Jarrell-based iTumble Gymnastics has been cartwheeling, flipping, and jumping toward their goal of opening a new facility for the past eight years.
Owner Jake Clear said he hopes the planned 20,000-square-foot facility is now only two years away. The gym is officially under contract for land across from their current facility, located at 180 Town Center Boulevard.
Although he is a former athlete, Mr. Clear did not initially intend to become a gymnastics coach. At age 19, he worked three jobs: driving a forklift for Walmart, stocking overnight at Office Max, and working as an auto technician.
One day, he drove to Jack in the Box on his motorcycle and met Gerald Horeston, who used to own a gymnastics gym in Georgetown. They ended up having a great conversation over burgers, which led to a job at the gym the following week.
“I ended up loving [gymnastics] and working with the kids,” Mr. Clear said.
After training as a gymnastics coach, he led a boys team to a major victory. He helped launch several gymnastics gyms across central Texas and now dedicates himself to iTumble.
Tumble offers gymnastics classes for girls and recreational classes for boys, serving preschoolers through age 18. The gym also hosts Saturday birthday parties, parents’ night out events, and open gym sessions.
Its competitive girls’ team trains about nine hours per week, significantly fewer than some programs that require 20–30 hours weekly.
“They still need to enjoy their friends and school sports,” Mr. Clear said.
On August 1, the gym opens for fall registration. For more information about iTumble and their programs, visit their website https://itumblegymnastics.com.
A growing sport
Mr. Clear said gymnastics is expanding across Texas. The specific competition program iTumble participates in grew 44 percent statewide last year.
iTumble currently has 332 enrolled gymnasts — from Temple, Georgetown, Salado and Leander — a number that’s expected to rise in the fall.
“They drive past a lot of gyms to come to us.” Mr. Clear said.
He mentioned the gyms' cleanliness and positive atmosphere sets them apart from others in the area. Members of its competitive team also earned regional and national rankings this past year.
iTumble has a seating area for parents right along the tumbling floor. Mr. Clear said the seating area is open so the parents can hear “how we’re coaching their kiddo,” he said.
“I enjoy keeping [practices] open so parents are able to wave and say, ‘Hey, good job.’
“Our coaches don’t yell or scream at a kid, or threaten them with 100 push ups or something,” Mr. Clear said. “It’s not that kind of training. We don’t force kids to condition.
Keith Selvera, the girls’ head coach, writes exercises on a white board and sets a timer for 20 minutes.
“It’s up to them how they want to motivate themselves. There’s no have-to,” Mr. Selvera said.
As a coach, he is there to answer questions, give corrections and spot them.
“We’re allowing them to be more independent and to take responsibility,” Mr. Clear said. “We don’t pressure them to do things. We’re trying to get a different type of work ethic out of them.”
More than a gym
The studio’s impact goes beyond just gymnastics. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Clear said iTumble launched a remote learning support program called iThrive, hiring a teacher to help students while parents worked. During recent winter storms, iTumble opened as a warming center and delivered food to families who couldn’t leave home.
Mr. Clear's wife, Emily, operates a hair salon attached to the gym. It has a separate entrance and parking lot.
Gracee Clear — their 19-year-old daughter who aged out of the gymnastics program last year — has been training as a gymnastics coach. She is focusing on getting her cosmetology license so she can both coach and work at her mom’s hair salon in the back of the gym.
Basic Information:
iTumble Gymnastics
180 Town Center Boulevard, Ste. 900, Jarrell
512-748-8397