By BEN KLEINE

Staff writer

There have been two pleasant surprises this year for Diane Jeffrey and her gymnastics class.

She has five boys enrolled in the two classes.

“Usually it’s something girls do. The five boys, they can do it; so I know they’ve been interested,” Jeffrey said.

The size of the class has also increased. In the first- through third-grade class, there are 13 students. In the fourth- through sixth-grade class there are another 12 students.

The past couple of years Jeffrey requested that at least 10 students take the class. With smaller classes, there is a possibility that gymnastics is an activity to pacify students before parents come home from work.

Jeffrey said the energy, especially of the younger group, has affected some of the returning students. Two girls who lacked enthusiasm and confidence last year have been more willing to tumble on the mat.

The class is also a means to interact with children. Jeffrey ran a day care for 23 years, but retired from that business last year.

“I like kids,” she said.

While there is not a pommel horse or balance beam in sight, Jeffrey is teaching students simple tumbling and eventually building to cartwheels, round offs, and flips.

The goal of the class is simple: have children exercise without realizing they are partaking in physical activity.

Jeffrey’s joy is seeing students’ confidence spike after they learn a cartwheel or a flip. The realization of accomplishing an acrobatic feat gives students the confidence to continue striving. The success breeds more success.

Alex Cain and Jeffrey’s daughter, Cheyenne, periodically help with the class. On Oct. 6, Cain supervised one cartwheel line while Jeffrey watched another. They would help students with the proper form and even spotted them when they struggled.

As one of two Marion High School cheerleading sponsors with Susan Hall, Jeffrey also encourages her cheerleaders to help with the class. One of the benefits is that it teaches cheerleading techniques to future generations of cheerleaders.