Beams

Tri-Star's six high beams and five low beams accommodate students of all ages and skill levels. From basic balancing exercises to high level tumbling techniques, the balance beam is one of the competitive events for girls.

Uneven Bars

For a skilled gymnast, uneven bars can be one of he most exciting events in the sport. Students of all levels learn basic bar skills such as swinging and gripping. They are also a common element in strength and flexibility conditioning drills. Women's gymnastics programs train basic skills on the uneven bars, and girl's team and Pre-Team level begin learning compulsory bar routines for competition.

Vault

This event incorporates the vaulting spring board and the gymnast's vaulting table. Beginner students practice running, jumping, proper landing techniques and body control drills to protect themselves in a fall. More advanced gymnasts learn acrobatic tumbling skills, including competitive vault skills and progressions to advanced vaults.

Mini-Star Area

This is our generalized training area for Mini Stars. Students practice on an event "circuit" with four to six different drills for basic tumbling, strength, and balance training. Basic skills including cartwheels, handstands, forward and backward rolls are practiced, along with bar basics like front support and glide swing. The Mini-Star Area is closest to the guest area, where our youngest students like to show off their skills to their parents and spectators. But watch out for the man-eating crocodiles under the parallel bars!

The mini-star area includes:
- Two training bars
- Two "cheese mats" for tumbling assistance
- Two "rainbow" mats
- The aluminum parallel bars
- One to three panel mats used for cartwheel practice

B.A.B. Area

A specialized tumbling and conditioning area for beginners and advanced beginners. Functionally similar to the Mini-Star Area, but designed to help train more advanced tumbling skills. The B.A.B. area is one of the most versatile sections of the gym, and can be used to set up a large number of different exercises, everything from forward rolls to flip-flops.

Men's High Bar

The men's high bar, narrower and more flexible than the parallel bars, is designed to support more weight for higher energy skills and complicated release moves. Gymnasts use the high bar for the first time in Boy's Fast Track classes when they are introduced to their first competitive skills. The USAG Girls from Team Tri-Star can often be seen doing "giant swings" on this bar as well.

Parallel Bars

The P-Bars combine upper body strength and sense of balance, both of which are essential gymnastics skills. Mini-Stars and Beginners first learn how to support their own weight using just their arms, where Fast Track boys and girls will learn "hand walks" to strengthen their arms and torsos. Fast Track Boys and Pre-Teamers begin training USAG skills in preparation for competitive routines on the parallel bars, including straight swings, L-holds, and handstand dismounts.

Pommel Horse / Mushroom

Used almost exclusively by Boys Fast Track and Team programs, the Pommel Horse skills can be a test of strength and endurance for even experienced gymnasts. Most students will use the equipment for strength and flexibility conditioning, where advanced students will begin to learn competitive skills like scissors, leg cuts and straddle holds.

Still Rings

Boy's still rings challenge a gymnasts' upper body strength and body control in swing, hold, control and release moves. All level gymnasts use the "low rings" for some fundamental strength holds such as inverted candlesticks and "skin-the-cat". Boy's Fast Track and Pre-Team levels begin to learn competitive moves such as free-swings (pictured right) dismounts, and competitive skills for competition.

Beginner classes may use the high rings with a 36 inch "twinkie" mat for soft landings, while advanced Boys classes will use two 8' crash mats to simulate full competition height. The smaller training rings are mounted on detachable straps to the men's high bar and have adjustable heights and widths; many beginner classes will use the training rings extensively before they begin to practice any skills on the High  Rings.

 

Tumble Track

The tumble track is an incredibly versatile apparatus, primarily designed to facilitate both basic and advanced tumbling skills as well as basic vaulting and aerial techniques. Additionally, a detachable training bar allows for "giant swing" progression training, as well as conditioning drills handstand hops and support bounces to build a gymnasts core strength and wrist rotation.

Trampoline

Our main trampoline is surrounded by a custom-built standing platform. The tramp is one of the favorite events for all class levels, allowing for simple jump/leap combinations up to and including flips, drops and aerobatic stunts. More importantly, the trampoline provides a useful training area for difficult tumbling skills such as handsprings and front/back flips by allowing gymnasts to refine their technique and skill in a "low gravity" setting.

The Foam Pit

Tri-Star's foam pit is a padded area filled with thousands of soft foam blocks over a bed of crash mats to facilitate safe landing from planned and unplanned falls. The pit absorbs the force of impact by distributing the force over a large distance. Our U.S.A.G. coaches use the pit for advanced bar dismount and tumbling techniques and to build confidence when learning new skills. For recreational students and special event guests it is a test of courage and excitement, jumping from the pit runway into the soft landing area.

The North Gym

Opened in September 2011, the North Gym contains an additional 40 x 40 ft floor exercise area and additional gymnastics equipment for recreational gymnastics classes and Cheerleading teams.