Abi Young has been involved in gymnastics at the Haverford Area YMCA since she was 3 years old. However, Young, now 12, always wondered why they practiced inside a gymnasium, compared to other area Ys that have a dedicated gymnastics space.
“They would divide [the gym] in half,” said Young, a sixth grader at Haverford Middle School. “There were kids playing basketball next to us, so you always hear basketballs, from time to time basketballs would fly over — it was kind of weird and not private.”
Because of the smaller space, the equipment was limited, too. The gymnastics program didn’t have a foam pit or a full-size floor. It couldn’t host competitions and would travel to compete at other YMCAs, including Rivers Crossing in Bucks County, Phoenixville, Greater Brandywine in West Chester, and Willow Grove, where there are dedicated facilities. Children were being placed on a waiting list to participate.
So about a year ago, Young, who at the time was learning how to write a persuasive essay in school, decided with others to write letters to YMCA Greater Philadelphia’s CEO, Shaun Elliott, asking for a space to expand their gymnastics program.
The letters were eye-opening, Elliott said. There had been conversations in previous years about adding a gymnastics facility to the Haverford YMCA. But after last summer, when the gymnastics team competed in the YMCA Nationals, more children have wanted to join, and it became apparent that they were outgrowing the space.
“We had a notion that we wanted to do that, but it brought a sense of urgency to it,” Elliott said. “Sometimes when you’re in a leadership role and you’re not right at the front lines, you’re not as connected as you like to be. It’s just a reminder that we’re here to serve the community. In this case, young people, so it was more inspiring than anything else.”
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In October, Elliott gathered the Y’s Haverford staff, gymnasts, and their parents together to announce the opening of a gymnastics center. The new building at 4 Raymond Drive in Havertown is about five minutes away from the Haverford YMCA. It officially opened to the public on May 8, when officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 11,000-square-foot center features a foam pit, full-size competition floor, tumbling track, and an array of vaults, bars, and beams. Elliott said the Y needed to put down about a half-million dollars to build the center. The construction cost $450,000, while equipment cost $225,000. The Y has a 10-year lease on the building, which is valued at approximately $1.5 million.
“When I was able to announce these plans, I immediately got mobbed by all these gymnasts, and parents were clapping, cheering and crying,” Elliott added. “If that doesn’t motivate you, nothing will. If we build a new branch — or in this case, a gymnastics center, to see it flooded with young people participating is all worth it.”
The space allows Haverford’s gymnastics program to serve more than 1,000 children a week. The classes vary, including competitive, instructional, and recreational sessions. The competitive team has about 50 members, ranging from 7-year-olds to high school seniors. The team plans to host competitions in the winter of 2026.
“The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind,” said Natalie Wojcik, the director and coach of the Haverford gymnastics team. “It’s been so great to see everybody come together and put in a ton of hard work to make this possible, and it’s been really rewarding to see the kids in the gym enjoying it, practicing, and already learning new skills.”
Wojcik joined the Y staff at the end of January. The Berks County native was a gymnast at Michigan who graduated in 2023 with her master’s degree. Wojcik, 25, helped Michigan secure three Big Ten championships and was a seven-time All-American. She competed in the all-around and made three appearances in the NCAA championships. In 2022, she received the AAI Award, the Heisman Trophy of women’s college gymnastics, presented by American Athletic Incorporated.
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Her upbringing centered around gymnastics. She started at age 3, competed locally at age 7, and by her freshman year of high school, Wojcik was committed to Michigan while competing in national and international tournaments. She decided to do online school to have more flexibility with her training, but throughout her journey, Wojcik also experienced the grueling aspect of gymnastics, where she thought she needed to be a perfectionist.
The pressure from coaches led her to switch club teams multiple times, she said, because the environment was driving her away from the sport. Now, the experience serves as a lesson for the type of coach she wants to be.
“I feel like I’m really inspired by the positive coaches that I had as an athlete and I try to emulate the way that they treated me,” she said. “It’s really important to me that I instill confidence in my athletes and that I challenge them to be their very best, but also encourage them along the way.”
Overall, the center “is huge for the community,” said Amy Young, Abi’s mother.
Amy Young has been a supporter of the Y since moving to Havertown in 2014. It’s where her two children had their first exposure to playing sports. She worked in the membership department about 10 years ago and still helps out at times.
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Her daughter, she said, has a new drive to compete since its opening. She believes with these resources available, the center will bring in more children and grow the area’s gymnastics scene.
“This extra space just allows them to do so much more,” Amy Young said. “I went a couple days ago, and I’ve seen my daughter compete and I’ve seen her practice, but I got chills, literally standing there in the second level just watching her and her teammates. They had the music going, they were laughing, they were cheering each other on from across the gym.
“It’s such an encouraging, safe space for these girls to grow, and at these prime ages that they are from 8 to 15 years old, it is such a feeling that these girls need right now.”
