Elgin youth gymnastics facility closes abruptly

The owners of a beloved youth gymnastics facility in Elgin that closed abruptly said they could no longer afford to keep up operations.

Spring Hill Gymnastics has been at 2750 Pinnacle Drive for about a decade; before that, it was on McLean Boulevard in Elgin for about eight years. The facility served about 1,200 young gymnasts.

Dale Roehrig, who owns the facility with his wife Mary Joe, said the decision to close wasn't made lightly. Faced with health issues and rising taxes, the couple no longer had the funds or the stamina to run Spring Hill Gymnastics themselves, he said.

They had been planning to sell the business and stay involved as consultants, he said, but a buyer backed out last week.

"There's nobody out there that cared more than my wife and I. We really, really wanted the best," Roehrig said. "I know people will be angry, but it's certainly not a betrayal. It's survival."

A statement announcing the facility's closing was posted on its Facebook page Tuesday evening, after the Daily Herald reached out to the Roehrigs.

"Any monies due for return through team fees and coaches fees will be returned as soon as possible," the statement says. All accounts have been handed over to accountants and attorneys, "and they will be handling all of our financial affairs moving forward."

Roehrig said he and his wife had decided by Friday that they were going to close for good.

Parents got an email Saturday saying the gym would close the week of Aug. 13 and reopen Aug. 21, as is customary the week children go back to school. But there was no mention of permanent closure.

Parent Michelle Nordstrom of Gilberts said she and other parents are angry and shocked they weren't notified sooner and that their children didn't get the chance to say goodbye to each other and their coaches.

Her 9-year-old daughter, who attended the gym for four years, is hurt and confused, Nordstrom said. "It's just heartbreaking, because some of these kids are really bonded," she said.

Nordstrom said she was charged $240 for monthly tuition in early August; other parents paid hundreds more for coaches' fees for the 2017-18 season, she said.

Owners, employees and some volunteers spent all day Tuesday clearing out the facility and loading equipment into trailers, Roehrig said. Many of the families were those who had helped the owners open Spring Hill Gymnastics in 2001.

"My wife and I put our heart and soul into this forever," he said. "It's all very emotional. We've been through a lot together."