Gymnastics in Manitoba

by Public History Student

In 1927, Manitoban gymnastics started off as a branch of the Winnipeg and Brandon YMCA. Later, in the late 1970s, when there was a gymnastics group at Neelin High School, the group was persuaded to open their own gym with the help of donations from the equipment company Speith Anderson.

INTERIOR OF THE BRANDON EAGLES GYMNASTICS CENTRE, CA EARLY 1980S; COURTESY OF MARILEE SIMPSON.

Barb Heaps is a notable figure in Manitoban gymnastics, coaching many national gymnasts and developing skills that would later be commonplace in gymnastics.

BARB HEAPS WITH SOME OF HER STUDENTS, DATE UNKNOWN; COURTESY OF PUBLIC HISTORY STUDENT.
BARBARA HEAPS AT HER MANITOBA SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION IN 2007; COURTESY OF MANITOBA SPORTS HALL OF FAME.

There have been large changes in Manitoban Gymnastics in the 20th century, such as large judging clinics to certify many judges, as well as Manitoba being the first province to compete against teams from the United States.

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