By Molly Magennis
Newport Calisthenics Club (NCC) will be celebrating a milestone anniversary this year, with 2022 marking 90 years since the club was first established.
Maddy Allen has been competing with NCC for 25 years. She currently holds a spot on the committee and volunteers as an assistant coach weekly.
She said to celebrate the anniversary, the club will be holding a special gala event, inviting any past members to return to the club to reflect on the past 90 years.
“We’re inviting all our past members who are still obviously in the area or with us to come along and we’re going to have presentations of past videos, costumes, photos….. [and] kind of give a history lesson to all the newbies that have come along as well because it’s got such a rich history.”
Allen said she’s stuck around at the club for so long because of the wonderful friendships she’s made, and the amazing community the club has established.
“There’s just a good sense of community and a sense of belonging, and that’s good for everyone at our club to have that,” she said.
“You could be any size, any body type, you could be non flexible or whatever, we’ll take you because we’re all-inclusive.”