Kids will be springing backhands into a tumbling class offered by Iola’s Recreation Department starting Monday. Venessa Weohr takes over the instructing duties this year.
“In the past, the rec department has done tumbling through Emily Pargman or Casey Finley,” Weohr said. “They did it from a gymnastics point of view. I do mine more from an acrobatics perspective. I focus on flexibility and stunts that occur within that.”
Weohr compared the type of acrobatic tumbling she does to the floor event for Olympic gymnastics. Kids will learn how to do something as simple as a forward roll to backhand springs for the more advance tumbler.
“The only difference in the acrobatics influence is that I’ll be doing things with students not just individually based, but could be partners or a whole group,” Weohr said. “Things like pyramids. There’s things to do like a double front over — where you take two people and literally have one kid kick up their feet to the other one’s head and the other one pulls them over.”
The classes will be divided by age, 3-5 year-olds will have class from 5:15 to 6 p.m., ages 6-9 will have class from 6 to 6:45 and 10-13-year-olds will have class from 6:45 to 7:30. Classes will be Monday evenings throughout October and into the first two Mondays of November. Some students may be placed into different classes based on experience.
“I taught through my studio for 13 years,” Weohr said. “There’s going to be some children that I’ve either had in the past or who worked with Emily or Casey, that may not fall necessarily into their category of age, therefore, I will put them in a category that fits their ability.”
Weohr children benefit from tumbling by becoming more flexible.
“Kids start out with a natural ability,” Weohr said. “If you look at a toddler, they can contort their bodies in a way that we as adults would look at and know that would hurt. But, if they’re worked with at early ages and maintained through older ages, as an adult it would benefit us as we’re less apt to break something.”
She also explained that tumbling helps kids with other sports. Her 20-year-old son was a high school wrestler, who did tumbling as a youth. For wrestling, it helped his body awareness and flexibility — making him harder to pin.
“On the other hand, it is fun,” Weohr said. “It is social time for small kids. All kinds of kids love to flip off the couch or roll through the house or do a cartwheel outside. It helps them with that, but it teaches them the proper way to do it. So, for parents that aren’t quite sure of the basics of that, it will help them.”
Weohr taught acrobatics along with dance at her old dance studio, Classique.
“I had a very good turnout in all of those classes. It started out when I was a preteen,” Weohr said. “I started helping out my former dance teacher.”
The registration deadline is Friday with classes beginning Monday. Registration forms are at the rec department office in Riverside Park. Cost is $35. For more information contact the rec department at 365-4990.
Tumbling class offered by Iola Rec starts Monday
