Anon Gyms Chicago Area

[Anonymous Post]

Hello, Our family is considering moving to the Chicago area. What are the best gyms? It seems like many gyms have closed or changed during/post COVID (Flips, IGI) and some allegations about certain gyms and coaches not acting appropriately. How would people compare IK and CITY in the city of Chicago? Libertyville? Legacy Elite? Phenom? BIG? Is there a difference commuting from the city and going to the bigger gyms in suburbs or the city gyms equally as good? I have a young, successful USAG gymnast. Thank you.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Hello, Our family is considering moving to the Chicago area. What are the best gyms? It seems like many gyms have closed or changed during/post COVID (Flips, IGI) and some allegations about certain gyms and coaches not acting appropriately. How would people compare IK and CITY in the city of Chicago? Libertyville? Legacy Elite? Phenom? BIG? Is there a difference commuting from the city and going to the bigger gyms in suburbs or the city gyms equally as good? I have a young, successful USAG gymnast. Thank you.

Flips did not really change (assuming you are talking the one in the Libertyville area), they are now Lake Forest Gymnastics Academy as they were bought out my Libertyville Gymnastics Academy. ExCalibur is one of the best gyms around. Libertyville, Legacy Elite, Phenom, and Big are all very good. City gyms I'm not sure about. I know more about the suburbs. What level is your DD?

 

[JBS]

Our family is considering moving to the Chicago area.

Where are you looking to move... you have some heavy traffic going on in Chicago at certain times of the day.

 

[superNova08]

Cary is a good gym if you are looking for a rural area. Not Crystal Lake though.

 

[Swimmer97]

Flips did not really change (assuming you are talking the one in the Libertyville area), they are now Lake Forest Gymnastics Academy as they were bought out my Libertyville Gymnastics Academy. ExCalibur is one of the best gyms around. Libertyville, Legacy Elite, Phenom, and Big are all very good. City gyms I'm not sure about. I know more about the suburbs. What level is your DD?

My daughter is 9 years old and a Level 7. I want to go to a gym that can give her all the options. If she wants to stay in gymnastics forever (and maybe go Elite) she has the potential in the gym. But also if she wants to quit one day, that is ok too. Just want to keep her options open. As of right now, she loves everything about the sport! But I know she is young.

 

[Anonymous Post]

My daughter is 9 years old and a Level 7. I want to go to a gym that can give her all the options. If she wants to stay in gymnastics forever (and maybe go Elite) she has the potential in the gym. But also if she wants to quit one day, that is ok too. Just want to keep her options open. As of right now, she loves everything about the sport! But I know she is young.

I also thought the coach at Flip (Lake Forest) left as many of the Level 8s, 9s and 10s seem to have left the gym.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Where are you looking to move... you have some heavy traffic going on in Chicago at certain times of the day.

Thanks for responding. That is the dilemma. First choice would be the city. Second choice the suburbs. Either Lake Forest or Naperville area.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Where are you looking to move... you have some heavy traffic going on in Chicago at certain times of the day.

This is what we are trying to figure out. First choice would be to live in the city. Other suburbs we have explored are Lake Forest and Naperville.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Having lived in the Chicago area for over 40 years I would say you absolutely do not want to be commuting from the city to the suburbs frequently for gymnastics. Chicago traffic is absolutely insane. Naperville is a wonderful area to live in and would give you much easier access to a wide variety of gyms.

 

[JBS]

Naperville is a wonderful area to live in and would give you much easier access to a wide variety of gyms.

Not sure about the living... as I have not lived there... but the Naperville area is full of great gyms.

 

[superNova08]

My daughter is 9 years old and a Level 7. I want to go to a gym that can give her all the options. If she wants to stay in gymnastics forever (and maybe go Elite) she has the potential in the gym. But also if she wants to quit one day, that is ok too. Just want to keep her options open. As of right now, she loves everything about the sport! But I know she is young.

Lake Forest is a great option. A bunch of girls left when they came under new ownership and there was a price jump. The coaches are great as long as your athlete is not medically complex or mentally fragile. Vernon Hills and Libertyville are good as well. Not sure about the Naperville area though. I will warn and say that the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff school are... rough to say the least.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Lake Forest is a great option. A bunch of girls left when they came under new ownership and there was a price jump. The coaches are great as long as your athlete is not medically complex or mentally fragile. Vernon Hills and Libertyville are good as well. Not sure about the Naperville area though. I will warn and say that the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff school are... rough to say the least

LAke Forest and Lake Bluff schools are rough in what way?

 

[superNova08]

LAke Forest and Lake Bluff schools are rough in what way?

Bullying, drugs, and staff does nothing about it not even when you go to the police

 

[Anonymous Post]

CITY and IK are very comparable. CITY head coach is Natalia Yurchenko. The gym is new-ish and has been building. They have a pretty good sized team, but not huge. With maybe three level 10’s this year and also a level 9 who qualified HOPES this year. As far as I know no girls have gone on to college gymnastics yet but the gym is new-ish maybe 6 or so years old. IK has been around a little longer. They’ve had at least one gymnast go n to D1 maybe more. IK has a great facility. CITY is currently ( as of this season) in a temporary facility while they build a new gym in a different part of the city. Both gyms are very good options. in the city there is also Lakeshore gymnastics Academy. I don’t know much about this program other than this is where Natalia Yurchenko was before she opened CITY. Many of the higher level girls moved with her so they have been rebuilding. LSA also has a sister gym n the suburbs. With Chicago metro area traffic being what it is, it is unrealistic to live in the city and go to gymnastics practice in the suburbs. there Are so many gyms in the Chicago suburbs. When we go to meets I have been particularly pressed with the number of girls from Legacy Elite that go on to D1. I know nothing of their coaches just see the banners in their gym.