Palaestra Gymnastics Academy

Palaestra Gymnastics Academy, located in Derry, New Hampshire, is a prestigious gymnastics academy dedicated to nurturing the potential of children, promoting excellence, and involving parents in their child's journey towards physical and mental development. Since its establishment in 1980 by Kathy Needham, Palaestra has been a leading training ground for gymnasts of all ages and levels, instilling in them the values of discipline, self-confidence, and teamwork.

Our Mission

At Palaestra Gymnastics Academy, we believe in providing a holistic approach to gymnastics training. Our mission is to create an environment that promotes physical and mental growth, teaches essential life skills, and fosters a love for the sport. We achieve this through our experienced and dedicated coaching staff, state-of-the-art facilities, and programs designed to cater to the needs of every child.

Preschool Gymnastics Taught Through Movement Education

Palaestra's preschool program is taught through movement education, providing a foundation for future sports and instilling in children essential life skills. Our program focuses on developing listening skills, self-esteem, physical strength, coordination, agility, and an "I can" attitude. We emphasize safety and provide a nurturing and fun-filled environment where children learn basic gymnastic skills, self-reliance, independent thinking, safety skills, problem-solving skills, and completion of tasks.

Recreational Program - Have Fun, Get Fit

At Palaestra Gymnastics Academy, our recreational program focuses on developing self-confidence, self-esteem, and mental discipline. We emphasize teamwork, respect for others, physical training, and technique. These values are the key to developing happy, productive, and successful young adults. Our program goes beyond gymnastics and focuses on the development of essential life skills.

Cheer/Tumble - Get the Edge

Palaestra Gymnastics Academy offers exceptional tumbling instruction for beginner to advanced level athletes of all ages. We provide a professional staff with expert spotting abilities along with a fully equipped gym including a competition cheer spring floor, Olympic rod tumbling strip, 40' tumble track trampoline, and much more. Palaestra has been a trusted training facility since 1980, working with semi-professional cheer teams, as well as Club and Division 1 College athletes. Sign up for a class today or call to schedule tumbling for your whole team. Private and semi-private instruction is also available.

Competitive Teams - Be Part of Ours

Palaestra Gymnastics Academy offers USAG competitive teams levels 3 through 10, as well as the Xcel program. Our specialized training system has been producing state champions since 1993. If your child is currently on a competitive team, please contact us for details regarding evaluation, placement opportunities, rates, schedules, etc. We are currently accepting all levels for our competitive teams.

Visit Us

We invite you to visit us at our state-of-the-art facility located at 8 C Tinkham Avenue, Derry, New Hampshire. Experience firsthand the Palaestra Gymnastics Academy difference and see why we have been the leading gymnastics academy in the area for over 40 years.