Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of South Charlotte.
Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Ep. #38 Breaking Gymnastics Stereotypes and Balancing Business with Family: Angi Davis' Inspiring Journey
Ever thought gymnastics was only for the young and ultra-flexible? Angi Davis, the dynamic owner of Carolina Flipz, is here to shatter that myth. Join us in an engaging conversation as Angi recounts her inspiring journey from an aspiring gymnast who had to quit early due to physical challenges, to becoming the driving force behind a thriving gymnastics facility in Pineville, Charlotte. Discover the diverse range of programs offered at Carolina Flipz, catering to everyone from toddlers to adults. Whether you're into cheerleading, tumbling, acro for dancers, ninja, or parkour, there's something for everyone. Angie passionately addresses common misconceptions about gymnastics, emphasizing that it's never too late to pursue your passion.
Ever wondered how successful business owners balance their professional and personal lives? Angie shares her wisdom on navigating the demanding early stages of business development while ensuring family moments remain sacred. Hear firsthand how she manages to be fully present during family vacations and children's events by turning off her phone and dedicating herself 100% to her loved ones. Her heartfelt insights are a must-listen for any small business owner striving to achieve a similar balance. Tune in for a heartwarming and motivating discussion that highlights the importance of passion, perseverance, and family connections.
Carolina Flipz
Angi Davis
10160 Pineville Distribution Street, Suite B
Pineville, NC 28134
(704) 285-1730
carolinaflipz@gmail.com
carolinaflipz.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Regina Lee.
Speaker 2:Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast here in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I'm excited to introduce and speak today to Angi Davis. She is the owner of Carolina Flips, a gymnastics facility in the Pineville area. Welcome, Angie, Thank you so much for having me. Absolutely Well, you are definitely a neighbor and I've seen your facility for years. You've been around since 2014?.
Speaker 3:That's correct. We opened our doors in March of 2014 with 29 kids, and some have actually are still with us today.
Speaker 2:Oh, how exciting. So how in the world did you get into this business and why did you start it?
Speaker 3:Well, as a former gymnast, I just kept going along, going along. I actually at 13, I couldn't do gymnastics anymore. My body had just had enough and decided, okay, I want to stay in the gym, just not actively doing it. So I started off as an assistant coach and I've actually been coaching ever since I was 13. So even when I moved from state to state, the very first thing was get a gymnastics job.
Speaker 3:I don't know if it's in the chalk dust or what, but it's just something about being in a gym and having that second family to get you through the good times and the bad as well too. But you know 2008, I moved here in Charlotte, actually for a totally different position, and the housing market dropped and things went bad and I lost my full-time job. But I always had coaching. So when the owner had approached me and said, hey, he was selling his business, would I like to get in and purchase it, I actually went in with another co-worker and I was a co-owner for about three years at a gym here in Charlotte and after a while decided, okay, I'm going to go ahead and do my own thing. I have bigger plans and I know there's so much more that I want to do for our community and March 2014,. We opened our doors.
Speaker 2:That is amazing. So I'm on your website and I see all the amazing programs you offer. Kind of take us through that.
Speaker 3:So what started out as just gymnastics cheerleading and tumbling has actually evolved into acro for dancers in the area, as well as ninja, like what you see on American Ninja Warrior, and also parkour, which is more of a free running style with skills and having to beat a time clock, and it's a whole interesting, different way to use your body. So it still falls under gymnastics as kind of being the main sport, but then you have all these different areas that you could always go into as well.
Speaker 2:What ages can come to your gym?
Speaker 3:I actually love starting with the little ones that we can actually start with our parent taught or my adult and me at six months old which is just great to start using that baby flexibility and that coordination and learning how to fall correctly all the way up. We've actually had a 75 year old gentleman come to our gym because it was learning a cartwheel was on his bucket list. So there's, there's nothing that stops somebody's passion. As long as somebody is willing to try and wanting to try, we want to be the gym for them. So six months, all the way up to adult.
Speaker 2:I had no idea you did adults. And what a cute. How just curious. How many lessons did it take him to learn to do a cartwheel?
