Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Bergen County
Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Ep. # 105 From Student to Owner: Marie Wood's Gymnastics Journey Comes Full Circle
Marie Wood's remarkable journey with Tumble-Bee Gymnastics pans nearly four decades—from being among the first students when its doors opened in 1986 to becoming its passionate owner. This beautiful full-circle story embodies the very essence of what makes Tumblebee special: genuine community connection that transcends generations.
What distinguishes Tumble-Bee Gymnastics from both national franchises and competitive gymnastics programs is their commitment to teaching proper skills while ensuring every child feels celebrated. "Our goal is to have every kid walk out the door feeling better than when they walked in," Marie explains, highlighting a philosophy that has sustained this local treasure for 39 years. Through their nationally recognized Fun and Fit curriculum, children from 10 months to 12 years old progress at their own pace, with individualized tracking and support that meets each child exactly where they are developmentally.
The magic of Tumble-Bee Gymnastics reveals itself through countless stories of transformation. Local therapists, educators, and doctors regularly recommend their programs. Parents share heartfelt testimonials about children who've overcome fears, found their voices, or developed crucial social skills through gymnastics. Marie's background as a special education teacher enhances this inclusive approach, allowing children of varying abilities to thrive either in specialized or mainstream classes.
Today, Marie teaches the children of students she once instructed. Grandparents who brought their kids decades ago now arrive with grandchildren in tow. Beyond classes and flexible camp programs, Tumble-Bee Gymnastics serves as a gathering place for community support—evidenced by their recent cartwheel-a-thon fundraiser for a student with terminal brain cancer. These moments of connection remind us that the most enduring businesses aren't just about services offered, but about how they make people feel. As Marie reflects, "They may forget what you said, but they won't forget how you made them feel."
Curious about giving your child the Tumble-Bee Gymnastics experience? Visit tumblebeegym.com or call 845-623-2553 to learn about their programs, camps, and special events at their Nanuet location.
Tumble-Bee Gymnastics
Marie Wood
401 Market St Nanuet, NY 10954
845) 623-2553
info@tumble-beegymnastics.com
tumble-beegymnastics.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Doug Drohan.
Speaker 2:Welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast brought to you by the Bergen Neighbors Media Group. I am your host, doug Drohan, and today we are going to tumble and rumble with Marie Wood, the owner of Tumble Bee Gymnastics in Nanuet, new York. Welcome to the show. Thank you, thrilled to be here. Yeah, we were talking last year. I believe it was about a year or so ago. You had one of my idols and I'm a big Met fan. You had Dwight Gooden. Come to Tumblebee, which is interesting. You're a gymnastics and play space for kids. But hey, dwight cameen. Come to which is interesting. You're like a gymnastics and play space for kids, but hey, Dwight came. That's great.
Speaker 3:So we did a cartwheel-a-thon to raise money for one of our students, a two-year-old that was diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and so Doc Gooden does a lot of outreach work and volunteer things and just you know, fundraising, building awareness, and he came to help promote the event and get people to the family, you know as much, as they were experiencing extreme financial situations. They really just wanted awareness of it because it's such a rare thing. So he was a big help that way.
Speaker 2:That's great. So tell us a little bit about Tumblebee gymnastics, Like what's the history of it? I know you're in NUET now, but it started off in Pearl River right.
Speaker 3:It did. Yes, tumblebee started in Pearl River in August of 1986. It's the 39th year for Tumblebee, 1986. It's the 39th year for Tumblebee, so very exciting. Tumblebee moved from Pearl River. It was there shortly. It had two locations in New City and has been in.
Speaker 2:Nanuet for 27 years now. All right, so it's been around a long time since the Mets won the World Series actually around a long time since the Mets won the World Series actually. So why do you think it's been able? I mean, there are other gymnastic places. There's big national franchises like my Gym and Little Gym and of course, there's a lot of gymnastics places around closest. I mean, I know there's one in Orangeburg, there's one in Norwood, new Jersey, there's one in Hillsdale, new Jersey. What's different about Tumblebee? And why do you think it's been around for so many years?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So Tumblebee, you know. You talk about the places like the franchises that are around. They have, you know, a certain thing that they have to offer. You have then kind of on the other end, the big competitive gyms, and they have, you know, something to offer as well.
Speaker 3:We are kind of the best of both worlds, for from my perspective and from a lot of families in Rockland perspective, we are a gymnastics program, so we teach the skills, we have them, you know, learning the basics. We go from 10 months to 12 years, even have them. You know, learning the basics. We go from 10 months to 12 years. Even at 10 months they're learning the basics, the beginnings, the fundamentals for gymnastics, which doesn't necessarily happen in other places. You know, again, there's things that people focus on, but it may be more of gymnastics in name as opposed to in practicality and actually doing it. Then you have, on the opposite end, the very competitive. You know you have to do a drill and skill and that's it, and there's no leeway and there's no wiggle room.
