HELENA — More than 70 young gymnasts from across Montana and the Northwest are spending the week in Helena, training with nationally recognized coaches during the fifth annual men’s gymnastics camp at Gym406.
(WATCH: Gymnastics Camp Brings National-Level Coaching to Young Athletes in Helena)
What started as a small Montana-focused training opportunity has grown into a regional event, drawing athletes from neighboring states and giving young gymnasts access to elite-level coaching without having to travel to larger cities like Seattle or Portland.
Camp organizer and Gym406 co-owner Casey Hammond said the event has continued to grow through word of mouth and community support.
“It just kind of started to grow through the years with people talking and wanted to get their kids involved as well,” Hammond said.
The four-day camp brings athletes of all ages and skill levels together to train on all six men’s gymnastics events while learning from coaches with national and collegiate experience.
Hammond says the goal has always been to provide opportunities for athletes in smaller and more rural communities.
“We get 70 guys here that are all doing the same thing and just feeding off each other and that energy, it’s just amazing what these guys are learning this week,” Hammond said.
One of the featured coaches this year is Sergei Pakanich, a former gymnast and current coach with EVO Gymnastics in Florida, where he works with elite-level athletes.
“In Florida, we are working on a high level of gymnastics, so I wanted to come here and share my knowledge,” Pakanich said.
Pakanich says camps like this are important not only for developing athletes, but also for growing the sport long-term within communities.
“The most important from those guys, who love gymnastics so much. We are going to be able to create more coaches in our community. And that’s why those camps are so important,” he said.
The camp is sponsored by Dean and Kristi Roberts, Montana natives with ties to the gymnastics community who wanted to help make the opportunity accessible for athletes in the state. Organizers say the camp is open to anyone who wants to participate and is designed to help remove barriers for young athletes interested in the sport.
Pakanich says one of the biggest misconceptions about men’s gymnastics is that the sport is simply “too hard” for kids to try.
Instead, coaches hope events like this continue to inspire the next generation of athletes while showing young gymnasts in Montana they can pursue high-level opportunities close to home.
