 | | | Lisa Bond-Nelson teaching young gymnasts in the new facility Photo Sophie Braccini
| | | | | | The large gymnastics floor opens out into a brightly lit room with panoramic windows on two sides. The feel of Luna Gymnastic is very cheerful, especially compared to the austere setting of its predecessor Lamoreem Gymnastics. The faces remain the same; Wayne Clark and Lisa Bond-Nelson are still there. But there's been a role reversal: Bond-Nelson bought the business from Clark and now he works for her.
Lamoreem Gymnastics was a pillar of kids' fitness in Lamorinda for 28 years. The waiting lists were always long, even at the five-year old level. Former owner Wayne Clark is a respected local figure and parents appreciate that he is continuing to be part of the new company. "I was just getting tired of the management part of the business," he said, "I still love teaching gymnastics and this new structure just allows me to do that."
"Wayne was not going to continue (the business)," said Bond-Nelson, "I had been teaching alongside him for six years and could not let go of something that is truly part of the community. We now have second generation kids coming, and I just enjoy working with Wayne so much." So the young woman, who has been living in Moraga since 1994, decided to become a business owner.
Bond-Nelson is a dancer and a gymnast. She received her Bachelor's degree from UC Davis and is passionate about teaching life skills and healthy living. She is working on a graduate degree at San Francisco State. "I love teaching young children," she said, "gymnastics has so much potential for teaching kids positive values, I just had to step up."
"My first managerial task was to find a new place for the gym," explained Bond-Nelson. She said that the lease was expiring at the old location behind the Rheem Shopping Center and the owner wanted to increase the rate in a proportion that didn't make any business sense to the new owner. Luckily the owners of the large stand-alone facility along Moraga Road in the same shopping center were ready to negotiate; the new facility is larger and more practical for the installation of the material and teaching of classes.
Luna is continuing the format offered by Lamoreem. There are recreational gymnastics classes, starting at kindergarten-age, from beginner to advanced levels. The more motivated students enter the intensive team program that trains its members for competitive levels. "We can have more students in this new location and easily conduct two classes at the same time," says Bond-Nelson.
"The good thing is that this year they didn't have a waiting list and I was able to enroll my daughter," says Jessica Zur whose youngest daughter, Elise, has joined the team.
As for Clark, he continues to teach with the same rigor and passion, "I've loved doing it for twenty-eight years," he said, "and I'm ready for the next twenty-eight."
Luna Gymnastics, 594 Moraga Road, Moraga, 376-2363, www.lunagymnastics.com.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA