On a Saturday afternoon in December, a packed parking lot outside of the Gymnastics Training Center in Millcreek was the scene as a showcase of young talented gymnasts performed in front of family and friends inside the GTC.

Floor routines, balance beam, uneven parallel bars and the vault were all part of the Hotshot’s Showcase.

Aimee Smith, the general manager of GTC said, “We have been in business for over 25 years. A few girls go to the University of Utah, Sarah Crump is on the Red Rocks team now.”

“One gymnast went to SUU and some went out of state,” Smith said. As far as future Olympians are concerned, she said, “We are working on it.”

“We have new ownership, Mike Hunger, he owned Twin City Twisters in Minnesota for 40 years and now he is here with his family and he just bought the gym in September. He’s made Olympians. He’s coached Grace McCallum and Red Rocks’ Abby Paulson and Abby Brenner. Grace McCallum went to the Olympics.”

Hunger became the assistant gymnastics coach for the University of Utah’s Red Rocks team in May.

Marly Knorpp, the recreational manager at GTC said about Hunger, “He was looking for a gym in Utah since his grandchildren live here and his daughter Bree is coaching at GTC at level 6 to 10 years old.” 

“He will also coach at the GTC and hopefully have homegrown Olympians here in Utah. He was   looking for a gym already in place and loved the coaching style here at GTC,” Knorpp said.

Hunger has earned an impressive reputation in the gymnastics community with over 50 years of coaching experience to include over 100 athletes who competed at the NCAA level and has served on the USA National team since 2016.

Hunger has said that he loves the mountains and with his family living here, it was a logical choice to move to Utah.

“Today’s showcase program starts at ages 3 to 8 years old. This showcase is like a recital. Every six months we have the families come see their gymnasts perform,” Smith said.

“We take children as little as nine months, it’s a parent and tot class. So really demonstrating the basics of body movement and what it feels like to be upside down, how to balance,” Smith said.

“The competitive gymnasts will start the following week,” Smith said. “They start at age 6.”  λ