My son loves gymnastics, so we celebrated his second birthday at Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics. It was so awesome! Everyone in Calgary should already know who Kyle is, but if you don’t – he is a hero, people. A HERO.
Party Package
Parties at Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics (KSG) include 1.25 hours in the gym for a structured lesson and unstructured play, all lead by an amazing certified coach. There is an iPod hookup, so you can bring your own tunes.
Most of the time, parties have the ENTIRE gym to themselves. The only exception is if there’s a private lesson happening during the party.
Once the kids are worn out, you have an hour in the party room for cake and presents. You can order food to the gym for this part of the party, but there is a kitchen with a fridge & freezer available.
Coaches
We had two coaches for our party. Jessica was the main coach, and Brooklyn assisted. Both of them were AWESOME. When working with children, it can be hard to strike a balance between being enthusiastic and being condescending. Both of the coaches were really enthusiastic and friendly, without ever talking down to the kids.
They also had great instinct for when to step in and provide more direction to the kids, and when to back off. It takes a while for my 2-year-old to warm up to people, and Jessica laughingly gave him the space he needed. By the end of the party, he loved her.
Activities
Jessica and Brooklyn lead the kids through a ton of different activities, using all of the equipment in the gym. The kids bounced down the long trampoline, did some tricks on the bigger trampolines, climbed hills, did somersaults, balanced on beams, crawled through tunnels, swung on the rings, slid down the slide, AND jumped in the foam pit. I was tired just looking at them.
What I found really impressive was the way the coaches dealt with the variance in the kids’ ages. I had a difficult group for a gymnastics party, because the kids ranged from 2 to 8 years old. Melissa, the awesome administrator at KSG, told me the party would be geared toward my son’s age (2), and that was fine with me. BUT at the actual party, the coaches dealt with this masterfully.
For instance, when the kids were jumping on the trampolines, they arranged them in pairs. The pairs were similar in age. Then they gave each pair different tasks. The smallest kids jumped. The 4- and 5-year-olds practiced bum drops. The oldest kids tried to drop and then come back up onto their feet. In this way, the class moved along seamlessly, but all of the kids were challenged and entertained.
At the end of the party, the coaches gather all of the kids for a cute photo!
Facility
Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics has been open for a year now, but everything still looks new. The equipment is pristine, the gym is large and bright, and the parents’ viewing area is full of comfortable leather couches.
The gym had painters coming in the day after our party to spruce things up. Kyle takes a great deal of pride in this place, and it definitely shows. The whole facility is spotless.
The Party Room
The party room at Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics is great because 2 of the walls are lined with windows. This makes it look bright and spacious. The room is flooded with natural light, which is great for photos of your party animals.
The room includes several long tables and folding chairs, plus a built-in counter at one end. You are responsible for decorations. I’d recommend something big like balloons, because they have a lot of visual impact with minimal effort. I forgot to bring my balloons, but these pictures give you a good idea of what the room looks like.
Booking
Parties at Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics fill up fast, so be sure to book at LEAST a few weeks in advance. Parties are booked for Saturdays and Sundays only.
The cost is $270 for up to 8 kids, with one coach. For $320, you can have up to 16 kids and 2 coaches. As far as birthday parties in Calgary go, this is very reasonable.
On top of all this, the birthday kid gets a free t-shirt. AND if you’re lucky, also a photo op with Kyle himself. He is pretty famous, you guys, but he’s still super nice.
Overall
You guys, I could not have been happier with this party. The booking process was really easy, the facilities were immaculate, and the coaches were wonderful. I love active parties like this – especially in the winter, when playgrounds aren’t really an option.
I would absolutely book a party here again!
Full disclosure: I received compensation for this post. It was every bit as awesome as you think.