Speaker 3:It actually was three, and afterwards we said All right, you ready for the next thing. Now we're going to start doing some roundoffs. And he said Nope, I'm good, and that was it.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love it. I love it. What are some of the misconceptions that are out there about the gymnastics business and facilities?
Speaker 3:business and facilities. Well, for the parents, the misconception is my child's too old to start, or they're too short or too tall and putting almost these constraints on their kids before they've even had a chance to come in the door. A lot of the times where you know, even as kids they're so adaptive they can really pick up a lot. They're such sponges where if they have a passion for something, we want to help get them there. So, whether that's a passion for gymnastics and you know, growing their skills to eventually be on team, or if it's a passion to just take tumbling classes because they just want to flip around and they'd rather learn it in a safe environment, so everybody's needs are different and that's where we like to inform the parent, like whatever your child's goals are, that's what we want to help them accomplish.
Speaker 2:Do you guys do competition, or how does that roll into the really serious gymnasts?
Speaker 3:or how does that roll into the really serious gymnasts? So we actually offer competitive gymnastics, competitive cheerleading, and also we now have our competitive parkour teams. So once kids, you know if they start in the recreational level and then they're like, okay, I want to, I want to take this on, I really want to start competing now. Cause for some people that's when it's fun, that's when it's like, okay, now I get to not only challenge myself, but I get to go up against others and really see where I stand on things, and that's also a good way to push them internally as a motivation as well too. So when they do feel like they're ready for that, we do offer competitive gymnastics in both AAU division, which is run statewide.
Speaker 3:Our state of North Carolina has a phenomenal NCAA program with over a thousand kids in the state that actually compete in AAU gymnastics. We also have USAG, which is also a little bit more competitive, more travel. Those are the ones that are really wanting to go more the Olympic route. So currently we have athletes that go all the way up to level eight. Level 10 is like the elite division, where you're seeing them getting ready and challenging each other for the Olympics as far as cheerleading, ready and challenging each other for the Olympics. As far as cheerleading, we actually have USASF governing body, all-star competitive teams and we have levels one all the way to level three out of level six, and I think they're actually adding level seven as well too. And parkour is just it's new, it's exciting, and we are part of the MPC championship here in our southeast area and we actually are in our competitive season right now for parkour. So we've got some athletes it's their first year trying it and they're doing phenomenal.
Speaker 2:I don't know what that is. What is parkour?
Speaker 3:Parkour is so unlike ninja. Ninja is more obstacle course based, where it's coordination and grip strength and swinging, getting from point A to point B. Parkour is a little bit different Parkour. You can actually be more on the speed route where it's like how fast can you get through an obstacle course? Or you can do more of the agility route where it's like, okay, you're going to take this skill set, go skill level one. Okay, now we're going to try and go skill level two. Okay, now, we're going to try and go skill level three.
Speaker 3:And you just keep trying to push that bar when you're at competition. The hard thing with that is they are unable to see what they're doing at the competition. So as soon as they get in there, it's fresh eyes for everybody. So you really don't know how to train for a parkour competition. You just have to train almost all the skills and then, once you're there, really mentally get your mindset ready of, okay, this is how I'm going to go through it. So it's a, it's a whole new, whole new ball game for a lot of these kids and parents. Um, because you can't really, you know, get yourself uh, prepped and ready, uh, for a competition, like you could in gymnastics, where you get to work your routine over and over and over again to perfect it Parkour you kind of have to go in like, okay, this is where I'm at this week.
Speaker 2:This is the skills I'm going to try and just get your mindset ready and just try and do your best that day. Wow, how many instructors do you have? This is a lot.
Speaker 3:Wow, we actually have 38 coaches on staff, and then we also have our amazing front desk customer service success clients as well, to really help the parents and the kids get what they need to out of the program. But we have such phenomenal staff. Everybody has a team in their own right and it's nice to be all underneath one roof and actually be able to see everybody taking on each program to the best of their ability. I mean, the gymnasts will watch the cheerleaders and they know that they're doing hard stuff and they actually cheer them on and get them excited. Right before they go to competition and the parkour kids, they see the gymnasts working. They're like, ooh, that looks so cool. How do you do that? And so it's nice to see everybody rooting for each other, even though they're in their own individual elements and programs.
