More boys flip over gymnastics

Many people tend to think of gymnastics purely as a women’s sport, but Bangor’s Mike Roberts is working to change that perception through his establishment of a competitive boys’ gymnastics team.

“I hope this encourages more boys to get involved in gymnastics,” said Roberts, director of Eastern Maine Gymnastics School in Bangor, where the team is training. “A lot of people think of it as a girls’ sport, but it’s not.”

The decision to start a boys’ gymnastics team this year was a gradual one, one which Roberts has been thinking about the last three years.

After several boys in the Bangor area began expressing interest in competing, Roberts decided it was time for a team.

“The interest was definitely there. We have 35 boys participating in our program right now, and 12 are on the team,” Roberts said.

Thus was born a United States Gymnastics Federation Olympic Junior Program in Bangor. This is the same type of program which produces future Olympic athletes in other parts of the country.

The boys are practicing an average of six hours a week in preparation for their first competitive meet on Dec. 29. The team will participate in meets in Portland, New Hampshire and Massachussetts.

The gymnasts will compete on an all-around basis in each of six events – the parallel bars, rings, vault, floor exercise, the high bar, and the pommel horse.

It’s an ideal situation for Roberts. The facility at EM Gymnastics is an Olympic-size gym, fully stocked with all the necessary equipment. It was designed with the intent to eventually hold invitational meets like the ones the team will attend this season.

“We designed the gym with competition in mind, and that’s the way we approached this team,” explained Roberts.

Although the team is small in numbers, Roberts believes his team will be very competitive in the next few years.

“We have some kids on the team who could reach a Class 1, or even Elite level,” Roberts said.

There are six classes of gymnasts in the U.S.G.F. – Classes 5 through 1 (5 is lowest) and Elite, which is the highest level a gymnast can attain.

Although Roberts isn’t predicting that any of his athletes will go on to compete in the Olympic Games, he does believe some could become good enough to get college scholarships if they work hard enough.

“At this point, we just want to get the kids into their first meet and see what they can do,” Roberts said.

The boys seem to be quite dedicated to their sport. Some of them come from as far away as Bucksport and Milo just to practice three times a week.

It’s an extremely tough program, according to Roberts, “but it becomes more fun and challenging as they progress further and further in the sport.”

If there’s one thing Roberts hopes the program will accomplish, it’s that more boys will come out, as well as girls, to participate in gymnastics.

“It would be nice if this kind of program helps get more schools to start up gymnastics teams.

“I just hope this encourages more kids to come out and just give it a try,” he said.