Lafleur’s Little Flipper Swim School

My twin girls take gymnastics at LaFleurs (and have also taken swim lessons here), and we couldn’t be happier. Not only are they learning about gymnastics and swimming, they are learning about perserverence, staying fit, having fun, and are given lots of love in the process.
LaFleurs has an exceptional coach staff who know the sport (s) very well. But, probably more important to ME, they understand kids. They know what drives them and they mix in fun. They give HUGS and are loving, compassionate people who happen to be really good athletes. To me, this mix is what brings us back. Every week, my girls go on and on about «Ms. Maddie,» «Ms. Chelsea,» etc. and they are completely driven and passionate about the sport. One daughter begs to go to LaFleurs 5 days a week! The compromise is 2. .. and they have never, ever missed a class or hinted at wanting to miss a class. If I could only say this for the other sports we’ve participated in over the years :) (Don’t get me started on soccer!)
My husband, on the other hand, is an ex college athlete and takes sports, training, and dedication quite seriously. We went to another local gym for about a year and a half and transitioned because he didn’t think it was «serious» enough. The first day he came to watch the kids at LaFleurs, he said outloud «Now THIS is a gymnastics company.» Yes, it is.
We’re very happy we stumbled upon LaFleurs one birthday party many moons ago. Two thumbs up from the entire Burdette family.

Unprofessional and rude staff. I signed my 18 mo old up for parent tot gymnastics. We arrived when they told us to, and followed their instructions. Not one employee introduced themselves, they didn’t give a tour. The receptionist never got out of her chair, just pointed and told me to wait over there. I guess i should have known where over there was. My son became incredibly frustrated because he wanted to play and we were waiting. Finally the class apparently started and noone explained anything to me. They didn’t mention class was starting, where I should go, what we were going to do, nothing. I finally asked if this was parent tot, and the very young instructor said «everyone warms up together»… I guess I was supposed to know this. Anyways, I ended up leaving because there was no clear direction, they didn’t care that it was mine and my son’s first day. Not one person in the club asked my son’s name, my name, or offered to give any type of overview. When I stormed out, after feeling insulted and as if i was stupid, a manger ran after me… where were you when the front desk told me to wait ten minutes with no direction and an 18 mo old who wanted to play in the big open area? This place has no customer service at all. I wouldn’t waste my money on their parent tot. Maybe when kids are older and can listen and comprehend waiting. Toddlers want to play in the moment. Gymboree is a far better use of your hard earned money.

La Fleur’s also has a gymnastics center at this location, and that is the subject of my review. Fantastic gym!
I first heard of this gym from following elite level gymnastics on TV. For those who don’t know, this is where 1996 gold medalist Dominique Moceanu trained before she became famous.
We took our daughter here once for a trial gymnastics class. They really have their classes down to a science! There are several stations set up to practice various moves. I was surprised at how quickly my daughter caught on – it was a lot to take in during one class! She really liked the mini zipline into the foam pit, and we had to drag her away from the trampoline! The instructors are very knowledgeable and use developmentally-​appropriate skills in each of their classes. During our trial class, several other classes of varying ages and abilities were going on. All of the kids seemed to be having a great time, and the coaches were encouraging and attentive. If our schedules allowed, I would absolutely sign her up at this gym in a heartbeat! We will probably enroll her in a few years. Great gym!