Get Active. Be Healthy. How Gym Skills Has Helped Families Stay Active for More Than 20 Years

6 min read·Jun 16, 2026

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From a Few Mats to a Multi-State Movement

For more than 20 years, Gym Skills has been doing something increasingly rare in today’s fast-paced world: bringing people together through movement, confidence, encouragement, and community.

What began in August of 2005 with just a few mats and a vision has grown into a thriving multi-state organization impacting families across multiple communities. In the early days, Gym Skills wasn’t housed inside a massive training facility. It was mobile. Founder Kenny Crump started Gym Skills with a simple vision: create opportunities for people to stay active, build confidence, and develop healthy habits that would positively impact them for life.

With a small setup and a passion for youth development, Kenny and his team traveled throughout Central Ohio bringing gymnastics and movement programs directly to childcare centers and after-school programs. Wherever there was space to teach, encourage, and inspire children to get active, Gym Skills showed up.

Though much has changed over the years, those grassroots beginnings continue to shape the culture of Gym Skills today.

Now operating from a 15,000-square-foot headquarters on 2.5 acres in the Gahanna area, Gym Skills has grown far beyond its mobile-gym beginnings while remaining rooted in the same mission that started it all: helping people live healthier, more active lives in both body and mind.

Today, that mission reaches families through four Gym Skills locations across Ohio and North Carolina, including Greater Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Charlotte.

A Place Where Confidence Grows

Walk through the doors of Gym Skills today and you immediately feel the energy. Young athletes tumble across mats while coaches encourage them through challenges. Parents watch proudly from the sidelines. Beginners build confidence. Advanced athletes sharpen their skills. The atmosphere is active, uplifting, and welcoming, a place where movement becomes more than exercise and confidence grows one small victory at a time.

Their motto, “Get Active. Be Healthy.” is more than a slogan printed on a wall. It’s woven into the experience families have every day inside the gym.

Programs for All Ages

Gym Skills offers a wide range of programs designed for all ages and skill levels, including gymnastics, tumbling, ninja classes, cheer, adult gymnastics, summer camps, clinics, birthday parties, and more. Members currently range in age from just 12 months old all the way to 63 years old, reflecting the organization’s belief that healthy, active living should be accessible at every stage of life.

$Adults practice Gym Skills on balance beams in a gymnasium, with mats, equipment, and banners visible in the background.$

A Holistic Approach to Healthy Living

The facility also features the Champion Café smoothie bar and pro shop, reinforcing the organization’s holistic approach to wellness and healthy habits. It’s another example of how Gym Skills continues finding ways to support families beyond the mat.

More Than a Gym

Children play and exercise on colorful gymnastics equipment inside of Gym Skill's large indoor gym with padded floors and bright walls.

For many families, Gym Skills has become part of weekly life. It’s where children celebrate milestones, overcome fears, build friendships, and gain confidence that carries into school, sports, and everyday life. The sounds of encouragement echo throughout the facility as athletes of all ages push themselves, support one another, and discover what they’re capable of accomplishing.

But what truly separates Gym Skills is not simply the classes or programs. It’s the heart behind them.

The team has built a culture centered around safety, education, encouragement, and long-term impact. Coaches aren’t just teaching physical skills, they are helping shape confidence, discipline, perseverance, and self-belief in the next generation. For many families, Gym Skills has become more than a gym. It’s become part of their routine, their support system, and their community.

What Families Are Saying

A boy practices ninja skills as he jumps off stacked foam blocks in at Gym Skills with other children nearby, surrounded by mats and basketball hoops. The impact of Gym Skills is perhaps best reflected in the voices of the families it serves. Abby M. credits the program with helping her son stay active and motivated. “We love Gym Skills. My son is really enjoying how fun and exciting each week is. They do so many different exercises and different equipment is used so he is never bored,” she shared.

For Abby, Gym Skills has also provided an outlet for a child who doesn't naturally gravitate toward traditional sports like baseball or soccer.

That same sense of connection is echoed by La'Toya W., who says, “My daughter has learned so much since she's started here. The staff is friendly and patient. Gym Skills makes us feel like family.”

Comments like these reinforce what Gym Skills has worked to build for more than two decades: a place where children can grow, families feel welcomed, and confidence is developed one class at a time.

Celebrating 20 Years of Community Impact

That impact was recognized in a major way during the company’s 20-year celebration and back-to-school giveaway event last year when the Mayor of Gahanna officially declared August 2nd as “Gym Skills Day.” The recognition celebrated not only the organization's longevity, but also more than two decades of investment in local youth, families, and healthy living throughout the region.

In a time when screens and digital distractions compete heavily for attention, Gym Skills continues creating spaces where kids and adults can connect through movement, discipline, teamwork, and personal growth. The organization stands as a reminder that local businesses can become far more than service providers, they can become pillars within the communities they serve.

Looking Toward the Future

And for Gym Skills, the journey is still unfolding.

With continued expansion through both mobile and brick-and-mortar franchise opportunities, the company is actively exploring ways to bring its mission to even more communities across the country.

Franchise Opportunities

For entrepreneurs passionate about youth development, health, and community impact, Gym Skills offers an opportunity to build a meaningful business while helping future generations embrace active, healthy living.

As Gym Skills looks toward the future, the vision remains clear: continue growing, continue serving, and continue creating environments where people of all ages feel empowered to move, learn, grow, and believe in themselves.

A Legacy That Continues to Grow

Twenty years after its humble beginnings, Gym Skills continues proving that movement can do more than build strength and athletic ability. It can build confidence, create community, and positively impact lives for years to come.

As the organization continues to grow, its mission remains unchanged: helping people of all ages get active, stay healthy, and discover what they're capable of achieving.