Stepping foot on a balance beam for the first time can be very challenging, but for members of the Binghamton club gymnastics team, that is exactly what they love to do: testing their bodies to the fullest extent every time they step out on the floor to practice.

You probably didn’t even know Binghamton had a gymnastics team, especially since the club was founded just two years ago by Miho Urisaka — now an alumnus of the school — and Ilene Friedman, who worked at the Southern Tier Gymnastics Academy (STGA) in 2004. But the club consistently brings at least 20 members for every SGTA practice and had 47 members last semester.

“I see the club expanding and becoming more popular throughout the years,” said junior Andrea Bean.

Although the gymnastics team was not SA chartered when it first began, it became an official club in the fall of 2005. This has been the team’s first full successful year as a club sport and the athletes are continuing to make great strides in the athletic arena. They hope to compete with other schools such as Syracuse and Cornell in the near future.

“I really like that the club represents all skill levels and the coaches are really helpful,” said freshman Tracy Vence. “Gymnastics is great for both personal achievement and making friends.”

One of the attractive qualities of this club is that it is open to all skill levels, with no experience necessary to join.

“It is exhilarating to watch the students who have never done any gymnastics before start the semester with no skills and by the end of the semester they almost have back handsprings,” said Friedman, who is the club’s president. “With improvements like this, it’s no wonder that the size of the team continues to grow.”

Currently, the club practices Monday and Wednesday nights at STGA and on Sunday afternoons in the East Gym. If you want to learn more about the team, check out http://sa.binghamton.edu/~bugymnastics.