Leesburg gym No Limitz ‘second home’ to area youths

LEESBURG — Among the three businesses Shelly Moore owns, all on Cedric Street, is an outlet that has served as a second home to young gymnasts and provides peace of mind for their parents.

Moore, who has a history in dance, had a friend who was battling cancer a little over a decade ago. The illness forced her friend, whom she met while giving dance lessons to a gymnast, to consider putting her gymnastic studio on the market and ultimately offering it to Moore.

Soon after, it became obvious that there was a need to build a new center. Moore’s father, a contractor, drew up some plans, ultimately leading to the construction of No Limitz on Cedric next to her day care facility — Just Kiddin’ Day Care and Learning — that has been operating since 2000. On the other side of Just Kiddin’ — operated by Moore’s husband — is Pink Slipper School of Dance, which was built in 1998.

At No Limitz, children are there in the afternoons with commitments ranging from once a week for an hour to those going in up to 18 hours a week to participate on a competition team. There are others who fall into a third group — those in training to eventually get on the competition team.

Even with her roots as a dancer, Moore is fascinated by gymnastics.

“I don’t do gymnastics; I’m a dancer at heart,” she said. “(Gymnastics) is more of a competitive-type sport than dancing. It is exciting to see.”

Several workers and coaches, including teenagers who’ve reached advanced levels, provide instruction for afternoon classes. Middle Georgia Cheer also uses the facility for competition. Bars, beams and a tumbling pit are among the apparatus available in the gym.

Aside from a broken ankle and a broken wrist, the gym has been lucky regarding injuries with the roughly 300 children — on average — who come in every week.

“The staff is highly trained in safety, and there is continuing education,” Moore said.

While No Limitz remains active, Just Kiddin’ stays full with a waiting list and Pink Slipper remains busy instructing children ages 2 and up on variations including tap, jazz, hip-hop and ballroom dancing, she said.

“All parents want their children to have opportunities they didn’t,” Moore said. “Parents will sacrifice their time or money. We find that more and more are doing that.

“We have three families with single parents, and we see them doing without. I think that makes the children appreciate it.”

Opportunities can be abundant, as the students at Pink Slipper have been invited to dance at Disney World this summer, to participate in the parade at Epcot and perform at Magic Kingdom while working with other dancers around the world.

Moore described the gym’s approach as “cutting-edge but conservative” in terms of the resources it offers, and safety workshops are offered to keep employees up to speed.

At the risk of being overly ambitious, Moore said she does not intend to walk out of any of her ventures anytime soon — especially since there have been recent renovations to the dance studio and the competition team is growing at the gym.

“Dancing, personally, is something I can be involved with for the rest of my life,” she said.

Gisselle Kendrick’s daughter, Heidi Kendrick, just finished her second year on the competitive team and coaches three times a week for the recreational classes. The family has been connected to No Limitz since Heidi started there in 2012.

“I have seen Heidi exhibit perseverance and dedication each time she tackles a higher level of difficulty at the gym,” Gisselle Kendrick said.

Heidi is currently at Level 6, and No Limitz is the only gym the family has been involved with.

“If I could go to another gym, I would not because of the great coaches I have,” the 15-year-old budding gymnast said.

Her mother spoke of her hopes for No Limitz, saying: “I would love to see No Limitz grow as long as the individual attention to the gymnast is retained.”

Ashley Woodall’s daughter, Hadley Woodall, was taking a tumbling class and Hadley’s progression led to the decision to put her in gymnastics. The family had hosted several birthday parties at No Limitz and was pleased with the experiences, so that is the gym they choose to put her in.

She is now in the second competition level.

“Hadley is always happy, and she does cartwheels and handstands everywhere she goes,” her mother said.

Woodall said her daughter “loves her gym family,” which she said is also attractive for what it offers outside its regular classes.

“It is well-known in the community for not only its gymnastics but its camps as well,” she said. “Any time school is out, there is usually a camp offered. This is great for parents.”

Growth is typically considered a good thing, and Ashley Woodall said she would like to see the gym add more advanced levels, if for nothing other than to motivate the younger children.

Hadley said she values the coaches and the time she is able to spend there. She has been awarded a number of medals and trophies, including first place on the floor at her last competition.

“I have learned new skills,” she said.

Amanda Brookerd said her daughter, Isabella Brookerd, took tumbling classes with Moore at the Sherwood Baptist Day Care Center. When the day care closed, the family turned to No Limitz to stay with Moore and the girls she had come up with.

Gymnastics has practically been a lifetime commitment for Isabella, and it is paying off for her.

“Isabella started in recreational classes at 18 months old,” Amanda Brookerd said. “Now, at 7 years old, she has been on the competition team for two years. This year she qualified for state, and we are so excited for her.”

The 7-year-old is proud of her involvement with the gym as well as the progress she has made.

“(I have learned) lots of new skills,” she said. “I can do a handstand in four seconds now. I have gained lots of friends.”

A new skill set is not the only thing Isabella has gained.

“She has really come out of her shell. She is so shy,” her mother said. “So to see her get in front of a panel of judges and do a routine without hesitation is awesome.”

Amanda Brookerd added that the coaches and staff make the facility stand out, and that her daughter is too invested to consider going anywhere else. It is a second home to the family, and they use that as a basis to recommend it to others.

Gena Hughes is a former gymnast, so her daughters had an interest in it from the time they were toddlers. She coaches recreational classes and her 11-year-old daughter, Rachael Hughes, is in the fourth competition level.

“I have noticed her muscle tone and muscle strength have increased tremendously,” Gena Hughes said. “Her ‘showmanship’ has really come out. She enjoys being part of a team.”

Hughes said her fellow coaches care about their students and make “progressive plans,” in order to meet the needs of students.

“(No Limitz is set apart by) the different levels of experience of the coaches and the caring attitudes they portray toward the individual children,” she said.

Rachael Hughes said No Limitz is very welcoming and that she has gained many friends and a strong skill set.

“If I can succeed there, everyone can,” she said.

Katie Hockman’s daughter, Claire Hockman, began doing tumbling with No Limitz when she was 2.

“At first, she attended Phoebe Family Tree, where Shelly Moore from No Limitz would come and offer tumbling classes,” Katie Hockman said. “It was very convenient because it’s during school time and there was no dropping off or picking up for me to worry about.

“Also, my daughter loved it and loved Mrs. Shelly. It was there her love for gymnastics began. When she was 3, in addition to the one day a week tumbling at Family Tree, we also began doing another weekly gymnastics class at the No Limitz gym. We also have done several gymnastics camps that are offered throughout the year. I highly recommend those. Claire has the time of her life and begs to go back.”

Claire, now a 4-year-old, is currently in the recreational phase, but her mother said she hopes she sticks with it and excels in gymnastics.

“From the beginning, I noticed the benefits of gymnastics with Claire,” the girl’s mother said. “Her speed with running, her agility, her fine motor and coordination skills … all of these seemed to benefit from the gymnastics. I believe in kids this young, activities like gymnastics give them a good sense of body awareness.”

The outgoing nature of the gym makes the Hockmans feel comfortable about Claire being there, adding that No Limitz meets and exceeds expectations.

“My child is the type that if they are unsure and uncomfortable, they aren’t going to do something,” Katie Hockman said. “This has never been the case with No Limitz. This makes me comfortable leaving her in their care, knowing she is happy.”

Claire has ambitions to compete and said she appreciates the opportunity to walk on the balance beam. She offers a light-hearted response when asked if she would recommend No Limitz to others.

“I want my best friend, Hank, to go, but he says he won’t ‘cause he’s a boy,” she said.