Clayton gym offers free online workout classes

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Three weeks ago, Premier Athletics in Clayton was buzzing with physical activity for kindergartners up to high school seniors.

That's hundreds of kids cycling through hundreds of classes each day.

The instruction in areas of cheerleading, dance and tumbling help young athletes perfect their craft. One of the goals - to showcase that talent at national and world competitions hosted by Disney World annually in the spring. Those events are now canceled.

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"It was really hard to tell those kids that," says Becca Bass the Premier Athletics Media Director. "Especially for our high school senior age kids. Knowing they weren't going to be able to finish their season out was really a tough pill to swallow."

Last week, Premier Athletics shifted gears offering free classes three times a day on Facebook

"Three times a day we had different instructors from different locations teaching everything from a TikTok dance challenge to keep the kids moving and having fun, to stretch and flexibility to some at-home workout so that went really well this week. We got some awesome feedback from that. "

The next phase is to roll out videos for current members keeping students engaged and in a routine as much as possible. Virtual classes provide drills so athletes can maintain their skills and more importantly stay connected.

"We want to keep the community involved by giving our free classes on Facebook. We also want our members to still be getting something that they are paying for. "

The main message from Premier Athletics is that kids need to stay active and through virtual classes, they are there to help.