Speaker 3:We have a program where, like I said, we teach the skills the right way. We want them to learn it, but our goal is to have every kid walk out the door feeling better than when he or she walked in. So we are not a competitive program. I'm not concerned about losing tenths of a point going to a competition.
Speaker 3:I want the kids to learn the skills but celebrate the accomplishments along the way. So you know, if a kid couldn't do a cartwheel the week before and now something is starting to look like a cartwheel, I'm not going to be saying, ah, you know your knees are bent or I will, but I'll say it nicely. But first we're going to celebrate that you can do more than you could do before and you're moving forward. And you know we're so excited about that and we're excited together. The kid is excited, the teachers are excited. You know we're able to celebrate and recognize that kids progress at their own levels, that you know every child is an individual and we can provide a lot of individualized attention, a lot of support, and we're able to be flexible and accommodate for a lot of families. A lot of you know kids and what they need, as opposed to trying to have them fit into a mold.
Speaker 2:Nice. So what is the Fun and Fit gymnastics curriculum.
Speaker 3:Yep. So there is a nationally recognized program called Fun and Fit. It breaks down gymnastics skills into the different apparatuses. So floor bars, balance beam, trampoline, dance, mini trampoline, vaulting, parallel bars, rings, everything is broken down. There's different levels that they move through, again non-competitive.
Speaker 3:But kids will start off doing a, for example, a cartwheel lead up over a box. Then they'll move to doing a cartwheel on the floor, then they'll move to doing a cartwheel with the non-domin a box. Then they'll move to doing a cartwheel on the floor, then they'll move to doing a cartwheel with the non-dominant side, then they'll move to a roundoff. So the fun and fit program takes all of those skills and breaks them down very progressively. We load those skills onto an account for every single student that comes and as the student comes to the class we mark off okay, they can do this skill. You know level one, skill 13,. They've, they've done that. Now they're going to move to the next step in doing it. So you know, for the student as you know, billy comes in through the door we know exactly what he's worked on, what he's achieved last time, and then this is what we're moving towards now. So again, we we've it down for the child to be able to work to meet them at their level.
Speaker 2:I mean, it sounds like natural, like that's how everybody should teach it. You know that you have to learn one skill to then progress to the next and the next. So it's interesting that you guys are in only gyms in the area to teach that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so.
Speaker 3:So we're one of the only ones that has followed this specific program, which has had very good feedback and success nationally and the other thing for us is that we've, beyond the program itself, we've created some modifications for kids who may need a little more or who may find it a little too challenging, and we don't want the frustration to become so overwhelming that, oh, you're on the same thing, you're on the same thing. Well, how can we fix it so that you know the kid can be successful, still accomplishing the spirit of the skill? But you know, let's, let's again meet them where they're at and work with them so that it's not. I need this one skill and I'm only doing that and what?
Speaker 2:what ages do you have anywhere from preschool to how old?
Speaker 3:We actually start 10 months, so we have toddlers in here. Um, we go up to 12 years, so we have different programs. Um, you know, we have a toddler gym program and romp and roll, where parents are in the gym with the kids. And you know, we have the option of a little more structured for the ones that can handle it, a little less so for the kids that just kind of need that space to run around.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we did that. We did that with my son. We were living down near Hoboken, new Jersey, and we found a place there when he was, you know, two or three. Yeah, you know, we could go in there with him and let him run around and do his thing.
Speaker 3:Right, but we're still instructing. You know, we're constantly encouraging the kids to come over to us to do the skills, to learn the skills the right way, even at that age and and you know a lot are very good about accepting, you know, letting us help and things like that, especially as time goes on and they get used to us, used to the gym, comfortable with all of that. Our program for three to five year olds they come in without parents. We have obstacle courses set up on each event and the obstacles, yeah.
Speaker 2:Ninja warrior thing.
Speaker 3:Well, depending, we have different theme weeks that we follow. So, according to the theme week, it's the. The obstacle is set up in that way. So, for example, this week it's superhero week, so they're jumping on the mini trampoline and flying like Superman. They're climbing up the skyscrapers to get to the top, like that's all incorporated into the obstacles. They're going through tunnels and it's like the batcave. So you know, we incorporate the skills with the themes and pair those together in a way that the kids look forward to coming and are excited about it and don't always realize that they're working on those gymnastics.
Speaker 2:Right, right, yeah, just make it fun.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 2:So it's almost April and I know at this point people should have already figured out what their summer plans are, with camps and things like that. Do you guys offer summer camps?
Speaker 3:Oh yes, the camp program in general has been growing tremendously. Two years ago we brought camp back, and last year we had an overwhelming response to camp, so much so that parents were really, really pushing to have more. Every time there's a school break or a holiday or anything like that, we're open for camp. So we have a spring break camp going on.
