“My involvement in gymnastics taught me to never quit when things get tough—to push beyond what I thought I was capable of, and how to listen to and take care of my body,” says Adrea Swanson, owner and Head Team Coach of Lake City Gymnastics. “I was not a naturally talented gymnast, and most skills were hard for me to acquire. I just loved being in the gym and working hard.” 
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Adrea Swanson
As a child, Adrea’s head coach noticed her dedication and love for the sport.
“She took me under her wing, even though I wasn’t the most gifted athlete,” Adrea says. “She changed my life, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”
Adrea became a competitive gymnast and has coached competitive gymnastics for more than 25 years. Adrea is also a Level 10 USAG Judge for 13 years, and one of six Indiana judges who serves on the Indiana Judging Board.
In August of 2017, Adrea, her husband, David Swanson, and their children moved to Warsaw, Indiana, to be closer to family and friends. In February of 2019, Adrea and David opened Lake City Gymnastics, located just off Highway 30.
Since opening, enrollment has grown to more than 500 students. Classes include preschool gymnastics, girls’ gymnastics, tumbling, and Ninja Core for boys. The Lake City Gymnastics Elite Travel Team competes in the Junior Olympic program, which is run through USA Gymnastics.
Life Fundamentals
Beyond cartwheels and flips, Lake City Gymnastics teaches life fundamentals through gymnastics in a positive environment. Not only do students learn dedication, responsibility, leadership, and courage (and have fun doing it), but also they and their families build friendships.
“In gymnastics, an individual sport, athletes are only limited by their effort and personal drive,” Adrea says. “We simply let the students know that they can go as far as their effort will take them.”
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Students at Lake City Gymnastics learn skills like flexibility, determination, coordination, and self-confidence.
For example, young students who enrolled a year ago with no previous athletic experience are now confidently walking backward on balance beams, scaling the net from floor to ceiling, doing handstands and forward rolls, and being promoted to advanced classes.
As the parent of two students, Christina Mitchell says, “My daughter had a lot of fears about going backward, rolling forward, or going upside down. I shared her fears with Coach Adrea, and she broke down the beginner skills into small goals, which my daughter was willing to try. She is working hard and overcoming her fears, and we have seen her confidence grow. My daughters have learned the invaluable life skills of commitment, responsibility, grit, and setting goals.”
Coach Chris Banks, who teaches multiple classes, explains that a key part of Lake City Gymnastics’s philosophy is that “no two kiddos are alike.”
“This presents me the opportunity to gear the class toward the needs of the children,” he says. “I can pull from my education in behavioral health and sports psychology and sociology to help each child really reach his or her goals on and off our mats.”
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Coach Ashley Goodman, whose son and daughter are also enrolled in classes, says, “If we can equip our children at a young age with tools to acknowledge challenges and work hard to overcome them, then they are going to be that much more prepared for the real world. As a coach, my favorite part is seeing the joy and confidence on the student’s face when they achieve a specific skill they have been working on for weeks. It is something you never forget!”
Ninja Core
When the Swansons received requests from several families for boys' classes, they established a Ninja-style program. David says, “Our Ninja program combines gymnastics, parkour-style moves, strength training, tumbling, obstacle training, and a whole lot of fun. Our girls’ gymnastics classes love that we started the Ninja program because we incorporate the new obstacles—like our warped wall—into their classes, as well.”
The Ninja Core program launched in January 2020 and has grown significantly in a short time, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mentally, Ninja-style programs can increase confidence, dedication, and improved self-esteem,” says Adrea. “Physically, students develop strength and body awareness that can benefit them in any other sport they choose. Each week, we see students realize how strong and capable they truly are.”
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A Ninja Core class at Lake City Gymnastics.
The Ninja Core program has five levels. Beginning levels provide the fundamentals and building blocks for more advanced Ninja moves. Chinges Sabol, a Ninja Core Instructor says, “The two best things about teaching Ninja Core are seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces after they successfully learn a new move and working with incredibly caring people who want to see kids succeed.”
Always ensuring the safety of the students, families, and staff, Lake City Gymnastics has continued to observe necessary precautions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We stay up-to-date with the Governor’s executive orders and take precautions by cleaning daily, taking temperature checks and health screenings of employees before they work, and keeping classes separated,” David says. “Kids and parents are encouraged to stay home if they are not feeling well. No known COVID-19 cases have been tracked back to Lake City Gymnastics.”
While COVID-19 has affected everyone and brought about daily change and confusion, there have been significant emotional and physical benefits for Lake City Gymnastic students.
“Gymnastics has helped my daughter find joy in a time of unprecedented change,” says parent Tarah Ihrie. “It has given her a sense of normalcy and something to look forward to. I love seeing her create healthy relationships with her coaches and classmates. It is something that we both look forward to every week.”
While Adrea realizes that not every student will fall in love with the sport of gymnastics and make a career out of it the way she did, she hopes that the values instilled in them at her family-owned gym will have a positive impact on their lives—no matter what their future holds.
“Just like my childhood coach did for me, our instructors work hard with each student, no matter how gifted,” Andrea says. “There might be a little ‘Adrea’ out there whose life will be changed by someone investing in them.”
Learn more
In addition to classes, Lake City Gymnastics offers day-camps and birthday parties. For more about their classes and Ninja Core program, visit their website at www.lakecitygymnastics.com.