Struggling C.O. Gymnastics Academy seeking public’s help to stay in business
Bend gym currently not allowed to open due to COVID-19 guidelines
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- To say the last 10 months for Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy owner Sharman Watt has been a roller-coaster might be an understatement.
Watt's gym was forced to close last year, when the pandemic hit Central Oregon. A few months later, in June, the gym reopened, only to once again shut down in November.
So for the last three months, the gym that has been teaching kids for 23 years has been closed.
“Everybody is out there struggling," Watt said Monday. "I know every gym in Oregon right now is struggling. We have weekly meetings about what we are going to do. There is no one out there in a good position.”
Watt's gym has received funding from the government relief measures, but Watt said it dd not help that much.
“Really, what it comes down to is the community support," Watt told NewsChannel 21. "Without community support, we can’t survive. Even with reduced capacity, we were not breaking even.”
The gym is now asking for community support to help keep its gym open. A group of parents have started a GoFundMe campaign.
At the moment, because of state "Extreme Risk" COVID-19 guidelines for Deschutes County, the gym cannot be open at all. Before the gym was shut down in November, it was operating at reduced capacity, something Watt said was hard to control with kids and physical distancing.
“They don’t have body awareness of who is near them," Watt said. "You tell them to get away from one kid, and they bounce to the next kid.”
Watt said she'll likely need to at least get back up to 75 percent capacity to break even, which is something she hopes comes sooner rather than later.