Speaker 2:We just have a regular yeah.
Speaker 3:So we have a nine to three camp program. But now I just for spring break, just started offering before care and after care because parents want it, parents really want it and the kids have a blast. They leave tired Parents love that aspect. We feed them. They don't have parents, just have to drop them off. That's really get them here and pick them up and that's all they have to worry about. So, yes, we do have a summer camp program. There's half day options.
Speaker 3:There's full day options and there's no minimum. Like people can choose to just come for one half day. Typically when they do, the kids are begging for more. But you know we again we try to offer that flexibility to work with parents for what they need A lot of places do require a minimum. You have to commit for however long for camp you camp. People can come for what works for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh nice.
Speaker 3:So how did you?
Speaker 2:get into this business, were you a gymnast, so I actually took classes at Tumblebee.
Speaker 3:I was one of the first students when Tumblebee opened its door 39 years ago. I came up through the program. I'm the oldest of seven kids and my mom was bringing the younger kids to the gym. She knew the owner very well at that point, having put a whole bunch of kids through the program, and the owner at the time asked if I was interested in working. My mom said yeah, she is. She brought the paperwork home and said you're working at Tumblebee. You start Tuesday, fill this out.
Speaker 3:And I worked all through high school, all through college. I worked. I was in school for becoming a teacher and I actually went and did a volunteer teaching program and I would work. When I came home from that I started teaching in a school. I would work on evenings and weekends at Tumblebee. I just loved it. I loved that it paired with the educational aspect of it. But also I had a first name. I got to run around and exercise and be silly with the kids and I wasn't chasing them for homework and things like that. So I loved the aspect of it, the aspect of it. So I started working and never left.
Speaker 3:27 years after I started working, the owner at the time, her daughter had twins in South Carolina. She was ready to go be a full-time grandma. At the same time, my kids were starting school. My kids had been at Tumblebee since I was pregnant. With them. I worked all through getting married, being pregnant, having kids, all of that. So it was just a very natural thing for me to be able to come and take this role and I still utilize the educational skills. I was a special ed teacher for a long time. We offer classes for kids with special needs and we have a good number of kids who have more mild special needs who are in our general ed classes because we are able to provide the support. So there was a lot where I was able to utilize those teaching and educational skills and make it work for my family as well. So it was a very natural transition over and I'm very happy that I did it.
Speaker 2:You know, but it's one thing working there as an employee, it's another thing running the show and being responsible for the well-being of everyone else who works there and driving revenue and bringing in, you know, marketing and all that bringing new students. So what was that? Was it just a natural adjustment for you? I worked there for so long and watched how things were done and was was there like an eyeopening moment where you're like oh man.
Speaker 3:Yes to both. Um, yes, I definitely. Um, I knew a lot of the aspects the the owner the previous owner had had me start to do some of the things while she was still there so that she could support me in that transition and I wouldn't be such a shock, which was very nice, but I had been, you know, working at the desk and talking with parents and doing all those, a lot of those things prior. I also knew a lot of the families very well, so that made it easier too, because, as I came on board, a lot of families were very supportive and you know whatever needed to be done or very patient and things like that. So that was amazing.
Speaker 3:And, yeah, there were definitely some elements of oh, I'm the one that has to figure this out now, but I've had a lot of background with different situations. I've done a lot of things working with kids. I've been in supervisory roles for a lot of my life. So, you know, I am fortunate to have a very good support system. I still call the previous owner and bounce things off of her, but it's been honestly, whatever it is that comes up, I'm getting to do what I love, so it's worth it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's great. That's great. I mean, you know, a lot of people that I've talked to on my show have talked about you know, whether they in some cases they've like your journey. They used to work for the company. Now they own it and it's always a bigger. You know, obviously the responsibility of being an owner is a lot different than being an employee, because you're not only do you have responsibilities of other people that are relying on you, but it's you know the budgeting, the financial part of it, you know the, the paying the bills and all that other stuff. That's, that's a challenge.
Speaker 2:I guess you know there's a saying that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. I mean, I believe part of that, but you know there's still going to be. You're going to have your ups and downs. There's going to be days where it feels like that song Mama said. There'll be days like this.
Speaker 3:Always, always. And you know, for me it's it's a different one. There were, there were, those days with teaching and there were. You know the stress factor there. So you know for sure. And then you know everything you're saying is true. The other aspect with gymnastics is the safety piece of it too. So that's always at the forefront of my mind and and you know what I impart to the staff as well, because that's that's the biggest thing for gymnastics.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's true. I mean you know, when you see the competitive gymnastic events and what some of these girls and guys do with their bodies and just throw themselves at you know they're running full speed and doing the horse or pummel horse or whatever it's called. You know, my God, or you know the uneven bars and the way they throw themselves. You know it's gotta be a little time where you hold your breath and hope everything's okay. But what? So? What has been the most rewarding part of of you know, being part of Temple B and being the owner and being a part of this kind of gymnastics world?
