TriStar Gymnnastics

My daughter has been attending TriStar Gymnastics since Term 3 of last year. Helpfully they offered a «try before you buy» session for free which is exactly what you need for these kinds of post school activities — there’s nothing worse than committing to a whole term of something that just isn’t what you thought it would be.
There’s really only a choice of two big gymnastics clubs in the central Auckland area and TriStar is based out of a massive purpose-​built gymnasium next to Cameron Pool in Mt Roskill. Strangely enough there’s not a lot of signage so if you see the big building with the red windows, you are in the right place.
Once we decided to go ahead and join, there was an Enrolment Form to fill out and obviously fees to pay. My daughter is in the Incentive class which costs $ 155 per term (or $ 140 with prompt payment discount) for a one hour class each week. There’s a huge range of classes on offer for every age group and when we were in the investigation stages, the information on the website, while comprehensive, was a bit confusing. I suggest a phone call for clarification as to which class is most suitable and to let them know when you’ll be visiting. Also you won’t find the fees on the site until you open the Enrolment Form.
Our experience here has been great with the teachers being immediately welcoming and putting my daughter at ease (particularly the exotically monikered Flaminio!). There have been a few hiccups with the accounting side of things but I suppose this is to be expected given the number of people who attend the club.
There is a small waiting area for parents with a window so you can watch your kids if you want to. The only real beef I have is that communication is not great but again, this is a function of the fact that there is only an hour and therefore it makes sense not to waste time chit chatting to the parents. I don’t think parents are actively discouraged from being inside the gym but I would suggest rather than bothering your child’s instructor who has a class to teach, take any questions you might have to the front desk as there is usually someone there who can help you.
We are at the point now where my daughter is ready for the next level but this has not been addressed by her teachers so we’ll bring it up with them and see where we go from here… overall I think choosing between this club and the YMCA gymnastics programme comes down to what is most convenient for you and your family. I actually took my children to the YMCA’s pre-​school programme when they were little and that was a very positive experience so go with what works for you.