A new indoor cheerleading gym is slated to open in Windsor Locks later this month during the second phase of Connecticut’s economic reopening.
Co-founders Jordan Bradley and Téa Kenney recently received a special use permit from the town’s planning and zoning commission to operate the so-called New World Athletics business in leased space at 1000 Old County Circle.
Bradley, a coach and certified judge in women’s gymnastics, said the business geared for both competitive travel teams and recreational classes is scheduled to open June 17 as the state begins to ease COVID-19 restrictions on gyms, movie theaters, museums and other indoor venues.
“It’s going to be a challenge with everything going on but we have all of our guidelines set to try and make everything move smoothly,” he said.
New World Athletics will be run out of a two-floor, 8,500-square-foot industrial space that is part of a larger office/industrial park that formerly housed an auto store. The business is looking for participants mainly between the ages of 3 and 18 years old, but it will also organize a competitive team for those 18 and older.
Several teams based at the Windsor Locks site will be competing in Florida, Washington, D.C. and Texas, among other areas. The teams are not associated with local schools and are expected to draw athletes from across Connecticut and Massachusetts, Bradley said. Free evaluations are set to begin in July.
Bradley, a former Kent resident, had been competing on a nationally known cheerleading team in Miami in recent years before he moved back to Connecticut about a year ago to pursue new coaching opportunities.
After competing and coaching for the last dozen years, Bradley said he developed a manager’s perspective and decided he wanted to run his own gym in an area in need of competitive cheerleading venues.
Bradley said he joined forces with Kenney, his former teammate, due to her more than 14 years experience in coaching and competing across the region. Together, they hope to woo clients within a 1 ½ hour radius.
“We hope that we will attract people based on our experience in the sport,” Bradley said.
