Tumbling and Dancing To A Different Beat

Meghan Slay is putting the final touches on her new gymnastics business ‘Transform Academy’ and will be opening soon (photo by Ginger Allsup)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – If you don’t yet have a daughter or son in gymnastics, or have had one in the past and might be out of the loop, the YMCA has passed the baton, of sorts, over to Meagan Slay.

Well, what is different, you might wonder. At first glance, not much. A look further will find a ‘transformed’ academy that is moving in its own direction, but still with a partner in the YMCA.

Meghan Slay had considered moving away from Oskaloosa to manage a club that came with the possibility of buying the business at a later time. “It kind of got me thinking about being a gym owner.”

After running some numbers, Slay said she decided to stay put in Oskaloosa.

Initially, the YMCA was going to continue on with their gymnastics program and Slay was going to open her new business. “We started talking, [YMCA and Slay]. It’s really a small community and there’s really not a need for two gymnastics programs in a community our size. So we worked out a collaboration.”

In part of that collaboration, Slay will offer a 15% discount to Y members on their tuition as well as offering scholarships. “So we can still scholarship kids so we won’t have to turn anybody away,” Slay says.

Many other changes are taking place as well. Slay will be joining forces with Treana Drost and Chris Yarkosky. Slay says that tumbling and cheer will start up in July with dance classes starting in the fall.

In order to add space, they will be transforming the shop area in the basement of the old Vennard Gymnasium into a dance studio during the summer months. “I think it will be great to have it all under one roof”, said Slay.

Slay will be at the gym on the campus of the former Vennard College in University Park on Saturday from 9 am to 11 am to help parents and kids get signed up. A website is on the way, as well, Slay says, which will allow for easier registration and fee payments.

If you have a question for Slay, you can contact her via email transform.gymnastics@gmail.com or also on Facebook HERE.