As winter break is dawning on Sitka, Parks and Recreation has a wide variety of activities from swimming lessons to gymnastics to keep young ones entertained. Kevin Knox and Elle Campbell join KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss more about winter break activities, upcoming community choir performances and registration, and applications opening for the commercial land use plan.

Kevin Knox is Sitka’s Parks and Recreation coordinator. There are several programs scheduled for kids over the two-week winter break (gymnastics and a science camp), plus an expanded menu of programs coming this spring. Registration is open now. Learn more at the Sitka Parks and Recreation website.

Andrew Roseman is with the Sitka Parks & Rec program. He’s joined by coach Trisha Bessert to discuss the new Parks & Rec Gymnastics program. The emphasis will be on tumbling (no beams, bars, or vaults). The program is for kids old enough to walk (about 1.5 years) through high school. Registration opens April 24 for the June session (including “Tongass Tumblers” and “Preschool in Motion”). Information about all classes can be found online at the City of Sitka website. Scholarships are available.

The Sitka Gymnastics Academy, which shut its doors last summer due to the pandemic, is expected to return this fall as the nonprofit Tongass Tumblers. Owner Trisha Bessert and coach Candace Rutledge discuss the new program and explain how it differs from traditional gymnastics.

To learn more about the program or to inquire about enrollment , contact Bessert at tongasstumblers@gmail.com, or visit the Tongass Tumblers website.

Performers rehearse for Sitka Cirque’s 2015 show “Cirque de Pluie.”

Director Frances Donohoe and writer/performer Zack Desmond talk about Tides, an original aerial performance from Sitka Cirque that tells the story of two young lovers whose story created the moon and tides. Featuring acts on silks, lyra, and trapeze. Sat May 21, 7pm at the Naa Kahidi House
Sun May 22, 2pm Matinee & 7pm evening show at the Naa Kahidi House. Ticket sales go towards scholarships and new equipment.

Downloadable audio.

At last night’s meeting (03-22-16), the Sitka Assembly recognized the service of Cindy Edwards and Brant Brantman for revitalizing the Hames Athletic and Wellness Center. Deputy Mayor Matthew Hunter presented the proclamation. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

At last night’s meeting (03-23-16), the Sitka Assembly recognized the service of Cindy Edwards and Brant Brantman for revitalizing the Hames Athletic and Wellness Center through a volunteer-run model.

The Hames Center offers 90 classes a week and has over 1500 registered members and day users. The Assembly’s proclamation declared March 22nd as “Cindy Edwards and Brant Brantman Day.” 

Brantman, the facilities manager and Edwards’ spouse, thanked the Assembly and said, “I feel a little silly that our names are on the top. I know you couldn’t fit all the names or all the people that have really made this happen, but I just want to say how proud I am of all those people. Maybe we’re a catalyst for it or maybe we were just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to get it started, but it’s really due to this incredible community that just rallied from day one around the clock for those first weeks so we could open the doors.”

The facility – located on the Sheldon Jackson Campus – was forced to shut down operations in 2010. But five years ago it opened as a non-profit under the direction of Edwards and Brantman. Community members put in 6,000 hours of volunteer work to revitalize the building in four months.

Edwards, who stepped down as director this month, talked about ongoing developments with their gymnastics program, which offers 36 classes a week, partnerships with the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), and the Hames Wellness Fund.

Describing the fund, Edwards said, “It’s a wellness fund that partners with our non-profit agencies to allow people with limited income to use the Hames Center. And to date, we’ve had 1,875 people that have received services.”

Caitlin Blaisdell, new director of the Hames Center. (Photo courtesy of the Hames Center)

Edwards added that the price of a monthly membership – $63 – is the same as it was when the city was running the show in 2008. With Edwards departure, the new director of the Hames Center is former Assistant Director Caitlin Blaisdell. 

At the direction of City Administrator Mark Gorman, the Assembly also agreed to hold special assembly meetings for upcoming budget discussions, rather than work sessions.

In committee news, the Assembly appointed Lorraine Lil and Barbara Morse to three-year terms on the Parks and Recreation Committee.

The silks program now offers classes to both adults and kids. (Photo courtesy of the Hames Center)

Downloadable audio.

Frances Donohoe and Trisha Bessert share stories about combining forces to create Cirque du Pluie (“Circus of the Rain”), the new circus program at the Hames Center. Donohoe teaches aerial silks and acrobatics for kids and adults, while Bessert teaches gymnastics for kids. The two instructors talk about the planned expansion of the pool room for circus classes, which in the future will include juggling, aerial trapeze, and adult gymnastics.

The new spring floor at the Hames Center will support (literally) students in the gymnastics and silks programs, taught by Trisha Bessert and Frances Donohoe. (Photo courtesy of Frances Donohoe)

After several weeks of waiting and 100+ hours of man power, the Hames Center opened operation of it’s new spring floor last Thursday (2-19-15).

The floor is 42 feet x 42 feet and took several volunteers the course of a week to install. Each spring was manually drilled into wooden boards, which support the new floor and provide a safe space for students. According to silks instructor, Frances Donohoe, the silks and gymnastics programs will eventually move down to the pool and will feature not only the new floor, but also a trampoline and foam pit. The space above the pool will be a weight area. The new space is expected to be near completion in the summer of 2015.

A gymnastics student works alongside a silks student, placing down one spring at a time to support the new floor. (Photo courtesy of Frances Donohoe)

The floor is the temporary home of the gymnastics and silks programs. It will eventually house exercise and weight equipment, while the programs will move down to the pool area. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

Jessica Menary practices a foot lock on the brand new floor. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)