PEIIsland Gymnastics Academy is taking a big leap forward with more than $225,000 worth of new Olympic-quality equipment from the 2023 Canada Winter Games Legacy Fund.Young athletes hope Olympic-quality gear will put them on par with their competitorsDelaney Kelly · CBC News · Posted: Sep 02, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoSimon Evans says he is most excited to ‘let my competitors see how much I’ve improved throughout the year with this new equipment.’ (Delaney Kelly CBC )Island Gymnastics Academy is taking a big leap forward with more than $225,000 worth of new Olympic-quality equipment from the 2023 Canada Winter Games Legacy Fund.The gymnastics club in Charlottetown says this equipment will help Island athletes achieve their goals. “It means a lot because equipment is very expensive, like everything else,” said Jim Rand, who is the facility’s project manager. Rand said the members of the non-profit group do their best to raise funds themselves. But their efforts have not been able to make the level of difference this grant has, giving athletes access to the same quality of equipment that their competitors in other parts of Canada have.”They deserve to have what other kids in other provinces have easier access to than we do. So it gives you a great feeling to be able to provide that to them and for them to be able to reach their potential,” Rand said. Hundreds of athletes spend hours each week training at the non-profit Island Gymnastics facility in Charlottetown. (CBC)One special moment came when Rand took in the excitement on the athletes’ faces as they saw the new equipment for the first time. “It brought tears to my eyes, actually,” he said. “When they all came in and they stood on the stage waiting to come, waiting to train, it was like the magic of Christmas morning for little kids.”And some of them are a little bit older than little kids, but they were all super excited.” Competitive gymnast Simon Evans, aged 11, said it’s very exciting to have this level of equipment available to him. Students at the Island Gymnastics Academy wait their turn as fellow athletes flip and swing around them. (CBC)”It’s pretty much my home,” he said of the academy. “I spend lots of hours here, day in, day out. I spend so much time here.” His favourite addition to that home away from home is the new floor he uses for tumbling. He’s already able to get higher in the air on his jumps and other moves.”I was very excited about the floor, ’cause we had a very old floor and it was not very bouncy, but all the equipment and bars and rings are very nice,” Evans said. “I’m most excited about to let my competitors see how much I’ve improved throughout the year with this new equipment.”
Island Gymnastics Academy flipping over new equipment, funded by Canada Games grant
