Erin Hipkiss has a lifelong passion for gymnastics. It led her to Vancouver working with Team Canada athletes, designing several gyms across B.C. and back to her home of Quesnel. It also led Hipkiss to spend a week at the prestigious GAGE club for an internship to learn about what they do, specifically the culture they create for their athletes.
GAGE is a gymnastics club that operates out of Kansas and is one of the most elite gymnastics clubs in the U.S. The club has athletes consistently appearing at Olympic trials and has trained medallists from both Olympics and World Championships.
Hipkiss said while she reached a high level in her youth, she was capped out because of a lack of facility, equipment or coaching.
"I've always just kind of had that passion and that pursuit for wanting to be that coach that could have the knowledge to take these kids as high as they can," Hipkiss said.
One of her achievements was designing the largest airbag for athletes in North America while she was building a gym in Prince Rupert, she said because of that she got to be in the design meetings at GAGE for its expansion.
She hopes that her experience around B.C. and at GAGE will help her teach the other coaches at the Quesnel Gymnastics Club and give her new strategies for helping both competitive and recreational gymnasts in Quesnel. She feels that with the connections she has across Canadian gymnastics she can serve as an ambassador of the things she learned at GAGE.
Hipkiss said one of her biggest takeaways was the culture at GAGE which was positive and encouraged athletes to respect their coaches and one another.
"They're all having fun. They were all killing it. And I understand why they're the best in the world," Hipkiss said. "When you're having fun and you're supportive and everything around you is positive it can only breed more positivity."
Hipkiss explained that athletes who didn't pay attention simply missed their turn and she noticed that every gymnast went out of their way to greet their coaches as they arrived. Hipkiss believes that level of respect and positive attitude can truly improve athletes both in their performance and as people.
"Just in the foyer I got goosebumps down my back because it's lined with pictures of success," she said. Explaining that GAGE's facilities were designed to inspire its athletes.
Hipkiss plans to use the lessons she learned at GAGE to help improve Quesnel's gymnastics club. She's using videos of the coaches and elite athletes at the club to help reinforce the lessons she has been teaching and she hopes to return to GAGE to learn more.
"I know how to train those skills but there's so much more to gymnastics than just skills and drills, there's a whole culture behind it," she said. She added that being in back Quesnel and knowing that some of the youth she works with are children of people she grew up with feels good and creates a supportive environment.
The Quesnel Gymnastics Club operates out of the old Baker Elementary and has both recreational and competitive programs for youth and accepts folks of all ages for recreational gymnastics.