Swim
• Swim Programs
• Summer Swim
• Swim Lessons
• Swim Camp
Preschool
• Preschool Overview
• Ashley's Garden
Dance
• Dance Programs
• Dance Lessons
• Hip Hop Program
Cheer
• Cheer Programs
• Cheer Academy
• Tumbling
• School Cheer Squad
• Xtreme All Star Competitive Cheer
Gymnastics
• Gymnastics Programs
• Preschool Gymnastics
• School Age Gymnastics
• Competitive Gymnastics

Our History

OUR HISTORY
We were new to gym ownership back in1993, but out firm desire to create a fun, safe place for kids to pursue their dreams helped us to grow & develop into a multi-sport center many years later.

The first gymnasts, their parents and our coaches helped create our first gym in an old building that had been vacant for over a decade. They painted, cleaned and removed grafitti from the inside and outside of the building, which had dirt and grime built up from a decade without use. Then we tackled the in-ground pit (20 ft x 30 ft x 6 ft) because that was the newest and greatest invention to prevent injuries. Digging equipment would not fit inside the building, so the entire pit was dug by hand, shovel by shovel and bucket by bucket.

It was a sight reminiscent of Disney’s Fantasia as we watched the digging and the gymnast’s bucket brigade remove the dirt up the stairs and into the waiting trucks. The sore bodies those weeks were not from gymnastics but from construction! And all of this was done after school and on the weekends by kids and families that loved gymnastics and wanted to create their own special program, the program we call Gym Magic.

Gym Magic grew from its original 8 students to 30 students by the time our building was ready to open, and we were finally ready to try our hand at small business. Within 3 months, we had over 200 students in gymnastics without any office staff (that didn’t last long!) and only one phone line.

Much has changed over the years. We are now in our own building; our office staff has grown and incorporated computers for class management, but most importantly, our original desire to build the very best program for kids is still the foundation of all our programs! We believe kids learn best when it’s in a playful, engaging environment and that through our sports, we can teach that learning can be fun and exciting. Once kids internalize that learning is fun, their futures can explode with possibilities!

OUR FACILITY
In 2004, we built the first floor of our present location with over 19,000 square feet of brand new space!

After 7 years of planning, the first phase of construction was finally completed in late 2004. We opened New Mexico’s first dedicated learn-to-swim program and a new dedicated licensed preschool for 3 to 5 years olds. In addition, we had over 10,000 square feet of dedicated GYM for gymnastics and cheer. And after years of having only 1 bathroom, our new building had 14 bathrooms on the first floor and also had “real” air conditioning in the lobbies and offices! Pure heaven to us!

In 2006 we completed Phase 2 of our construction and opened our second floor adding another 5,000 square feet. Our new upstairs gave us a beautiful preschool gym, dance, and fitness studio, classrooms, an elevator and offices. Now we are complete!

With almost 24,000 square feet of space, Gym Magic offers more than anyone else in our region! With state-of-the-art indoor, heated swimming pools, dance studios and Olympic grade gymnastics equipment, Gym Magic offers the very best! We have air-conditioned observation areas on each floor, a proshop for essential ware, a concession to quench your thirst or take a bite out of hunger and a plethora of restrooms and dressing rooms in each area!

OUR PEOPLE
We now have dozens of people on staff with a combined coaching experience of well over 100 years – that’s 100 years of experience working for and with kids! Our hiring practices are taken from a mentor of mine, Jeff Metzger of Kids First in Cincinnati, who has set the industry, standard for sports clubs. He has built one of the best businesses in our industry by developing leadership skills in both his staff and students. For staff, hiring is the key; and in hiring, we hire character first and skill second because we know that skill can be learned (yes, we teach skill), but good character is the one defining principle that outweighs everything else. Just as it is more difficult to correct behavior in a teenager than it is in a preschooler, it is much harder to correct poor attitude or character in adults than it is to teach someone new skills when they have a positive attitude. We want people that love to work with kids and share our passion for helping them be the best they can be.

Quantity is nothing without quality, of course, and our record speaks highly about skill development: Gym Magic has won numerous individual and team state championship titles in gymnastics over the years plus numerous state, regional and national  titles in cheer. Our gymnastics coaches hold USA-Gymnastics Safety Certification and receive on-going training every month. We attend the USA-Gymnastics Congress every year and bring in certified clinicians to continually update and develop our programs. We are part of the USA-Gymnastics Junior Olympic Program and have been a USA-Gymnastics Member Club for over 10 years. We have been a USA Jr. Olympic Program and a USAG member club since opening in 1993. We are also a US All Star Federation Member Clubs (USASF) for cheer.

We are the only US Swim School Association member in the area and have been a member since 1999. In the Lily Pad Swim School, our teachers have taught thousands of young students to swim. In order to join our staff, our swim teachers must pass written exams and complete 40 hours of in-water training. But first and foremost, our teachers must be great with kids and love teaching!  Plus, our daily swim lesson plans have over a 30-year history and have been used to teach over 100,000 kids to swim.

Across all of our programs, our coaches are CPR/First Aid certified and are trained to teach kids in safe progressions that reduce risk and fear while increasing student success.

Our teachers in Ashley’s Garden really shine! They receive training in S’Cool Moves, swimming, gymnastics, dance plus all the traditional preschool components.

Our dance program was named ‘Best in the City’ in the Sun-News’ in 2005 Best of Las Cruces poll. Our dance instructors are seasoned performers who aim to instill a love of dance in every student.

In conclusion, we’re here for the long haul, and we’re here to do our very best. We want your input because that helps us to do and be better, which is exactly what we ask our students to do and be!

Thanks for visiting our website, and we also invite you to come by and let us show you around our children’s world, a world of imagination, fun and hard work all mixed together!

With warm regards,

Nancy Bates, PhD, MT(ASCP)
President, Gym Magic, Inc.