There’s something special about growing up in a small community. Kids see familiar faces, families run into each other around town, and the places where children learn and play become part of the fabric of everyday life.
That’s the spirit behind Community Mountain Gym, which has returned to the San Lorenzo Valley and found its new permanent home in downtown Felton.
Community Mountain Gym began in 2022 with a simple idea: families shouldn’t have to travel far from home to give their children the opportunity to move, play, learn and build confidence. The inspiration came in part from a very personal reminder of just how powerful gymnastics can be.
That year, founder Jessica Deshayes attended her longtime coach’s 50th wedding anniversary. Being surrounded by people who had been part of her gymnastics journey brought back memories of the coaches, teammates and community that had helped shape her. Jessica realized that gymnastics had given her far more than physical skills.
It had helped her develop confidence, resilience, discipline, trust and a sense of belonging—and she wanted to create an opportunity for local children to experience those same benefits. As a local mom of three, Jessica also knew firsthand how far families in the mountains often had to travel for gymnastics and other movement programs.
So Community Mountain Gym began as a mobile gymnastics program, bringing classes directly into the community. Programs were first held at Felton Community Hall, followed by partnerships with the Boulder Creek Recreation Department and Scotts Valley Recreation Department. Over time, Community Mountain Gym became a way for children throughout the San Lorenzo Valley and surrounding mountain communities to access gymnastics and movement close to home.
After taking a break, Community Mountain Gym is back—and this time, it has a place to call home.
The new studio in downtown Felton may be small, but the vision is anything but. It is designed to be a welcoming space where children can develop physical skills while also learning the less tangible skills that stay with them long after they leave the gym: confidence, perseverance, body awareness, teamwork and the courage to try something new.
Safety and quality instruction are central to the gym’s philosophy. Community Mountain Gym’s coaches are USA Gymnastics registered, CPR trained, background checked and SafeSport certified, giving families confidence that their children are learning in a supportive and safety-conscious environment.
The goal isn’t to create a gym that feels intimidating or exclusive. It’s to create a place where children can walk through the door and feel like they belong.
Community Mountain Gym currently offers weekly classes for children ages 0-12, as well as seasonal camps, open gyms, Parent’s Night Out events and birthday parties. The programming will continue to grow in the coming months. Jessica’s husband, Ludovic, will soon be offering ninja classes, and yoga classes are also in development.
The Deshayes family recently returned from the USA Gymnastics conference in Phoenix, bringing home new ideas, education and inspiration to continue developing the gym and expanding its offerings.
That sense of community has been at the heart of Community Mountain Gym from the very beginning—and now, with a permanent home in downtown Felton, there is a place for that vision to grow.
