Navigating the world by leaps and bounds is being taught at Millicent Gymnastics Club and has proven popular among young thrill seekers.

Though the traditional method of parkour is carried out in the outdoors, Millicent head coach Fiona McDonald had the foresight to introduce the class in a safe environment.

Parkour fuses traditional gymnastics and acrobatic tricks, with kicks, flips and twists made famous through martial arts.  

“Our parkour class includes running and jumping over obstacles, as well as twists, flips and further tumbling tricks. The gymnasts get the opportunity to perform their skills off of many different pieces of equipment and apparatus,” Ms McDonald said.  

“They like the adrenaline of it,” she said, adding she had noticed both genders enjoying the thrill of achieving skills which appear quite scary at first.

“Parkour incorporates body awareness which allows people to face their fears whilst participating in fitness to assist in a healthy lifestyle. All without realising they are doing fitness as they are having too much fun.” 

The program has proven popular since it was introduced less than 12 months ago, so much so that Ms McDonald saw a need to introduce two other classes at the beginning of this term.  

The club now offers two beginner and one intermediate class, with the opportunity to incorporate parkour into the adult class also.  

“Parkour is different from our GymSkills and competition stream as it is purely focused on flips and saults, rather than routines and artistic gymnastics skills,” Ms McDonald said.

“Introducing parkour has been another way of making gymnastics inclusive and fun for everyone.”  

Ms McDonald said the skills learnt had other benefits including being transferable to other sports such as skateboarding, biking, climbing and surfing, along with many other sports.  

“Gymnastics has been proven to be the key to all sports due to the use of every muscle group in the body,” she said.

No matter what age or ability, Ms McDonald has a vision to reach everyone possible.

Her long held desire has been to oversee a gymnastics club. When the opportunity at her old stomping ground arose, she jumped at the chance.  

Introduced as the club’s new head coach at the start of this year, Ms McDonald has been an asset to the gymnastics community.

“I have always wanted to give others the opportunities that I was lucky enough to experience within the sport,” she said.

Ms McDonald expressed the dedication of former head coach Sam Fensom held to the club and many lives she has touched with the sport, including herself.  

“I have many memories and developed life skills from being involved in Millicent Gymnastics Club” she said.  

She attributes her deep passion for gymnastics to her mother, Gaye and father, Greg, who first introduced her daughter at 18 months old.  

“I want to educate and offer incredible positive experiences and opportunities of the benefits this amazing sport has,” Ms McDonald said.

Relationship development, motor skills, self and body awareness, life lessons and physical and mental health benefits were also motivating factors for her to take on the leadership role.  

In a committed effort to accomplish this Ms McDonald has graduated a Bachelor of Business, Sports and Recreation Management at the University of South Australia.  

The 23-year-old also has an Intermediate WAG (Women’s Artistic Gymnastics) GFA (Gymnastics For All), FFL (Fitter For Life) and KG (KinderGym) coaching accreditations, a certificate in fitness, along with Intermediate WAG and MAG

judging accreditations.

Currently she is studying for advanced coaching accreditation and further intermediate accreditations in a variety of related fields.  

A level eight gymnast, Ms McDonald has been involved in five different gymnastics clubs, four in the country and one city club, volunteering her time as a coach and mentor.  

Although Ms McDonald is supported by five other coaches, there has been no shortage of hard work for the go-getter, who has been working and studying anywhere between 50 to 70 hours a week along with her Woolworths job.  

“I feel like it is a lifestyle,” she said.  

“I started competing when I was about six-years-old, I love it. It’s amazing I have been offered a full-time position in something I love doing.

“Who I am today is not only because of gymnastics but many inspirational coaches and mentors and team mates who I hold a deep appreciation for – from Broken Hill, Whyalla, Millicent and Koorana in Adelaide.  

“You learn something new from each coach, everyone has a different perspective on drills to achieve skills and tackle mental blocks.” 

There are classes suited for all ages and abilities at the club, including kindergym, tiny tots, pre-level competition and adult program.