Waterkloof Gymnastics Club celebrated it’s 10th birthday in 2001. Even though the Club had its roots even before this time, the official forming of Waterkloof Gymnastics Club took place on 22 January 1991.
Before this, two ladies, Selda Burger and Hannetjie Blom formed the Hansel Fun Gym Club. Their goal was to fulfill a need that existed in the form of exercise, health and fitness for preschool children, but also children with special needs. From the onset the popularity grew and it received inquiries from varied fields for the valuable service it offered. The Hansel Fun Gym Club also played a major roll in the creation of a market which evolved into the current Preschool Gymnastics market. The Club had such a major influence on the development of this field that Mrs Burger was approached by the then South African Amateur Gymnastics Union to develop and compile a manual specifically addressing Toddler Gymnastics. Hansel Fun Gym Club is then also credited with being the forerunner in this field and can take credit for being the foundation for the first ever manual on Gymnastics and its related exercises for preschoolers and toddlers alike. Many similar books have been written since, however, the National Body still carries this publication due the continued demand for it.
As Hansel Fun Gym Club grew, so did the need for bigger and better facilities. Coupled with this, the Club also expanded its operation to include more and more traditional forms of the sport. Finally in 1991, the Club approached Hoërskool Waterkloof and an agreement was entered into. The Club acquired the use of the school’s gymnasium for it’s ever expanding needs. Through this agreement a new formal Artistic Gymnastics Club came to being, namely Waterkloof Gymnastics Club.
The Club once again expanded and now offered more traditionally known forms of Artistic Gymnastics, Tumbling (through its registration with the former South African Trampoline and Tumbling Union) as well as Toddler Gymnastics and Gymnastics for children with special needs. Waterkloof Gymnastics Club also produced a National Champion during it’s very first year of operation in the new facility. Ben-Piet van Zyl, a standard 8 pupil won the Junior National Championships in 1991 (also the Gauteng North and Northern Circle Championships) in the Grade 4 High School section for boys. His brother Jan-Chris was placed third at the same event in the Primary School Section for the same Grade. Both of them were also place in the top 10 at the Tumbling Nationals in the same year.
The Club grew in numbers and by the beginning of 1993, was credited as the second largest Club in the Northern Transvaal Region, as it was previously known. Unfortunately, in April 1994, the school could no longer offer facilities to us, as it’s own needs also changed. This resulted in the Club having to relocate to the current facilities. Even though the facilities are far from being adequate, the Club has always received warm and kind cooperation from the Klapperkop Voortrekker Kommando, from which the facility is leased.