Sport / ‘Buzzing’ and ‘relieved’: Gymnastics club prepare for new dawn in Cunningsburgh
AFTER MORE than a decade of searching, Shetland Gymnastics Club has a home that it can call its own.
The club has been effectively bursting at the seams and crammed into a space at the Clickimin which is sub-standard for their aspirations since being formed in 2005.
Numerous false dawns have come and gone over the years, with the club’s waiting list extending all the time. But the club has now been granted planning permission to turn a vacant workshop in Cunningsburgh into their permanent base.
The news has provoked differing reactions from long-standing coach Julie Grant and Laura Cheyne, who is set to run the new facility.
“I’m relieved,” Grant says with a laugh.
Cheyne, on the other hand, is “buzzing” about what is to come.
After guiding the club as it continually faced disappointment in its bid to find a ready-made home, Grant is now ready to take a step back.
“I’ll see it through to the keys being handed over and then I’m bailing!” she told Shetland News at Clickimin this week.
Cheyne has also been a long-standing member of the club, and is delighted that “Julie is going to get a rest now” as she prepares to lead the new facility full-time.
It appears her new role will fit her perfectly, Cheyne said, because “my mam said I was always wanting to boss people around”.
There is always a buzz at Shetland Gymnastics Club, but on this dreary Tuesday night it is clear to see in everyone’s faces that has been amplified ten-fold by last week’s news.
The club will initially lease the building, with Shetland Islands Council giving the thumbs up last week for a change of use of the workshop.
Grant said last week that they could not believe their long wait was finally over, adding there had been “a lot of heartbreak” behind the scenes.
In the last decade alone there have been numerous near-misses, including a failed attempt to take on the former Mackenzie’s Farm Shop in Cunningsburgh, and a bid for the gym and science block at the old Anderson High School.
Grant said that £82,000 in funding from sportscotland for their new Cunningsburgh home “was the biggest relief” when it was confirmed.
“We knew when there was no objections there was a good chance of getting it,” she said.
“It’s always been about getting everything to line up. You would get one and it would have no parking, then you would get one with good parking but sportscotland would say it was too small.”
“Everything is just finally lining up for us,” Cheyne added.
The pair went out and had a look at the facility after being alerted to it being potentially available, and became cautiously excited about what it could offer them.
Though the Clickimin and Shetland Recreational Trust have continuously supported the club, the equipment is not at full competition size – which leaves the gymnasts at a disadvantage when it comes to preparing for competitions.
Gymnasts also perform their national floor routines on a 12x12m sprung floor, which is currently not available in Shetland.
When the gymnastic coaches told their young members about them potentially getting the Cunningsburgh building, Grant said there was not too much excitement.
“When we said about it, they were a bit like ‘you’ve said this so many times’,” she laughed.
Now that it has been confirmed, Cheyne said they have already been asking if they can do training in the mornings.
“They just know how much it’s going to benefit them all,” Grant added.
“You see how much they take back after just one weekend away,” Cheyne agreed.
After enduring such a long wait to find a suitable facility, Shetland Gymnastics Club hopes it will be in their new home before the summer.
“We just have some toilets to put in,” Grant said. “Essentially the main hall area and all the rooms are done, so it depends how quick we can get the building warrant.”
Cheyne said they are likely to be offering three different classes through the day, with Grant’s daughter Sophie set to lead a pre-school class in the morning.
That will be followed by the usual recreational and competitive classes, with “birthday parties at weekends” too.
And there are hopes that other sports groups will be invited in, to help them with their strength, conditioning and flexibility.
Cheyne added that the club was hoping to be able to offer rehabilitation as well.
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