JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Chyanne Hampton practically lives in the gym. Her gymnastic goals formed at an early age. The gym rat started as a tumbling toddler who couldn't sit still.
“My mom was thinking either dance or gymnastics. And she ended up finding this gym and she put me in here and I was naturally good,” said Chyanne.
Chyanne, like most of these girls at Gyminators hold dreams to one day go for the gold. She says watching Gabby Douglas make Olympic history Thursday night fueled her competitive fire.
“It makes you want to do better and come in the gym and work harder towards your goals,” said Chyanne.
“It's great for my girls. It gives them confidence and they come in like, I want to be like Gabby. Gabby is my hero,” said coach Demont Peyton.
And business is springing forward thanks to Olympic fever. Gyminators typically sees maybe 10 new students a month. But 46 walked through the doors in July. Coach Peyton says these girls are getting much more than just a workout.
“To get out in the middle of a crowd on the floor is really hard. When you're able to do something like that you're able to attack the world head on,” said Peyton.
Hoping to one day compete on the world stage, Chyanne says twists and tumbles isn't the most challenging aspect of the sport.
"The hardest thing about gymnastics is the mental ability. To train your mind to focus on the skills and actually perform the skills when you know you're nervous about it,” said Chyanne.
Gyminators is located on Blanding Blvd. near San Juan. You can try the gym out for free before signing up for membership.
