AUSTIN, Texas — The East Communities YMCA is looking for more resources for its youth gymnastics program.

  • YMCA director is filling in as gymnastics coach
  • Participants need a better place to practice
  • Need to raise $9K

Today, the Y's Family Engagement Director Leslie Jordan is serving as the program's coach. Her dedication to the kids in her program made her learn everything she could about gymnastics to take on the job. It's also driving her to find an actual gymnastics coach as well as the resources her kids need to succeed.

"If I had all the resources in the world, I'd send a team to Tokyo 2020," Jordan joked.

Right now, she holds classes in the Y's basketball gym. They use three long floor mats, and a vault with padded safety mats. Enough for small scale practices, but not nearly enough for Jordan. She says it's important her Y has the best resources possible for kids in her area of town that may not get an opportunity like this anywhere else.

"It’s really important for them to be able to take their skills as far as they can," Jordan said. "This is most likely the only opportunity that they’re gonna have on this side of town."

Her goal is to provide the best possible opportunity at her YMCA. She said while she has big dreams for the future of the facility, right now all she needs is a 12-to-15-foot tumble track so her gymnasts have enough room on a safe surface to practice. That would run the YMCA around $9,000. Through donations and good relationships with local businesses and the community, Jordan believes she could make it happen.

"It would take the community and all the businesses and individuals and companies that support the Y mission to pull together and set out a plan," Jordan said. "This could definitely be accomplished on our side of town."

You can donate to the East Communities Branch YMCA through the website austinymca.org/donate. They are also still taking applications for a new gymnastics teacher.