CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Cheyenne community gathered to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Cheyenne Gymnastics’ brand new 30,000-square-foot facility capable of hosting up to double the amount of young local gymnasts in the program Wednesday, Feb. 26. The event, attended by Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins and members of the Cheyenne City Council, also served to show off the amenities of the new building.
In his speech commemorating the facility’s completion, which was more expensive but constructed in less time than the City Council had anticipated, Collins looked toward the little gymnasts sitting to his right and asked them if they knew how much they meant to their community that it would construct this facility for them.
“I’m excited to watch you do this. It’s a great place to do it,” Collins said. “Guys, I’ve been looking forward to this for a very long time.”
The mayor, also speaking on behalf of the City Council that helped move along the project, spoke candidly about the motivations behind taking such a bold move to expand the program with a new building. Especially in a time when government spending is so scrutinized, why did the city opt to build a whole new building when a smaller, but cheaper, building in town suited the program’s current needs perfectly?
Referencing a past conversation with Cheyenne Gymnastics Specialist Shannon Mitchell, Collins said, “I said, ‘Well, Shannon, where do you think we could grow this program?’ She thought for a minute and said ‘We could get to 1,400 kids.’ Whoa, 1,400 would be amazing. And so we ended up here today. We’re in a brand-new building.”
There are currently 522 gymnasts in the program with 100 on the waiting list. In another time, that would be about all that the program could accommodate for. But now, pending a shipment of new equipment in April, those 100 kids on the waitlist will be admitted and Cheyenne Gymnastics will be able to advertise in hopes of getting even more participants.
During the construction period, in which the Cheyenne Gymnastics program was unable to practice at its old facility — it had to be reclaimed by the Laramie County School District for a future elementary school — the Cheyenne City Council also rented a space for $16,000 a month so the gymnasts wouldn’t miss a beat of practice.
According to Mitchell, this upgrade is the biggest the program has ever seen.
“Over the years, we have watched our program grow from our first move into the 5,000-square-foot gym at the old Carey Junior High, then our second move to the larger 10,000-square-foot facility at Faith Drive, each space allowed us to build and expand,” Mitchell said. “Today, we stand in our forever home, a 30,000-square-foot facility with more than 500 participants — a true testament to how far we have come.”
Concluding his speech and looking back down on the sea of little leotards looking back up at him, Collins readdressed his gymnast spectators.
“I know how hard you train for all your events — how hard you work — and your hard work deserves a building like this. A place that you can train. And so I’m very excited for you all tonight,” Collins said. “I think about when my kids were younger, we ended up having to travel a lot to do competitions and stuff. So maybe, for the first time, people are going to travel to Cheyenne to do competitions. You guys will be able to be home and your grandparents and your friends can all come watch you compete.”
