Vol. 38, No. 18

1-18-2007
By: Jill Corbett

Gymnastics team mentors students at area schools

Despite a busy schedule of practices, recruiting trips and competitions, Ohio State men’s gymnastics head coach Miles Avery finds time to give back to the local community.

Avery and his athletes participate in a mentoring program with Columbus-area elementary and middle schools called “Adopt a Gymnast.” The program, now in its second year, allows the gymnasts to serve as role models and spark the children’s interest in the sport.

“The purpose of the program is for young kids to hear how athletes work hard at multiple things and can do all of them well,” Avery said. “The other goal is for the kids to find an athlete they can relate to personally.”

Schools pick the gymnasts they want to adopt, and the kids engage them by writing letters and cheering them on at home competitions. In return, each gymnast keeps in touch with the kids and visits the school to help students with subjects like reading, science and math.

Before meets, participating schools also receive educational packets with learning activities that relate to the opposing team and its city and state.

Eleven schools signed up this year and more are being added, Avery said.

“Many of the schools from last year are returning and we have added new ones as well,” Avery said, adding that all of the athletes have been adopted at least once, and some as many as three times.

Hawthorne Elementary Principal Machelle Kline said her school’s involvement in the program is a positive opportunity for students to learn.

“Whenever I have the chance to expose the students to different types of opportunities, I try to do as many as possible. Opening up their young minds to new opportunities like athletics, academics or just simply life is what school is really about,” she said.

Kline said the role-model objective is one of the program’s biggest pluses.

“(It) allows some of our students who truly were not focused on going to college now to see it as a possibility,” she said.

Avery plans to improve the program by creating more student/athlete interaction.

“The students really seem to love the interaction with the gymnasts,” Avery said. “It is so wonderful to see their eyes light up when the athletes walk into the room. We get a lot of positive reaction from the teachers and administrators, too.”

For more information about the program, visit geocities.com/osu.adoptagymnast/index.html or e-mail osu.adoptagymnast@yahoo.com.

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