Male gymnasts pummel the competition at regional meet
Rigors of gymnastics training can prepare athletes for other sports
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

BALANCING ACT—Joshua Janik, 9, above, of Simi Valley competes on the pommel horse at the SCMGA first preliminary meet held at Cali Gymnastics earlier this month. Austin Janik, 8, left, goes through a routine on the parallel bars. The brothers regularly compete in gymnastics.

For Dorina Timbol, owner of Cali Gymnastics in Simi Valley, there’s more to gymnastics than simply winning meets. For her, gymnastics is a way of life that enables kids to develop their motor skills, perform better in the classroom and build self-confidence.

“I’m not here for the trophies, I’m here to see the kids grow. The competitive aspect is just one side of the sport,” Timbol said.

While her ultimate goal may be to see her young gymnasts develop into exceptional scholar-athletes, Timbol enjoys the thrill of victory as well. During a Southern California Men’s Gymnastics Association meet held at her gym last week, her level 6 boys’ team, which includes males 12 years old and up, took first place.

This is the second year Cali Gymnastics has held a preliminary meet for their Southern California conference, which stretches from Bakersfield to Culver City.

Photos by BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers

“It was an excellent meet. It was organized and structured, and I had an exceptional group of parents that helped to pull this meet together,” Timbol said.

According to Brenda-Lee Smith, one of the parent organizers, 16 teams competed in the meet, which was a USA Gymnastics-sponsored event. USAG meets must conform to certain rules and policies and must be officiated by a USAG licensed judge.

Teams competed in six events, which included the vault, pommel horse, still rings, high bar, floor and parallel bars.

According to Smith, Andrew Kirk, a 13-year-old member of Cali Gymnastics, took first place in the floor, vault and parallel bars as well as first all around for his age group.

Other notable Cali performers included Joshua Gong, who took first place in the still rings and vault and Aidan Smith, who took first place in high bar and second place all around.

“Our boys practice five hours a day during the vacations and for four hours and 15 minutes during the school week. It keeps them busy, but it also keeps them out of trouble because there’s no time for mischief,” Smith said.

The team’s success is due not only to the dedication of its members, but also to its coaches, Steven Graham and Tico Mkchyan, according to Smith.

“They’re great with our boys and they’re really committed to them,” Smith said.

But for Timbol, the trophies and awards take second place compared to life and athletic skills that gymnastics can help develop.

“I took over this gym because I witnessed gymnastics having a positive impact on children’s lives. I was in real estate but my primary focus now is on this program,” Timbol said.

Timbol noted that other benefits from gymnastics include increased bone density to help stave off osteoporosis, and an increase in core strength. Timbol is currently implementing gymnastic training regimens at her gym that are designed to help athletes excel at other sports.

“If you are a football player and you come to our gym, we will help to build up your agility and your core strength,” Timbol said. “We had an aquatics coach from Canada who used our gym to condition his athletes. Their improvement was so drastic that it was noted by a UCLA swim recruiter, and UCLA is now implementing a gymnastics program for their swim team.”

Beginning next year, Timbol will start gymnastics classes for tots between the ages of 2 and 5 as well as martial arts programs for all age ranges. Cali Gymnastics also offers classes to special needs children to help them with focusing, developing better motor skills and calming down.

“This isn’t just an activity, this is a lifestyle,” Timbol said.

Cali Gymnastics is located at 2715 Agate Court and can be reached at (805) 527-6662.