Roleystone
Gymnastics Club's tag line reflects their club ethos. 'More than gymnastics'
encompasses all the elements that the Club can provide. Their aim is to provide
an inclusive service to the community.
In particular the club has hit its stride in the inclusion space with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) classes. The clubs ASD class runs every Saturday 1pm-2pm,
with 2 coaches and 1 volunteer and currently has 6 athletes enrolled. The two
ASD qualified coaches have taken the time to get to know the participants and
what works for each of them to get the most benefit out of their individual
gymnastics experience. Each participant has a 'safe space' in the gym that they
are encouraged to use if they start to feel overwhelmed.
Even though the ASD program is specific to children who have the disorder it
also provides a Pathway into the mainstream classes. The success of the class
has already resulted in some great integration. Roleystone Gymnastics Club
hosted their Club Championships on the 18th of June and two boys from the ASD
class competed. One athlete completed the warm up then stayed on to watch the
competition amongst a crowd of over 80 people, not including the 60 other
competitors. The other athlete completed all 4 apparatus’ in the
competition.
The Club plans to initiate further Pathway and recreational programs to cater
to people of all abilities and recently
presented as guest speakers at the Department of Sport and Recreation
Disability Forum.