WELCOME

A message to members:

Fall is just around the corner, and we’re excited to share some of the changes happening at the Yukon Gymnastics Centre including new coaches, improvements to Parkour, the launch of Men’s Artistic Gymnastics, and some familiar faces stepping into new leadership roles!

Last year was a huge year for our club. We moved into a brand-new facility, welcomed more members than ever before, and hosted some incredible events. This year, our focus is a little different: building sustainability around that growth and continuing to raise the quality of the programs we deliver every day.

We’ve already had an amazing summer. Camp has been busy, fun and full of energy, and our staff have done an incredible job creating a positive experience for hundreds of kids. We’re heading into Fall with a strong team and some exciting additions.

Meet Our Growing Team

Maria Thorburn – Operations & Member Services Manager
Maria has officially stepped into a new full-time leadership role overseeing Operations and Member Services. She’ll be working closely with our Program Leads and staff to strengthen the behind-the-scenes systems that keep the gym running smoothly — from scheduling and communication to member support, facility operations and overall service. Most importantly, Maria will help make sure our growing membership continues to receive a responsive, organized and welcoming experience.

Valerie P. – Social Media, Program Guide Design & Weekend Front Desk
Many of you will also recognize Valerie from our weekend front desk! Valerie works part-time with us supporting social media, communications and design, in addition to helping members at the front desk.

This summer, Valerie spent a tremendous amount of time bringing our new Program Guide to life, and we wanted to take a moment to recognize her beautiful work. The new guide is a huge step forward for our club, it's polished, professional and full of personality and we’re incredibly grateful for the care and creativity she put into it. Thank you, Valerie!

Libby Stark – Program Lead, Recreational
Long-time Polarettes alumna Libby Stark is stepping into the role of Program Lead for our Recreational Programs! Libby will oversee recreational program quality, our new CanGym curriculum rollout, the development and mentorship of our Coaches-in-Training, and, of course, all of the daily FUN happening in the gym. Libby grew up in our club and brings so much energy, creativity and care to our recreational programs.

Sheila Downie – Program Lead, House League
Sheila is taking the lead on our brand-new House League program, including the development of both competitive Trampoline and MAG streams. Sheila is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Level 3 Trampoline Coach with over 30 years of industry experience - She is bringing a wealth of technical knowledge and experience to this growing area of our club.

Steph, Ewan, Alysia and Kim are all still roles as usual. No changes there!

Welcome to the Yukon, John!
Joining us from Calgary this week is John Hall, an NCCP Level 3 Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) Coach and NCCP Level 2 Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) Coach. John also brings experience in Trampoline, Air training, Adult Gymnastics, recreational programming and years of coaching competitive boys.

John first caught the bug to move north while visiting Whitehorse for the Western Canadian Gymnastics Championships and we’re thrilled he decided to make the Yukon home!

John will coach across a number of our programs while taking the lead on growing Men’s Artistic Gymnastics at the Yukon Gymnastics Centre. With years of experience coaching boys, Parkour is also a natural fit for him as he gets to know our athletes and begins building our MAG program.

An Awesome New Parkour Team
We know Parkour is an important program for many of our families, and we’ve put a lot of thought into building a strong coaching team for Fall.

John will spend September working alongside our in-house WPFA Certified Parkour Coach, Ewan Campbell, learning how we’ve developed and delivered Parkour here in the territory.

We’re also excited to welcome Klarice Staff to the Parkour team. Klarice is an experienced Parkour coach from BC and a local Educational Assistant and behaviour interventionist who works extensively with neurodivergent children. She has already been supporting our Summer Camp program and brings a fantastic combination of Parkour experience, behaviour support knowledge and enthusiasm to our team. She'll also be running the once-a-month Neurodivergent Gymnastics Class - More on that coming soon.

Klarice and John will be our Lead Parkour Coaches on Fridays and Sundays, with Ewan continuing to support our Intermediate and Advanced Parkour classes on Wednesdays. The Friday and Sunday programs will start in October to allow these experienced coaches a month of shadowing with coach Ewan so they learn how we do things here.

And for those wondering about Coach Jake, we expect to see him around again this season too! Jake is currently away working a pretty hardcore camp job and won’t be back until later in the Fall. Once he’s home and ready to jump back in, his intention is to continue supporting Parkour where he can. We know lots of our Parkour athletes will be happy to see him back!

We’ve also hired four new Parkour Coaches-in-Training. These junior coaches will work alongside and assist our experienced adult Lead Coaches this Fall while developing their own coaching skills. They will be supporting classes rather than acting as Lead Instructors as they begin their coaching careers.

Men’s Gymnastics is Coming!
Beginning in October, we’ll officially launch Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) with John leading the program as part of our new House League pathway.

Our House League is a new in-house competitive stream for kids who are excited to take gymnastics to the next level without the full commitment of traditional competitive gymnastics. Athletes train 4–6 hours per week from September through June, developing skills, routines and confidence while participating in fun in-house competitions.

It’s also a great way for kids to try competitive-style gymnastics and see if they love it!

We still have some House League spaces available:
 

• Women’s Artistic Gymnastics: Minimum CanGym Tan level

• Men’s Artistic Gymnastics: Ages 5–7 and 8–12

• Trampoline: Ages 8+

If your child may be a good fit, contact our office to arrange an assessment. If your child was already assessed, our program leads may be in touch about additional openings.

Strong Coaches Supporting Recreational Programs
Our after-school Recreational programs will also have a great mix of experience this year. Many of our competitive coaches will be coaching within our recreational programs while mentoring the next generation of Coaches-in-Training.

This model allows our younger coaches to learn directly alongside experienced staff while giving athletes access to knowledgeable coaches throughout their development.

There’s Still Space for Fall!
If you haven’t registered yet, we still have space available in many of our Annual Beginner and Novice Gymnastics programs, as well as weeknight Parkour classes.

Whether your child wants to learn their first cartwheel, tackle a new Parkour challenge, jump into Trampoline, or start exploring competitive gymnastics, there’s a place for them here.

Registration is available online at www.polarettes.org.

We’re incredibly proud of the team we’re building and excited about what this next year will bring. After a year of tremendous growth and change, we’re looking forward to putting our energy into what matters most: great coaching, great programs, and a gym where kids can learn, challenge themselves and love being active.

See you in the gym!