Speaker 3:Yep, it's always the community aspect we have. We have people. We have people coming here that were students here and now they're bringing their kids. I taught them as students and now I'm teaching their kids. That's a little crazy, but we have, you know, grandparents who brought their kids and are now bringing their grandkids.
Speaker 3:I have staff. I taught over half of the staff that are working here now so very much that that community aspect. I'm always wearing my tumblebee shirt or sweatshirt or whatever and I'm stopped almost everywhere you know with a story about Tumblebee or oh, you know, I had my birthday party there when I was five and now that aspect of it, even you mentioned the cartwheel-a-thon. At the start of it, you know, the parent had just called because they couldn't attend classes anymore because of the diagnosis and it turned into this whole thing classes anymore because of the diagnosis and it turned into this whole thing. So things like that that you know we're able to be a part of this community and have this group of people and and you hear about the difference I have a parent who had been with us for a while and her son started preschool and she came back and she said you know, they brought up the fact that he was struggling a little bit socially and I asked what I should do and the preschool immediately said put them in classes at Tumblebee.
Speaker 3:We have OTs and PTs that recommend us at other you know daycares and preschools, because you know people recognize the value that it can bring. I know firsthand that you know how it helped me because you know it's it's learning the skills in a supportive way and there's not always so many things that are supportive nowadays. So you know when you're able to to build somebody up and it has an impact on them, you know you'll. You'll read the thank you notes and the emails and the cars and whatever gets sent and I always try to share it with my staff and just say you know it matters, even if we think it doesn't. The details. A parent will send an email about just the way that a staff member approached their child when they were scared or upset. Or you know how the child would start talking about their experience here when they wouldn't talk to others before. Things like that just it overshadows any of the tough days by a thousand.
Speaker 2:So that's, you know, that's what it's all about, right, About community and about people coming together. It's it's kind of my brand motto bringing people together through their stories and the shared experiences that we have as a community.
Speaker 3:Right, exactly.
Speaker 2:There's a reason why some of these boutique gyms like CrossFit or cycle bar or orange theory, it's not just about getting a workout. People feel like they're part of something.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 2:And you know they're there for each other, they're always rooting each other on, and that's the way to successfully build a business. I think it's. It's to have that and, as you said, generational.
Speaker 3:And even, you know, even though I'm a business trying to, you know, bring in clientele and promote myself and all of that you just mentioned cycle theory. We partnered with them to do, you know, like we had a raffle go on with some of their goods and they had one with some of ours, so also being able to build up those partnerships and the networking and all of that has been amazing, because I'm talking to people that you know we'll just shoot each other a text and be like hey, did you hear about that?
Speaker 3:Just because you know we're business owners together, looking out for each other, as opposed to like trying to compete against each other yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So, marie, where how would people find tumblebee like what's the best way to reach you guys?
Speaker 3:yeah, um, so the website phone number is on there, the email text facebook, all of that. Uh, it's. You know, the world is so small now, so Google Tumblebee.
Speaker 2:Well, let's just I'll just say it anyway for the benefit of the listeners. It's 845-623-2553. You're on a. You're a place called Market Street, 401 Market Street in Nanuet. It's kind of tucked away right.
Speaker 3:It is so. Next to the shops at Nanuet there's a strip mall, and we're in the back of the strip mall right so if you're coming from rivervale right, you're driving up middletown road yes uh, right before you get to route 59.
Speaker 2:Uh, the big you know shops at nanuet that used to have macy's and, yes, a bunch of other things before you turn into there. Right before that there's this other street called market street and you go in there and yes, it's correct yeah um gps has made it a lot easier to figure out where we are.
Speaker 3:We don't, we don't get quite as many.
Speaker 2:Uh, I'm in the parking lot looking for you phone calls, yeah, yeah uh, I know because I think I was there for a birthday party once, um, and then obviously met you as well. But, uh, so, marie, this was great, I really appreciate you being a guest today and, um, you know, again, it's. It's interesting when, uh, I have all different business owners on that, have all different types of businesses and stories, but the overarching kind of connecting thread is about community and about how they make people feel.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:And I think that's great. You're doing it from 10 months old all the way up to 12 years.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, You're talking about settings. Another saying is you know they may forget what you said, but they won't forget how you made them feel and exactly All right, Marie Well, thank you very much. We're going to just let.
Speaker 2:Chuck, kick us out, and you and I'll be right back.
Speaker 3:Perfect, thank you.
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 GNP Bergen. com. That's gnpbergen. com, or call 201-298-8325.