LEBANON — A new “non-competitive gymnastics center” on Bank Street has opened with a goal of providing an entry point into the sport for all ages and body types.
Treehouse Gymnastics is the brainchild of 46-year-old Lebanon resident Annie Arrington, who also leads the Community Chorus at Upper Valley Music Center. It offers classes, open gyms and a space for parties.
“It’s definitely a non-traditional gym,” said Arrington, who was born in California and has moved between Idaho, Mississippi and New Hampshire over the years.
While most gymnastics programs focus on building the skills of participants to prepare them for meets, that’s not the expectation at Treehouse.
“There’s no competitive team here,” Arrington said in a late August interview.
While an intermediate/advanced class to build tumbling and trampoline skills is offered, she said, “most people won’t get to that.”
“Most people don’t need that,” Arrington added. “Most people just want to come and do gymnastics and have fun with it.”
Treehouse Gymnastics has been years in the making. Arrington said that she is a non-traditional gymnast who did not compete extensively in the past, but has a lifelong love of the sport that has extended into adulthood.
She was inspired by the idea of introducing gymnastics to a broader audience, including individuals with special needs, those who are overweight, or those, like Arrington, who are tall.
“It was really the resurgence of adult gymnastics that made me think maybe I should open my own thing because I had this feeling that gymnastics could help the body age better,” Arrington said.
Adam Dansby, a Lebanon resident, has brought his 4-year-old daughter, Winnie, to Treehouse this summer and strongly recommended the establishment.
“I think the best indicator of a successful outing, whether it’s a playdate with a friend or something like gymnastics or any kind of event or activity you go to, is when the child doesn’t want to leave when you come to pick them up, so Winnie never wants to leave,” Dansby said.
Dansby indicated that Treehouse has also been an outlet for his daughter to meet other kids.
“It’s a great value and it’s much less expensive than a lot of the other activities that are around,” Dansby said.
Classes, which range from 40- to 60-minute sessions, meet weekly and cost from $80 to $120 per month. Open gyms are available for less than $20 per participant.
Arrington has made a point of trying to keep prices affordable. “The main reason I didn’t do gymnastics growing up is because it was expensive; my parents couldn’t afford it,” she said.
For now, a large portion of Treehouse’s enrollees are children, but Arrington has a broader goal of bringing all age ranges to her gym. She offered an adult class this summer that was “fairly well-attended,” along with a class for older children and teens, ages 10 to 17, which also is growing in popularity.
Treehouse also offers a class for those between their preschool and teenage years, called Family Gymnastics, where parents or older siblings can participate with the child together.
For those who are not interested in taking classes, Treehouse offers “Open 40s,” open gym sessions that last 40 minutes, and include a sensory-friendly and accessible option. “Treehouse Time,” a one-hour open gym session designed for younger children, featuring amenities such as inflatable slides, is also available.
Arrington hopes Treehouse will have benefits beyond the physical.
“I just feel like having a fun place to exercise and be with a friend and have a partner you’re working with — I mean, all these things are backed by brain science — that it’s going to help them leave here feeling better than they came in,” said Arrington.
In advance of National Gymnastics Day on Saturday, Arrington will have a special display at the Lebanon Farmers’ Market on Thursday.
“I have set up free gymnastics there in the past, but… I’m going to be doing a much bigger setup,” Arrington wrote in an email. “I hope that will encourage lots of people to try gymnastics.”