ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 27, 1997 TAG: 9703280006
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA GIBSON THE ROANOKE TIMES TO THE KIDS who gather each
Saturday morning at the downtown YMCA, George Cuadrado is more than just a
gymnastics instructor.
He's a friend. A listener. A teacher. An encourager.
``We all love him,'' said Sam Garber, whose 4-year-old daughter, Mary Hannah, attends the tumblebugs class at the YMCA where Cuadrado has taught gymnastics for the past 22 years.
``Mary Hannah can't wait for Saturday to come. She starts talking about gymnastics on Thursday and doesn't stop.''
Cuadrado runs three classes each Saturday for boys and girls at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. But his take on tumbling isn't the only reason his classes are always full.
In between teaching the mechanics of assorted flips and turns, Cuadrado sneaks in lessons on good, old-fashioned values.
``He talks to them about keeping their rooms clean and how to talk nice to people,'' Garber said. ``He tells the kids they need to hug mom and dad and tell them they love them. It's stuff we try to instill in [Mary Hannah] as parents, but it's nice when it's coming from another source, too.''
Emily Flowers said that through the tumblebugs class, her daughter, Saqqara, has learned to participate well with other kids and has become more tolerant. Flowers, a second-grade teacher at Fallon Park Elementary, said she's amazed by Cuadrado's patience and his ability to instill confidence in his students.
``He has kids come in in tears and they don't want to do anything. And by the end of the class, he's got them doing cartwheels in front of everyone,'' she said.
One of Cuadrado's main goals is building his students' self-esteem - and he enjoys finding unconventional ways to do it. He will sometimes choose the struggling gymnast - the shy one or the one who hasn't quite grasped a move - to serve as a model for the class. Other times, when a child is hesitant to try something new, he'll ask the class, ``What does it mean to be afraid?''
Their enthusiastic response: ``It means your brain is working.''
``There's no trauma, and it makes the kids feel good,'' said Cuadrado, who started gymnastics at a boys' club soon after his parents moved the family from Puerto Rico to New York City when he was 7. ``I think the parents really appreciate that.''
Garber said Cuadrado's techniques have helped his daughter outside of class.
``Now I see it at home or when we go somewhere else: She's willing to try new things," he said. "[Cuadrado] is as strict as I'd like him to be. He demands they give their best.''
As his gymnasts roll and tumble through different stations around the YMCA gym, Cuadrado offers constant words of encouragement: ``That was a beauty. ... There you go. ... I'm proud of you.''
The gym has sparse equipment: uneven parallel bars, rings, floor mats, a floor-level beam. There is also a regular beam, which doubles as a pommel horse when a mat is thrown over it. Cuadrado said he enjoys having the students use the equipment in nontraditional ways.
``I try to think of myself as a kid. What would I want to do with this equipment?'' said Cuadrado, who at 52 can still execute a back handspring with ease and often demonstrates moves for the class. ``It's a controlled environment, but we have fun, too.''
Cuadrado said his classes have always placed a high importance on having fun. For students with the talent and interest in competition, he'll recommend one of the local gymnastics academies.
``He focuses less on competition and more on having fun and doing a good job, which I think is great,'' Flowers said. ``Not everyone can be the best, but everyone can be the best they can be.''
Cuadrado, a pharmaceutical sales representative for Bristol-Myers Squibb, said he is driven by a desire to make a positive difference in the lives of his students. He jokes that he'll continue to teach gymnastics as long as his body holds up.
``The ones I really enjoy the most are the ones who walk in here a little shy or maybe overweight and would normally just sit around and watch,'' he said. ``But they start trying things they normally wouldn't, and you see the weight come down and the smiles on the faces of the parents.
"That's where the real value of the program is.''
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/THE ROANOKE TIMES. 1. George Cuadradoby CNBhelps a young student with his dismount during a gymnastics class at
the YMCA in downtown Roanoke. color. 2. He's still got it: George
Cuadrado demonstrate a handstand for his gymnastics students at the
YMCA.