Speaker 2:So after this year's Olympics did you get a spike in phone calls afterwards, people being inspired?
Speaker 3:Surprisingly. No, some people say the Olympic boom and yeah, we get calls, but I think a lot of it. For most people, you know, watching the Olympics was excitement of its own. Yeah, kids really enjoyed watching it. I don't know if they felt like they needed to do it right away. Um, everyone's a little more mathematical and what they want their kids to do and and setting them up for almost like a career path. But you know, one thing that I urge for the parents is what you see on the olympics just let the kids be kids. Don't feel like you have to start them on this olympic journey at four years old or five years old, like let them dabble, let them try a few different things and then they'll find their own path. They'll find their own pathway for sure, but a lot of the times we just need to be open to saying, hey, let's try this and let's try that.
Speaker 2:Right. What would you like parents to know about your gym and what sets you apart?
Speaker 3:Just as a gymnast myself. Eventually our bodies aren't going to do it anymore. Again, one of the things that I loved about always having a gym home was the mentorship, the lifelong skills, the character development that it always built up for me. I'm, as a mom with two kids myself I've got two girls, I believe you know we need to have our sports and our athletic divisions to be part of our village. So we love being that for our families and for our athletes, and we want to not only have them be great athletes, but we want them to be epic human beings and be able to give back to their community and really help each other out.
Speaker 3:We actually use Dr Robin Silverman's Powerful Words program and every single month we actually get a new powerful word. This word of the month is integrity. So we teach the kids what the word means and how we go about using it, not only in the gym, but we also use it at home. How do we use it at school? How do we use it out and about with our neighbors? So that's one of the things that our gym really strives for is not only teaching them the technical quality skills that they need to know, but let's go above and beyond. Let's actually help teach them to be good, human, kind beings and teach that character development that's going to be with them for a lifetime.
Speaker 2:That's amazing, absolutely amazing. What are you most proud of when you look at these past 10 years?
Speaker 3:you look at these past 10 years, I'm so proud of the families and athletes that have let us be a part of their village and truly see their kids when they come in and they do recreational gymnastics and then they get better and they eventually go to team and then to see it come full circle for some of our kids where they are actually coaches.
Speaker 3:I've been doing this for so long that now some of the athletes that I coached have kids of their own that I'm coaching and it's such a full circle development to know that I've actually helped more than I think I have ever done in my lifetime of just being a coach and I feel like that term coach to me is what I feel like I'm a doctor, I feel like I got my doctorate and that title of coach is one that I hold dear to my heart. And even any athlete that says I want to become a coach, I let them know it's. There's a lot of training involved. It's not just a hobby. You're actually there. You're actually there for the kids, you're there for the parents, you're there for the family as a whole and to get them to understand that. That's when I see that full circle come through and it's just so rewarding to know that a little bit of goodness is constantly being left behind that I've, I can feel like I've done good on this earth.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. Um, you know I haven't been around that in my life, but I can see your passion and the words you're saying. These kids are lucky or and adults now that I know you take 70 some year olds. That is amazing. Well, angie, you are really I can tell good at what you do. Business owner mom. Do you ever have time to do anything on your own outside of work? What do you enjoy doing? Do you ever have time to do anything on your own outside of work?
Speaker 3:What do you enjoy doing. I actually love spending time with my family. As a small business owner, especially starting it from scratch, you know I put in my 80 hours a week, especially when my girls were young, and so now I really cherish every moment that I get to be with them, and so when we go on vacation, I turn my phone off. When I see my daughter at her dance competitions, I'm 100% all in. So being able to run a small business is great, but then also taking those rewards in as well too, and being able to take that time with my family when they deserve it as well.
Speaker 2:Great words of wisdom. Well, thank you so much for being on the show today and I look forward to seeing you out in the community.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPSouthCharlotte. com. That's GNPSouthCharlotte. com, or call 980-351-5719.