning, jumping, etc.) helps organize and facilitate the flow of information within the brain and lays the foundation for the development of “higher learning”. John J. Ratey, MD, had this to say about movement and brain development, “Mounting evidence show that movement is crucial to every other brain function, including memory, emotion, language, and learning…Our “higher” brain functions have evolved from movement and still depend on it.”

Although we at Gym Magic believe learning to perform a flip, a turn or a backstroke are great ways to learn new skills and develop self-confidence in the process, there’s  really much, much more going on during this process. And as our children spend more time sitting (watching TV, using the computer, playing computer games, etc.), it is imperative to balance these activities with a steady supply of movement activities that stimulate the brain in different ways and promote proper brain development for later “higher learning”.
 
OUR PROGRAMS GYMNASTICS
Gymnastics is the foundation of our center and was our first sport! We have been teaching gymnastics since 1993 and have instructed thousands of Las Cruces youth over the years. We begin upstairs in TumbleLand where we teach TumbleBugs, our toddlers and preschoolers, in their own private center. This separation from the main gym offers a safer and less hectic environment for our little ones. We also have a private observation room for our parents and grandparents to be able to sit back and enjoy! Classes begin at 12 months of age for the Baby & Me class, which has mom or dad on the floor also! You don’t want to miss this opportunity!! For 3 years and older, parents are no longer required on the floor as the little ones learn more independence and get to show their parents what they can do “all by myself”! (Parents: don’t fear; you are only a few feet away in case you or your child have some separation anxiety.)

After TumbleBugs, we start our program for boys and girls in the main gym downstairs with “Over the Rainbow”, a six level progressive structure that teaches skills in small, incremental steps. This provides the greatest success for the student as they approach skills in small steps that eventually lead to more complicated skills.

We also offer USA-Gymnastics Jr. Olympic competitive teams for boys and girls. For those not wanting to compete, we also have Exhibition Teams that allow you to perfect your skills and  perform at various local events.

SWIMMING
We are the only dedicated learn-to-swim program in our area and the only US Swim School Association Member in our area. Our swim program has 16 separate progressive levels that gently introduce children to the wonderful world of water! We start at 6 months of age in our WaterBabies classes where moms and dads join our teachers for games and songs as the babies become comfortable in the water environment. We even have a separate WaterBabies pool that provides added security and comfort for all of our WaterBabies!

We offer year-round classes as this has been found to be the best method for long term success. Once a child is 3 years old, they are invited into the main pool and start classes without the parent in the water. (Never fear, we have a glassed in air-conditioned observation area for parents!) We keep a maximum of 4 students per teacher, which provides individual attention while still promoting social skills. We have beginner classes for all ages followed by intermediate and advanced classes for stroke development and technique. Our teachers are specially trained and certified to teach in our program, so there is consistent teaching from one level to the next level.

Our pools each have state-of-the-art equipment that is routinely serviced and maintained. Our water is kept between 88 - 90° for the added comfort necessary to promote the very best environment for learning. If kids have shivers and goose bumps, it’s really hard for them to pay attention. So even though the cost of heating our pools is great, the outcome for the student is so much better that it justifies the additional cost.

DANCE
Our Dance ‘til Dawn program starts at 24 months of age for Magical Movement Classes (Baby & Me format). We also have gym/dance combo classes available. Our dance studio offers classes in Pre-Ballet, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop and L.A. Salsa. Our studios have state-of-the-art wood floors with added cushion to protect those young joints. Our teachers bring fun and excitement into each dance style whether classes are for beginners or advanced students. We have two separate dance studios that are hopping with pink tutus!

CHEER
We offer beginning cheer in our Cheer Academy, which begins instruction with Kinder Cheer for 4 to 6 year olds. We also have Tumbling classes and Cheer I and Cheer II for the grade school age students. Our teachers will bring cheer to life with fun moves and motions for each student to learn. For the serious cheer student, Xtreme All-Star squads are a competitive year-round cheer program.  Students must try-out for positions on each All-Star squad. Our teachers will also create a custom cheer class for a school cheer squad that wants help on any area of cheer. 

PRESCHOOL
Ashley’s Garden is a private, preparatory preschool for 3, 4 and 5 year olds that offers an unsurpassed curriculum. We believe our students get the best of the best! Not only do they receive a well-rounded educational experience, they also receive the benefits of weekly lessons in gymnastics, swimming and dance, which we now know are extremely important to brain development and future learning (see above). Students must be potty-trained and sign-up for either full day or half day.

TUTORING IN READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS (K through 5)
Gym Magic has been selected as a Title I SES Tutoring program for 2008-2009. We’re excited to offer a multi-level approach to learning, which combines the traditional reading format with complementary integrative movements from S’cool Moves®. Contact your elementary teacher or principal for more information and to sign-up. THIS IS FREE TUTORING FOR ELIGIBLE STUDENTS!

KIDS FITNESS & ADULT FITNESS
Somewhere along the way, we found it necessary to add classes for basic fitness. Many kids are simply not getting the exercise they need to stay fit, and they want something different than gymnastics, dance or swimming. Our Oz-some Fitness program is designed to fill the need for those students that need a little extra help in developing strength and agility. Never boring, these classes will keep you moving – no flipping required!

ADULT WATER AEROBICS & FITNESS
Adults may attend water aerobics (warm water!!), water stretch classes, yoga, pilates or circuit work-outs. If you have a student in any of our other programs, the adult registration fee will be waived and there is no annual contract as in many other facilities. You pay monthly tuition without a contract.

HOMES’COOL MOVES
After many, many requests from families who are home schooling their children, we are offering this special program to meet the needs of home schooling familes. We were asked to address physical education in age-appropriate classes and to provide greater socialization opportunities. Hence, HomeS’cool Moves offers daytime classes in beginning gymnastics, swim and fitness in age-appropriate groupings.

STROLLERMAGIC
For the new moms, we offer a fun experience: StrollerMagic provides a unique exercise program for new moms that are looking for exercise and socialization. Class requires a stroller (babies must be 6 weeks of age and be secured safely in a stroller), good walking shoes and exercise bands for the moms! This is a great opportunity to meet other moms and explore the excitement of motherhood – what better place to share and learn from one another while getting the needed exercise to lose those extra pounds from pregnancy. 

NUTRITION
We’re all about health and fitness, so it was only natural that we would eventually get involved in products for health and well-being. There seems to be thousands of products on the market that make it very difficult for people to know what is really best. Everyone is different with different needs and desires, but we’ve never seen any product that compares to Himalayan GoChi juice.  So stop by the gym for a taste of this marvelous anti-aging juice or visit our website at www.gymmagic.freelife.com. For more information you can also go to www.sharegoji.com. GoChi is the best health juice that we have come across in over 30 years – go to www.pubmed.gov and look up Lycium barbarum to find the research on this amazing berry from the Himalayans!

Gym Magic’s office is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm. Stop in to have a look around, observe classes or take a tour! We’re located at 2341 Entrada Del Sol, Las Cruces, NM, directly behind Best Buy (off Lohman Blvd.). Need directions? Call our office at 575-523-1616.

Thanks for visiting our website!  We understand that families and kids have lots of options available to them these days, and we appreciate your interest in our center and our programs.