Yay! After a year-long plus closure, on Monday, 19th April 2021, Bayside re-launched at Monterey Secondary College with a limited program schedule. A combination of lengthy Covid-19 restrictions applicable to indoor sports, the relocation to a facility within a different suburb and delays in being able to access the facility meant the Club could not operate until the beginning of Term 2.
Despite member support throughout COVID-19 restrictions, a year is a long time to wait for a return to a loved sport and this was evidenced by a substantial drop in returning members. Some gymnasts moved to other Clubs, eager to start at the beginning of the year, others moved to a different sport and others still, dropped out of sports altogether.
Happily, we welcomed new members at our opening weekend ‘come and try’ launch party and BBQ. Further member interest came via student participation in the Sporting Schools Program, an ongoing government initiative which introduces different sports to children during school hours. Bayside has been proud to be part of the initiative, introducing a number of primary schools to gymnastics over recent years.
Only 6 weeks after re-launching, the Circuit Breaker Lockdown (#4) shut the Club once more – for almost 3 weeks – adding further pressure to the Club's already strained finances and membership.
As with all other community sporting clubs, Bayside faces significant challenges ahead. Our staff and volunteers remain committed to the ongoing survival of our Not-for-Profit Club and will continue to place every available resource into providing and growing local options for young people seeking participation in the sport of gymnastics, where options are few and limited.
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