Giant offers lessons in gymnastic skills

Lafayette — Any cheerleader or gymnast will tell you, a back handspring is a must-have skill if you want to rise to the top of your game. At the new Giant’s Gymnastics of Lafayette, you can hone your skills now and be ready for the fall cheer season. Skilled instructors are on hand every Thursday from 1 to 2 p.m. at this new Giant location. Registration is required, call ahead to reserve your spot in the clinic. While their back handspring is the most popular, a clinic can be offered in a variety of other skills as well. For members of the gym, the cost is $17 for the hour-long class. Non-members are welcome, too, for $20. Instructors at Giant include owners Jenn Packard and John Skorski, who have both owned their Hackettstown location for five years, and have recently expanded to their Lafayette location. Gymnastics Team Coaches Carly Earl and Susan Bysshe have been instructors for Schutz for years and have stayed on with new owners at Giant. Earl grew up in the Schutz gym and later went on to rise from assistant teacher to coach of the Copper team and assistant coach of the Bronze and Silver teams. Bysshe grew up in the gymnastics world. She was a student from 4 to 17 years old, and with a degree in biology with a focus in sports medicine, she has been coaching every year since then. Come this fall, alongside their full class schedule, the Lafayette location will also begin to offer other opportunities. Private and group lessons can be arranged with their coaches. Open gym sessions on Sundays, with their experienced coaches on staff to assist start in September. They will also be offering a Parent’s Night Out, preschool and school age children can be dropped off for three hours. For more information 973-579-9400 or www.giantgymnastics.com.