Central Vermont Gymnastics Academy lands a new gym space in downtown Waterbury

August 14, 2020  |  By Sidney Bewlay

Summer campers at Central Vermont Gymnastics Academy added stylish masks and new health screenings this summer. Photo courtesy CVGA.

Central Vermont Gymnastics Academy didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way of landing a new, larger gym space this summer.

The 9-year-old gymnastics center recently moved from the business park on Commercial Drive in Moretown to a 9,000 square foot space inside the former Green Mountain Coffee Roasters facility at 150 Pilgrim Park in Waterbury Village. The coffee company under ownership now of Keurig Dr. Pepper has downsized its production in Waterbury leaving prime commercial space available for new tenants. 

Moving a business to a new location under normal circumstances can present many challenges and owner Anissa Davis described how the move happened while summer camps were ongoing and also while daily operations had to follow specific public health guidelines to protect staff and kids who attend CVGA.  Now about two months into the new space, Davis said the new routine is going a lot smoother than expected.

The new space is about 2,000 square feet larger than the gym’s original location. Its higher ceilings and more open floor plan allows CVGA to have more equipment set up, Davis explained. 

Davis opened the gym in 2011 and has grown the programs that include gymnastics classes and a competitive gymnastics team, and it also serves as a practice gym for high school programs particularly as the home gym to Harwood Union High School gymnasts whom Davis coaches. 

“[I’ve] wanted this space for years because there aren’t many big, open spaces like this in the Waterbury area,” she said. 

Prior to having the gym, Davis worked since 2006 as a traveling program in which she would pack her van full of equipment and go to schools in order to teach. CVGA got off to a rocky start when Tropical Storm Irene barreled through Vermont in late August 2011. The gym was barely three months old when it was flooded and much equipment was damaged. Davis bounced back and in 2017 expanded when Vermont Artisan Coffee &Tea moved to a new facility in Waterbury Center, opening up the space beside the gym.  

Old and new summer routines

Masks match well for gymnastics Ninja Camp. Photo courtesy CVGA.

This summer’s move and new public health rules added new routines to the usual laid-back weekly camps. Summertime is when the gym offers daylong camps for primary through middle school-aged gymnasts. “[I’m] amazed at how resilient the kids and families are,” Davis said. 

The new health guidelines mean that before entering the building, every person gets their temperature checked and must use hand sanitizer.

Drop-off times are staggered over an hour so it’s less crowded as kids arrive and families can be distant. Pick-up times at the end of the day are also staggered with the youngest campers dismissed first as they usually take longer to pack up their things, Davis said. 

Masks are required at all times except for when taking turns on the equipment. Only then can a child pull their mask down. The kids have become so accustomed to wearing masks that Davis said they often forget to take off their masks when on equipment.  

During the day, campers use the gym equipment to learn and practice gymnastics. They also can play in the field behind the building. On nice days, the groups head to the Waterbury Reservoir to swim. On rainy days, 9,000 square feet is enough room for everyone to get their energy out, she added. 

Davis said the summer program has managed to keep much of its usual schedule despite all of the new health precautions. The adjustments have been met with lots of cooperation. Davis said she’s thankful that her program has been able to offer a familiar activity during a time when so many aspects of daily life have been up-ended. 

“I can’t even describe to you how amazing the kids have been this year. All of our staff are super-excited to come in every day. … I’m still fearful of everything as everyone else is, trying to take the right precautions. I didn’t realize how much all of us needed this including myself.” she said.

The current summer camps are winding down with three more weeks to go. Davis said they have limited enrollment to 20 campers per group despite state regulations allowing up to 45. None of the groups so far have reached the limit anyway, but Davis said she’s OK with that. The smaller group size is better as it makes her and the staff more comfortable being at work and increases their ability to be safe.  

Parents of gymnasts are grateful that the gym has stayed open with camps and team practices. Waterbury parent Amy Gibbs who has been working from home this summer called the gym's summer programming "a saving grace" that has kept her eighth-grade gymnast active. "The new gym is such a nice large space with high ceilings and they all wear masks and do temp checks," Gibbs said. "It’s such a nice option to have in our community."

Amy Hoskins said she feels lucky that her ninth grader has been able to train twice a week with her gymnastics team this summer. “It’s great that she can spend six hours a week at the gym with a small group of kids doing something she loves," Hoskins said. "The folks there are like family to her."

COVID prompts school-year daytime camp

Anissa Davis (right) and her daughter Reliance Touchette (left) demo CVGA cloth face masks. Gymnastics summer camps have been in session with modifications to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Photo courtesy CVGA.

For the coming school year, Davis anticipates that kids are going to need more outlets for activity given the Harwood Union School District’s plan for just one day of in-person school to start the year. 

She is looking to offer a daily camp at CVGA for up to 20 students ages 6 and up to attend when they are not in school. They could bring their laptops and online learning materials and do their remote learning at the gym, as the gym has WIFI. There could also be time for gymnastics activities, of course. Davis envisions staggered blocks throughout the day where groups can alternate between their online classes and using the equipment. 

Camp would run daily from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. More details and online registration is available on the CVGA website.  

Davis has worked in the school district for many years. This year she said she is the new assistant librarian at Harwood Union High School. She previously was a substitute teacher and para-educator at Crossett Brook Middle School. A former Harwood Union gymnast herself, Davis has been coaching gymnastics at Harwood since 1994. She presently coaches the varsity and middle school programs. 

Despite how different school will look this fall, Davis said she is excited to create a learning space at CVGA. “I love educating kids, whether it be teaching them math or a cartwheel,” she said, adding that the new daytime program will be a way to support the community that has helped her over the years. 

Davis said the latter part of 2020 is gradually looking more normal after the chaos and uncertainty of this past spring due to the pandemic closure and the gym’s big move. 

“I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to be doing this...getting back into it has been a huge relief,” she said.

Community News Service is a collaboration with the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.