LTHS is known for having a variety of successful sports and activities. However, one sport that they do not offer is gymnastics. After the Paris 2024 Olympic games and all of Simone Biles’ success, people have become much more aware of the sport and its growing popularity. With all of this being said, why does LTHS not have a gymnastics team?

To start, it would be possible to create one; however, it would require a great amount of planning. Since LTHS does not currently have a gymnastics team, and has never had one, there is nothing to model after. In order to create a high school sports team, one must have a place to practice, athletes willing to join, a coach, and teams to compete against. 

First, and possibly the largest obstacle, would be finding a gym for the athletes to train in. Gymnastics is very unique due to the fact that it requires a lot of equipment. There are four events, vault, bars, beam, and floor, all of which would need to be accessible for the gymnasts to use. 

Also, gymnastics requires a lot of training, usually between 15 and 20 hours a week. Since LTHS does not have any area to build a room that would house this equipment, this space would need to be shared with a club team, or rented out, both of which would be difficult due to the high cost and hours necessary.

Even if someone would be able to find a gym to practice in, a LTHS gymnastics team would need to find enough people in order to make this possible. First, the athletes necessary would most likely be people who already have gymnastics experience since it is a difficult sport to learn in a short period of time.

In order to improve and have a successful team, athletes would also need a coach to guide them through their gymnastics journeys. Even if someone was able to get this far, they would need to find enough teams to compete against in order to make competitions possible. 

Currently, according to athletic director Michael Dwyer, there are less than 64 high school gymnastics teams in the entire state. The closest teams are Lincoln-Way and the co-op Andrew, Sandburg, and Stagg team. This is a very small number compared to the 800 schools that are a part of the IHSA. 

And yet, a gymnastics team at LTHS would be beneficial to the school since gymnastics is a very unique sport. Gymnastics teaches athletes about time management, determination, and improved fitness. Although people think that it is an individual sport, there is a large team aspect which could include more people, create a positive community, and bring people at Lockport closer together. 

Overall, a LTHS gymnastics team would be an interesting and fun addition to the school, but with the current guidelines, space, and people needed to make this happen, it would be very demanding. Although some hope that they can do gymnastics in high school, this may never be an option at LTHS.