While watching the Rhythmic Gymnastics in the Olympics I got to thinking, perhaps the boys would enjoy working with ribbons and balls. I searched the internet and found a rhythmic gymnastics club about 30 minutes from here. I emailed the contact person and was invited to come to the club’s Open House last Thursday. I went. The lady introduced me to a national level gymnast who showed me some movements with both apparatus. The ribbon is six meters long. She said I could cut it down to a manageable size. (Good idea!)
I received the business card for the place they bought their equipment from. I checked it out on the internet and the cheapest ribbons were $29. The stick to attach to the ribbon was also $29. The balls were in the same price range. Hmmm…this was getting expensive. And, we would not be playing on clean gym mats. Nope. We’d be mucking about on arena footing. Back to the drawing board.
I found a “store” for rhythmic gymnastics equipment that didn’t have BIG price tags. I emailed the contact person asking questions about arena footing, horses, etc. and received a prompt reply. I called the store (it’s in New Jersey) and ordered some ribbons and balls. The ribbon I’m getting is very durable and the lady knew of people who have used it for three years and washed it many times. I’m getting two different sizes of balls so we have some reference point if we decide to reorder in a specific size. So, let the games begin!
The lady at the place where I went to watch the athlete with the ball and ribbon said, “Your email made my day!”
The lady in New Jersey sort of choked/giggled when I said, “Once I’ve got the apparatus in my hands I’ll have be really creative.” I mentioned that we might be able to bounce the balls off the pedestals, but not off the arena floor. There’s also the kickboards for bouncing…and we could place a 4’x8’ piece of plywood on the floor to give us a bouncing surface. I can envision people on the ground participating with the ridden horses. Should be interesting!
