GymZone Gymnastics & Athletics (Valley)

Lisa Kivinen

Lisa Kivinen started her first gymnastics lesson in 1977 after watching the infamous, Nadia Comaneci score a perfect 10 at the Montreal Olympics. Initially, Lisa trained and competed on trampoline at the primary school level and after some encouragement from her teacher, she joined the Sudbury Laurels. Lisa eventually trained and competed a very high level of gymnastics, often becoming the first gymnast in Northern Ontario to complete skills done by very few gymnasts in the south. Gymnastics provided the opportunities, excitement and challenges that fostered Lisa’s passion to explore all that gymnastics had to offer.

At the age of 14, Lisa began sharing her passion for gymnastics with other athletes. She coached her first group of young recreational gymnasts and then became a Provincial Level Gymnastics Judge. At the age of 17, Lisa hung up her competitive leotard and realized that coaching and judging Provincial Level gymnastics enabled her to share her passion with as many children as possible.

Lisa’s belief that every child benefits by doing gymnastics at some point in their lives is what has driven her to continue the growth and accessibility of GymZone. She has witnessed how even one session improves a child’s overall dexterity, giving them more confidence to try new things. Lisa is famous for telling all who will listen about some of Sudbury’s most successful athletes, like hockey players, track and field athletes, swimmers, soccer players, that have benefited from gymnastics at GymZone. Her famous line is “Look at what it did for Zdeno Chara”.

Like Jack, Lisa will always be dedicated to enriching the lives of children in the broader community. Her commitment to many volunteer organizations such as SportLink (City of Greater Sudbury Sport Council), Laurentian University Board of Governors, Ontario Trillium Foundation – just to name a few, shows her passion for our community and its’ overall success. Lisa continues to invest her heart into GymZone as she feels it is more then just a facility for gymnastics but rather an avenue for all of Sudbury’s youth to reach their full potential.