 Christine DeckMy Name is Christine Deck. I have been the owner of Flying High since it opened in 1991. I opened the gym when I was 19. At the time, there were very few gymnastics centers in the area. While gymnastics has always been my passion and something that came naturally to me, running a business was an adventure for me. I can tell you, a boring day does not exist in my world! I am always learning, and mostly from your children! My gymnastics career began when I was three. My parents, to whom I owe my entire success, drove me 45 minutes EACH WAY, five times a week so I could do what I love. Back then, that was the closest gym to us! My Mother placed me in gymnastics at such a young age (there was no such thing as Mommy and Me classes back then) to keep me safe! By age three I was already flipping off couches, jumping off tables to land in my splits, and trying to fly. As an 8th grader, I assisted my mother's friend, who taught a group of 1st and 2nd grade girls at our local Sokol. I loved every minute. I was also in a gifted program at school that placed me in high school in the afternoons. This enabled me to join the Morton High School team as an 8th grader. I believe that experience is what opened the door to coaching for me. As an 8th grader, I was coaching and spotting many of the Varsity girls. It was an experience I will never forget. My gymnastics career certainly took a hit with the decision to stop my club gymnastics for this experience, but it opened up a whole new world to me. Throughout my fou years at Lyons Township High School, I taught at no less than three gymnastics organizations at a time. I have coached in two Sokols, three Park Districts, two Recreation Programs (I was a Director at one), and one Private Club. At the age of 19, Flying High was born in a 1,000 square foot office area that we renovated ourselves. My hope, passion and dream has always been that gymnastics could give children self confidence and co-ordination that they may not have had otherwise. My most fulfilling moment was over 16 years ago. A mother came up to me after class so thrilled with our program because she had an extremely cautious daughter. She was glowing as she told me that her daughter had pulled a chair over to the kitchen counter and climbed up on the counter to get cookies. She said her daughter had NEVER climbed on anything prior to taking gymnastics with us. It was a moment that brought me to tears, still does, and set in stone what the goals of Flying High would be from that day forward. Over the years we have cultivated a culture here that, we believe, keeps people coming to us. We do very little advertising and rely on word-of-mouth. We truly try to put 100% of ourselves into every class, and try to create an individual experience for every student. I have been blessed with a wonderful staff who wholeheartedly accept and practice our tagline “Where EVERY child is a STAR” so much so that when we toyed with the idea of changing it for the new facility, there was almost an employee strike. This tagline means a lot to our staff. They feel that without it, we are just another gym; and that’s not what they, nor I, want to be. I have been doing this for over half of my life, and know that I have MANY years left in me. I consider myself incredibly lucky because I look forward to coming into work, and tomorrow will ALWAYS be different than yesterday.
Christine Deck |
 Laura MeyerBackground (coaching, with kids, etc) My background began at Flying High when I was a junior in high school. At the time I was just a high school kid looking for some extra cash. Now, almost 10 years later, I truly believe I have found what I want to do with the rest of my life. I do know how lucky I am. I can sit in my office and deal with the daily stresses of helping to run a business and then walk out into the gym and talk about one of my 3 yr old’ gerbils for 10 minutes. Life doesn’t get much better than that. And I am here to tell you that kids are usually much smarter than adults. They make you realize that everything isn’t as big of a deal as you think. Life is simple! I am lucky enough to be reminded of that every day. Not to mention…FH has some of the greatest parents I have ever known. It constantly amazes me how many parents walk in and stop to say hello. Really, it makes Flying High a very warm place. Music is my true passion. My instrument collection includes: Piano (takes up most of my living room!), four guitars, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, harmonica, various drums, tin flute, jaw harp, keyboard, and yes…even a musical saw. I don’t play all of them well, just enough to keep me happy (can’t say the same for my neighbors). I also enjoy traveling. Just before I graduated college, I spent most of the summer in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. I have also just recently returned from a three week sampler of Europe. Italy, Spain, France, England (again), and Holland. I encourage everyone I know to travel as I believe it makes you a more understanding, accepting and overall complete person. Reading and writing are two other things I love to do. Books, newspapers, magazines (I have to admit, Reader’s Digest and National Geographic are my favorite), anything…I love it all. I want my students to learn that they don’t have to be “the star” to have fun. Yes, accomplishing goals is ALWAYS fun, but being 1st is not always the best goal to set. Striving for your own personal best will put you among the top players of any field (be it athletic or not). Striving to outrank yourself or beat your personal best is the best competition there is. I also want my students to know the importance of learning. We don’t just teach sports here. We teach children how to be creative. They have set goals and now need to reach them: how are we going to do that? There is never just one answer. Life would be boring if there was! Something interesting about me (that has nothing to do with anything you do here): Well, if you work here or have been a part of Flying High for a while, you probably know…but I have a 50 acre farm in Galena, Il. Of all the places I’ve been around world, this is by far my favorite. It has been my family for 21 years, and is my most prized possession. The house and barns are in a valley surrounded by 50 acres of beautiful hills, trees, crops, and sometimes cows. We have a TV, but ONLY for movies. I spend every free moment I have there with my best friend (my dog, Harper), and any others who want to tag along. Laura Meyer |
