Lately, Black gymnasts have been making waves on the Olympic stage. As USA Gymnastics stories rising range in each the boys’s and girls’s gymnastics instances, one coach is preventing to make sure that Black males have an area within the aggressive gymnastics world.
James Jones owns James Jones Gymnastics Academy in Georgia, Clayton County. The academy is dwelling to the one all-Black boys’ aggressive gymnastics crew within the nation. Since 2019, Jones has been operating the academy alone. Over time, his neighborhood has grown in dimension and top, which has led to a seek for a brand new gymnasium location.
“The ceiling is barely 13 ft excessive. And so after we first got here right here, the boys had been small. These boys are youngsters, and most of them are virtually 6 ft,” Jones informed HuffPost. “They’re actually kicking the ceiling.”
The proprietor, who can be an lawyer, has spent the final yr in search of an area throughout the county however has been met with steady roadblocks attributable to stringent zoning restrictions.
“This isn’t a difficulty about cash. It is a matter about zoning…I’ve been making an attempt my finest to relocate us to a different location in Clayton County as a result of this is among the cheaper counties for business actual property,” Jones defined. “There are such a lot of warehouses and buildings which might be vacant and empty, however we will’t transfer to any. And at this level, I’m constructively being compelled to shut down as a result of I can’t relocate the gymnasium wherever else.”
In accordance with a Clayton County spokesperson, whereas Jones’s proposed warehouses can be splendid for his or her places and sizes, they didn’t meet the zoning necessities, as they’re designed for manufacturing. Nevertheless, the county mentioned it’s “dedicated to working with Coach James or any applicant to search out options consistent with the County’s zoning insurance policies.”
Nevertheless, Jones’ need to remain in Clayton County isn’t rooted in egocentric frugality. To take care of its accessibility to the neighborhood, the James Jones Gymnastics Academy provides charges primarily based on households’ incomes. So to keep away from rising households’ charges for the sake of excessive lease prices, Jones has been persistent in his search.
“We actually need to hold this program going for the neighborhood,” Kecia Blackmon, an academy dad or mum, informed WSB-TV. “It means loads to us. It means loads to the neighborhood. So please assist us in the event you can.”
In an effort to avoid wasting the academy, Jones launched a GoFundMe marketing campaign on social media, which has obtained donations from stars like Jordan Chiles and Viola Davis.
Finally, Jones’s work is pushed by the facility of illustration.
“I feel that quite a lot of mother and father stifle the curiosity of their sons as a result of they don’t even give them an opportunity to develop an curiosity within the sport,” he concluded. “If Black boys see different Black boys doing gymnastics, or boys usually, if it piques their curiosity, they may need to do it. They may need to take part as properly.”
