Ron Biles said children can experience a range of competitive and recreational activities at his new 52,000-square-foot gym, World Champions Centre.
From gymnastics, tumbling and trampoline teams to dance and taekwondo, Biles said children between the ages of 18 months to 18 years old have enjoyed the gym’s activities since the opening of its new Spring location in October.
Ron said the gym originally opened in March 2014 in a temporary center before moving in September to a warehouse on Cox Road. Its new location is now on Birnham Woods Drive and features a 29,000-square-foot gym floor.
“It was my wife’s idea to start this place,” he said. “My daughter had been training [in gymnastics] for about 10 years, and my wife said we should build our own gym.”
General manager Adam Biles, and Ron’s son, said since opening the new location, the gym has received positive feedback from the community and has had an increase in the number of students.
“We had 182 students when we opened in October, and now we’re up to 736 today,” he said. “That number is still increasing.”
Adam said the gym features a variety of programs for students, and more programs are expected to develop throughout the year. Besides gymnastics and tumbling programs, the gym has teamed up with a taekwondo and dance studio to give lessons to kids who are not interested in gymnastics. He expects both classes to start in June.
“We’ll have a home-school classroom open this fall called Academy of World Champion Centre, and it’ll be for third- to 12th-grade students,” Adam said. “We’ll have a fitness center for parents to use while their kids are here, and we’re also going to have a cafe open by the end of next month.”
For customers who are not signed up to take classes, an open gym is held on Saturdays for children ages 3 to 17. The fee is $20 for nonmembers. The gym can also host events, with a party room available above the gym floor.
Ron said he has never seen a gym like World Champions Centre.
“We have everything here in one location,” he said. “I’ve visited quite a few gyms, and this is the largest I’ve seen. It’s just how it turned out.”
As far as opening up more World Champions Centre locations in the future, Ron said it is always a possibility, but it is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
“My wife talks about it, but I’m too old,” he said. “There’s always the possibility to expand but probably not for another three to five years.”