Kids have a new place to jump and tumble around. Just-opened Oak Harbor GymKids on NE Seventh Avenue offers big, bright rooms filled with gymnastics equipment — trampolines, parallel bars, rings, trapeze, cushy mats — and enthusiasm.

It’s the second GymKids in Washington. Owner Tammie Bonsen started the first in Selah four years ago. Bonsen’s sister and brother-in-law live in Oak Harbor and kept telling her how much Oak Harbor needed something like GymKids and how well they thought GymKids would fit in Oak Harbor.

Bonsen has coached gymnastics for 22 years; manager Annie Rossman has coached for eight years. Bonsen coached Rossman for several years. “It’s rewarding to work with kids and watch their self-confidence and awareness increase,” Bonsen said.

But don’t expect competition at GymKids. “We don’t do team competitions,” Rossman said “Here we want kids to have fun, to learn that fitness is fun.”

Bonsen added, “Learning gymnastics is rewarding for kids. They learn to move their bodies while learning skills.”

Of course, all this fun and fitness isn’t free — there are fees for the classes. “What kids get out of learning gymnastics is worth it,” Bonsen said.

Judging from a beginning gymnastics class Thursday, girls and parents agree with Bonsen.

While Rossman put the girls through warm-up exercises, parents watched from the bleachers.

Mark Scott says his 10-year-old daughter Kaylen was really interested in taking gymnastics again. “It’s a good after school activity for her too,” he said.

Diane Cloughessy said taking gymnastics through high school helped her with shyness. Since her daughter Debbie, 6, is shy, Cloughessy wanted her to take gymnastics. “It’s a great way to draw kids out and meet kids who share the same interests,” she said. “I’m really impressed by the coaches here.”

The Schulle family moved from Ellensburg last year. “Makenzi took gymnastics for three years there and has been dying to get back to it,” her mother Shari said. “Now she can.”