Training the next generation of gymnasts at Detroit School of Gymnastics
(CBS DETROIT) - The Detroit School of Gymnastics (DSG) is training the next generation of gymnasts and is a first-of-its-kind school on the city's west side near Davidson and Linwood.
"Detroit School of Gymnastics is the first Black-owned artistic gymnastics facility on the west side of Detroit," said DSG owner Marissa Schuh. "This is something my mom and I needed as a kid."
Schuh, a Detroit native, created the space for young inner-city girls to learn, practice and compete in artistic gymnastics without having to travel to the suburbs to do it.
"I honestly started this because of my little cousin, Harmony," Schuh said. "She was my shadow when I was in college. I helped raise her."
Harmony is now a competitive gymnast, but when her gym closed, Schuh opened her gym because she couldn't afford to put Harmony in club gymnastics.
When DSG opened in 2020, Schuh had no problem finding interested athletes, especially as the face of gymnastics is changing. Just last year at the 2022 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Black women swept the podium for the first time in history. Schuh wants to make sure it doesn't end there.
"I like to give the opportunity to those kids who honestly can't afford the prices," Schuh said.
While growing up, Schuh competed in gymnastics, but the prices were steep, and accessibility to the sport was limited. So, she keeps her prices low and offers payment plans.
"I never had the opportunity to be in a gym full of black girls or even to have a black coach," Schuh said.
Schuh wants all of her girls to take pride in who they are and what they're capable of achieving.
"I want [my girls] to feel loved, I want them to feel inspired, and I want them to feel like they can do anything they put their mind to," Schuh said.