Gymnasts From Huntley Academy Compete in State Meet

Eight gymnasts from Huntley Gymnastics Academy will be among the elite competing this weekend at the USA Gymnastics state meet.

“It’s a high honor,” Amy Krotser, coach and owner of the Huntley academy. “It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s fun. You get to meet a lot of neat people and get together with the best teams and learn from that experience.”

opened six months ago at 10763 Wolf Dr. in the Wolf Business Park. It already has 300 students, she said.

Gymnasts have been competing in meets for weeks, traveling all over from Arizona to Chicago to Milwaukee. The state meet is the culmination of the season, she said. The girls competing are between age 9 and 11 years old.

HGA gymnasts are “expected to do very well” this weekend, Krotser said. “They are in the top tier to win state. If they do, it’s amazing for us.”

The competition begins this morning at the DuPage Expo Center in St. Charles then wraps up on Sunday. Gymnasts who win in the state meet are guests of honor at a dinner where they met gymnasts training for the Olympics.

Krotser has been coaching for nine years. HGA focuses on helping gymnasts work on their skills and qualify for scholarships.

“My main focus is college scholarships, not really pushing them to the Olympics,” she said. “If we do see talent, we will not slow them down. (But) I like to keep them healthy and keep them safe.”

HGA has other programs for children as young as three-years-old, who learn how to take direction, Krotser said. There are also programs for boys. Gymnastics help boys develop upper body strength and speed, she said. The training helps athletes do well in other sports, she said.

Krotser is noticing more interest in HGA daily, especially with the Olympics schedule this summer. “We’ll see a lot more kids trying out,” she said.