Former Team GB Olympic Gymnast Nile Wilson is encouraging residents of Mansfield, Ashfield, and Bolsover to ditch their gym memberships and consider trying Gymnastics as an alternative.
Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris the 28-year-old, who owns a chain of Gymnastics centres including one in Mansfield, hopes this year’s competition will have the same effect as the Euros and Wimbledon when it comes to inspiring adults to take part in a sport.
“Gymnastics is a sport for everyone, this myth, and this theory that you watch it once every four years as part of the Olympics and these guys are super humans – that’s not true. Everybody should take part in Sport and Gymnastics is certainly part of that.
“Everybody should do Gymnastics not necessarily to be a Gymnast, but to have more body awareness, to help them become more flexible, stronger in their body – it’s such a special sport and in doing it, you will get more confident and better at every other sport”.
Dating back to the Ancient Greeks, the discipline of Gymnastics helps to improve things such as balance, coordination, movement, flexibility and develop core strength, something which no doubt helped the former commonwealth gold medalist take up Figure Skating for his stint on Dancing on Ice in 2023, where he went onto win the series with dance partner Olivia Smart.
Whilst Gymnastics is seen as a sport for young children, teens and young adults, Nile Wilson Gymnastics take pride in putting on sessions for all ages – with adult gym sessions available at the Mansfield facility every Tuesday and Thursday.
“Most adults believe that gymnastics has been and gone, that it’s for kids –that’s totally not true. There is a very basic grassroots level of joining Gymnastics that is so good for your body and mind especially for adults.
Everybody thinks getting fit is joining a gym, running on a treadmill, going on the machines etc – it’s incredibly boring for one for most people, and it’s not sustainable – how many times have you taken out a gym membership and then three months later you’re never using it, but the money is still coming out of your bank.
Here what you’re doing is not always focusing on getting fit – you’re focused on learning some tricks, learning a cartwheel for the first time, standing upside down on your hands, you know you’re doing summersaults into the foam pit, hanging off the rings – all supported by coaches.
It’s incredibly fun to just come and get stuck in, you can take it how far you want to take it and in the process of doing that, you’re going to get into the best shape of your life!”
For more details on Nile Wilson Gymnastics, visit their website or call the Mansfield team on 01623 622 272
Mansfield 103.2 Afternoon News - 261124
