Pax Gymnastics Cuts Red Ribbon

Brigitte Laketa cut the ribbon of her new gymnastics studio in downtown Chelsea surrounded by her smiling students and their parents, Wednesday evening. Pax Gymnastics is located in a building between Jet’s Pizza and the intersection of East and North Streets is now made up of several businesses; the newest of which is Laketa’s expansive gymnastics studio.

Brigitte Laketa cutting the red ribbon.

“I have been in gymnastics my entire life. My situation is unique because right out of college, I was the head gymnastics coach at Western Michigan University. I was 21 when I got that job,” Laketa said.

She held that position for ten years and had four children, and then moved on to training older elementary school aged children in North Carolina, before moving back to Michigan to reopen her mother’s gym.

“My Mom was a dance teacher and gymnastics coach for 52 years,” Laketa added. “Now we’re doing this excel program. A lot of teachers start at a lower level and try to work their way up, aspiring to be college coaches and I sort of went the backway. But I love it. This is just as exciting to me as representing a university.”

Laketa welcomes students as young as one all the way through to teenagers. Any skill level can sign up, even if it is just to try it out. Parents can sign up their kids for one day drop off classes for as low as $5 for preschoolers, to as high as $195 for once a week classes lasting a few months.

The space can be rented out for summer camps, birthday parties and nerf nights; which are regularly scheduled obstacle courses. But it isn’t just kids who can take advantage of Chelsea’s newest business. Stacy Sheets offers fitness training courses for anyone 16 and older in the same space.

“It is not only working with the wholistic person, but we’re working with strengthening the body; incorporating balance, cardio and core strengthening. Each session is unique and is done in this environment that has a variety of different equipment. We use a variety of equipment each time they’re in here,” Sheets said. “It’s nice to have space for parents to work out while their kids are enjoying some free time for themselves while they themselves are working out.”

Brigitte Laketa & Stacy Sheets

The original plan was to open back in June 2020, but then, according to Laketa, “Covid hit.” But Laketa persevered, and opened the gym in March 2021. The official ribbon cutting for the Chelsea business community to formally welcome her to town took place on November 17.

“We couldn’t be more happy to have Pax Gymnastics coming to town. It was a void in our community, as far as gymnastics go, so it is just great to have someone bring in so much joy into this community,” Chelsea Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Terris Ahrens said.