Park District of Highland Park – New Gymnastics Facility from Concept to Installation

Project Overview

When the Park District of Highland Park began planning for the future of its gymnastics programming, the goal was clear: create a larger, more capable, and more flexible gymnastics facility that could serve athletes beyond the introductory level.

The District already had an active gymnastics program, but its existing space limited what could be offered. The program primarily served younger children and beginning-level gymnasts because the room did not allow for a full range of regulation-size gymnastics equipment, expanded training stations, or long-term athlete development.

In September 2023, American Gymnast began working with the Park District of Highland Park to help turn that vision into a practical facility design. The project included consulting on the business plan, reviewing program goals, working through multiple design concepts, and refining the layout until the final plan met the needs of coaches, administrators, recreational students, preschool participants, and competitive gymnasts.

The result was a brand-new gymnastics training facility designed to support preschool gymnastics, recreational classes, competitive girls gymnastics, tumbling, trampoline, pit training, and supplemental activity zones.

Highland Park 3D Gym Design Images

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The Challenge

The Park District of Highland Park had strong demand for gymnastics, but the existing facility created several limitations.

The available space restricted the program to mostly younger participants and beginning-level classes. As athletes grew older, stronger, and more advanced, the District did not have the space or equipment needed to continue supporting their progression. This meant many athletes eventually had to move to other gymnastics providers to keep developing their skills.

The business plan identified a clear opportunity: the District already had a strong base of young participants, but it needed a larger, dedicated gymnastics facility to retain those athletes, reduce waitlists, and serve a wider age range.

At the time of planning, the District’s gymnastics program had served hundreds of unique participants and had significant waitlist demand. The need was not simply for more equipment. The need was for a thoughtfully designed space that could expand the entire gymnastics program.

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The Goal

The Park District wanted a facility that could support:

• Preschool gymnastics
• Recreational gymnastics
• Competitive girls gymnastics
• Progressive skill development
• Tumbling
• Trampoline training
• Pit training
• Open gym and drop-in experiences
• Small performances or in-house events
• Supplemental activity areas such as climbing and movement-based play

The facility also needed to be efficient from a coaching perspective. Stations had to flow logically. Athletes needed safe transitions between events. Coaches needed clear visibility. The design also had to accommodate different age groups and skill levels using the space at the same time.

In short, this was not just an equipment order. It was a full facility planning project.

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Our Role

American Gymnast worked closely with the Park District of Highland Park throughout the planning and design process.

The project began with consultation around the District’s gymnastics business plan and the type of programming the new facility needed to support. From there, we helped evaluate the equipment requirements, training priorities, available space, and layout options.

Several rounds of design revisions were completed before the final concept was approved. Each version brought the project closer to a layout that balanced safety, functionality, athlete progression, coach usability, and long-term program growth.

The final concept gave the coaches and administrators a facility plan they were excited about—one that could support the District’s current participants while creating room for future growth.

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Facility Features

The completed gymnastics facility includes a comprehensive mix of competitive equipment, training stations, preschool equipment, and specialty activity areas.

Key features include:

AAI Competitive Gymnastics Equipment

The facility was designed with AAI competitive gymnastics equipment, giving the District the ability to support athletes training on the core women’s artistic gymnastics events, including vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.

This allows the program to move beyond introductory classes and better serve gymnasts as they develop into higher skill levels.

In-Ground Trampoline

The in-ground trampoline provides a safer, more efficient training station for aerial awareness, body control, drills, and progressive skill development.

By recessing the trampoline into the floor system, the facility creates easier access and a cleaner training environment for both recreational and team athletes.

Tumbling Strip

A dedicated tumbling strip gives athletes a focused lane for tumbling progressions, drills, and skill development. It also helps separate tumbling traffic from other event areas, improving the flow and usability of the gym.

Rod Floor

The rod floor gives athletes an additional tumbling surface designed for repetition, power development, and advanced progression. This is especially valuable for athletes working higher-level tumbling skills before transferring them to the spring floor.

Vault and Single Bar Trainer into a Loose Foam Pit

One of the most important training features is the loose foam pit, which receives multiple training stations. The vault area and single bar trainer are designed into the pit, allowing athletes to train more safely while developing confidence on higher-risk skills.

Pit access is critical in a gymnastics facility because it gives coaches a way to introduce and progress skills while reducing impact and improving athlete safety.

Dedicated Preschool Area

The facility includes a dedicated preschool section, allowing younger children to explore movement, balance, coordination, and beginning gymnastics skills in a space designed specifically for their size and developmental stage.

This was an important part of the design because the Park District already had a strong base of younger participants. The new facility allows the program to continue serving preschool athletes while also expanding opportunities for older and more advanced gymnasts.

Rock Climbing Activity Area

The rock climbing activity adds another movement-based feature to the facility. It supports strength, coordination, confidence, and active play while expanding the appeal of the space beyond traditional gymnastics events.

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Why the Design Matters

A successful gymnastics facility has to do more than fit equipment into a room.

It has to support the way coaches teach. It has to create safe progressions for athletes. It has to allow different classes and age groups to operate efficiently. It has to provide enough variety to keep recreational athletes engaged while also offering the training tools competitive athletes need.

For the Park District of Highland Park, the design needed to accommodate preschool, recreational, and competitive girls gymnastics within the same facility.

That required careful planning around:

• Event placement
• Pit access
• Traffic flow
• Age-group separation
• Coach visibility
• Training progressions
• Safety zones
• Equipment spacing
• Future program growth

The final layout gives the District a facility that can support a much broader gymnastics program than its previous space allowed.

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Installation Process

Once the final design was approved, the project moved from concept to installation.

The installation included setting up the major gymnastics apparatus, training stations, pit areas, preschool equipment, tumbling surfaces, and specialty activity zones. Each component had to be placed according to the approved layout so the finished space would function as intended.

The installation process brought together the planning, design, and equipment decisions that had been developed over the previous months. What began as a business plan and a facility concept became a fully installed gymnastics training space.

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Project Outcome

The new Park District of Highland Park gymnastics facility gives the District a much stronger platform for long-term program growth.

Instead of being limited primarily to younger and introductory athletes, the District now has a facility that can better support:

• Preschool gymnastics
• Beginner and recreational classes
• Progressive skill development
• Competitive girls gymnastics
• Tumbling and trampoline training
• Pit-based skill development
• Camps, clinics, open gyms, and special programming

The facility also gives the District more flexibility in how it schedules classes, develops athletes, and serves the surrounding community.

Most importantly, the new space helps keep athletes progressing within the Park District’s own program rather than outgrowing the available equipment and needing to train elsewhere.

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A Facility Built for Growth

The Park District of Highland Park project is a great example of how thoughtful facility planning can shape the future of a gymnastics program.

By starting with the business plan, understanding the program goals, and working through multiple design concepts, the final facility became more than a collection of equipment. It became a purpose-built training environment designed around the needs of athletes, coaches, administrators, and the community.

American Gymnast was proud to help the Park District of Highland Park bring this project from early planning to completed installation.

For parks and recreation departments, schools, gymnastics clubs, and community organizations considering a new gymnastics facility or major equipment upgrade, this project shows the value of starting with a clear plan, designing around program goals, and choosing equipment that supports both current needs and future growth.

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