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Vernon gymnastics club desperate for home following fire

North Valley Gymnastics is hoping to find a space to restart its recreation program
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North Valley Gymnastics lost its Vernon facility to a fire on Oct. 31, 2021. (North Valley Gymnastics/Facebook)

A Vernon gymnastics club is in search of a temporary home after its facility went up in flames last year.

After building its gym on 31st Street in 2018, North Valley Gymnastics lost the facility to a blaze on Oct. 31. President Paul Williamson says the club is now looking for a temporary space that’s large enough to serve its roughly 800 members. The cause of the fire has been deemed suspicious.

“We’re looking for something 5,000 to 8,000 square feet with a minimum 14 foot ceiling, preferably 16 feet,” Williamson said.

The club has toured four different spaces in the Greater Vernon area and looked at two of them closely, but the numbers haven’t worked out for any of the spaces considered so far.

“We’ve basically struck out so far.”

A temporary space would allow the club to restart its recreational program and start bringing in some much needed income again.

“Right now we are only running our competitive program and the parents and kids are travelling to Kelowna three times a week,” Williamson said.

North Valley Gymnastics is still going through the insurance process and while it appears insurance will cover the lost facility, costs have gone up significantly since 2018, and supply chain disruptions promise delays. Content insurance covering lost gym equipment also appears to fall as much as $100,000 short. The gym also did not have business interruption insurance, meaning a temporary space won’t be covered.

Williamson is thankful for the generosity his gym has received since the fire. Phase one of the gym’s fundraising campaign has netted more than $50,000 in the first three months, funds that will go towards leasing a temporary facility and covering equipment overruns. Donations are still being accepted through two organizations which can be found on the club’s website. Phase two of the fundraising will be launched at a later date.

There’s currently no clear timeline for when a new facility will be ready to host the club’s members.

Anyone who knows of a location that could serve as a temporary home for the club can contact them on Facebook or through their website nvgym.com.

North Valley Gymnastics is a youth sport organization serving kids aged three to 17, with enrollment similar to the Greater Vernon Minor Hockey Association. More than 500 kids take part in gymnastics with the club every week.

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Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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