Since its establishment in 2023, Molly's Tumble Co has quickly become a thriving hub for gymnastics enthusiasts. With nearly 450 enrolled students in just a short time, the program has garnered significant attention.
1. How did your club start?
Molly’s Tumble Co started from an idea to create a space that was non-competitive, fun, and involved students learning to flip. Having taught both competitive gymnastics and dance for years, I saw a gap in this area, which I thought was an opening to create something unique and different. Using my knowledge and experience in both areas, I sat down and put together a program that I thought offered students a sport that kept them fit and strong. Students could come and have fun while socialising with friends and the commitment to this sport would be minimal, other than show up with a smile and try their best. No weekend competitions, no travel, no hair, makeup and extra fees - just learn to flip with their friends. We started in 2023 in a small shed with 2 staff members and approximately 75 students. Very quickly we grew to over 330 students by the end of the first year. In 2024, we moved to a larger shed with 2 floors and a trampolining space and have grown to nearly 450 enrolled afternoon students.
2. How many kids do you train and what skills?
Molly’s Tumble Co has over 446 current enrolled afternoon students across
tumbling, trampolining, dance/circus and balance/stunting classes. We also have 64 boys enrolled in boys only trampoline and tumbling classes.
We have open, unstructured free play classes on Tuesday’s, Friday’s and Saturday’s which is a walk in model that brings in approximately 45 students a morning.
We are currently visiting local schools offering a fun, interactive, and safe tumbling experience, with the convenience of us bringing the equipment and program to the schools!
We teach skills right from the beginning in our first level; Pre-Tumble. These
students are aged 3-5 (preschool) and start learning the basics of cartwheels, rolls, bridges and handstands. We then progress all the way through to our Elite class who are aged 11-17 and they train tucks, layouts twists and so much more!! Our tumbling classes cover this and everything in between.
3. Do you have any special needs programs?
We are an inclusive gym that has many students with identified physical, developmental and behavioural challenges within out programme. Because of the
non-competitive and inclusive nature of our gym every child finds a space to be
included and have fun.
4. What’s your club’s vision statement?
Our vision for the club is to create a space where all students find their happy place. Our main goal is to build students confidence and foster positive relationships with our students so they enjoy coming to MTC to stay fit and strong. Being a non-competitive sport, there is no pressure for students to perform to a particular level, just have fun and learn along the way. Every single student at MTC is special to us and we care less about a student’s potential and more about what they choose to do with it. Some students train with us 45 mins a week because they enjoy it and some train 5-6 hours a week. Every single student is just as important and special to us as the next.
5. What are some of the objectives of your program?
To keep building our gym and not to lose sight of why MTC was created, non-
competitive and inclusive sport for children to be safe and have fun. Later this year, we are offering our students the opportunity to access and further their training down in Sydney with some highly sought after professionals. This opportunity will better our students and provide them an experience they will hold with them forever. Being located in Dubbo, our students do not have access to training or opportunities like this regularly so we are very excited to offer this.
6. What are you most proud of with your club?
I am proud of the name and vibe we have created around town as a positive,
inclusive, and non-competitive club where all students find their place at MTC. I am proud when I open the waiting room door and all of my students are excited to be back. The waiting room is buzzing, and they are eager to get into class. I am proud of my coaches I have very carefully selected for upholding such a high standard and creating the positive, inclusive and non-competitive space I had planned on opening. I am proud of my students for being accepting of all our newcomers and making MTC a much happier place while they are all around.
7. Why do you think your club is important to families and your
community?
I think we offer a much-needed space that allows students to foster a love of
learning and growing. All too often we get caught up in sports that combine
weekly competitions, carnivals, eisteddfods and representative teams and
children lose the love of trying new things and working along side their friends to
achieve the best they can with the abilities they have. I believe most children’s
sport have lost the sight of what children sport should be about and our parents
appreciate us being able to offer this experience back to children in our
community without having to worry about being the best or winning. The flexibility to our families is greatly appreciated offering them to ability to take 1 x 45 min class a week or train up to 5-6 hours per week.
8. What’s a piece of advice would you give to a gymnast/student?
Anything is possible, everything is achievable if you try. The question isn’t who is
going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.
Learn more about Molly's Tumble Co by visiting their Instagram!
