By John Evanko
With so many Recognized Student Organizations on campus, it can be very difficult for an RSO to gain popularity and separate itself from the fray.
This has been the case for the University of Louisville Gymnastics Club over the past few years. However, they expect things to be different this year.
After putting an advertisement in the Student Government Association newsletter, the Gymnastics Club received a booming response.
16 eager gymnasts showed up for the first meeting, in contrast with the three or four regulars on last year’s club.
“The past few years have definitely been difficult, but with the response we’ve had so far, hopefully everything will turn out great this year,” said Lauren Watkins, junior Gymnastics Club President.
Like many RSOs, the Gymnastics Club has struggled with keeping enough members to be considered an RSO. The University requires an RSO to have at least five members, which is something Watkins said can be very difficult when few people know about the group.
If the requirements are not met, the club is no longer an RSO and loses possible funding from the university. For the Gymnastic Club, that means no more financial support from the Intramural Department.
“It has been hard to get a lot of members because it is difficult to get the word out to everyone,” Watkins said. “But everything seems to be going great so far this year.”
The club is open to anyone with previous gymnastics or cheerleading experience.
They practice at Flip City Gymnastics, located on Belmar Drive near the Audubon Country Club, every Thursday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and every Sunday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Students must attend at least one of the two practices each week in order to maintain membership with the Gymnastics Club.
Now that everyone is hearing about the club, they have high expectations for the future. They hope to take advantage of the involvement and eventually get into competition against other clubs.
Until then, the gymnasts continue to practice hard.
They get tips for improvement from coaches at Flip City, but their main source of critique comes from one another. They feel that coaching themselves adds to an environment that is already fun and relaxed.
Students who are interested in joining the U of L Gymnastics Club, e-mail Watkins at [email protected].
The club can also be found on Facebook under “University of Louisville Gymnastics Club 2008-2009.”
