By BRIDGET COOK
THE redeveloped Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre has sprung back into action with the official reopening of the facility this month.
More than 500 people attended the launch on Saturday 1 February including Gymnastics Victoria chief executive Jamie Parsons and dual Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ashleigh Brennan.
The $2.1 million redevelopment more than doubled the size of the gymnastic hall and refurbished the existing space, with the aim of the centre becoming the sport’s showpiece venue in the south east of Melbourne.
Casey councillor Rafal Kaplon officially opened the new facility and said at the event that he was committed to supporting local sporting clubs and investing in facilities to encourage greater participation within the community.
“The hall now boasts designated cheerleading and trampolining areas and will be offering many more exercise and gymnastics classes per week, giving more budding gymnasts the chance to learn how to tumble, cartwheel, and perhaps even backflip,” he said.
“Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre will now mix it with the best, with these improvements ensuring it is one of the premier gymnastics venues in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs.’
Casey YMCA area manager Matt Spencer acknowledged the long standing partnership between the YMCA and the City of Casey and underlined the importance of the facility to the community.
“This provides the ability and incentive to grow gymnastics participation in the region, especially with the partnership Endeavour Hills has made with Gymnastics Victoria and their nationally accredited Launch Pad program,” he said.
At the launch event, 33 new gymnastics members enrolled, while another 15 enrolments were taken across the rest of that weekend.
