OUR STORY

Years in the Making

COMMITTED TO

OUR STUDENTS GROWTH

Today we are Tricks Sacramento but to know how we got here, we want to share some of our history with you. Tricks really began with two very important people: BarbaraJo and Vern Taylor. BarbaraJo started gymnastics at age 8 in her neighbor’s basement where she learned dance and tumbling. Coming from a family of 9 children and limited discretionary income for activities, her Mom put her in summer city rec classes where some coaches saw her potential and talked her into pursuing gymnastics more seriously. She began training and went on to compete with private clubs and then later on, in high school. She began teaching at the same summer rec program she first began in at age 14.

Vern and BarbaraJo met and got married in 1988 and moved to California to pursue a job for Vern. Vern worked while BarbaraJo searched out a gym to coach in. It didn’t take them long in their careers however to figure out that they wanted to pursue an ambitious change. In March 1990, Barbara Jo and Vern had a very serious talk that ended with a pinkie promise; he wanted to open their own gym. Luckily for them, while BarbaraJo was initially reluctant because of knowing how much work owning a business was, Vern was very persistent and the rest eventually became history!

Tricks opened it’s first gym on November 14, 1990 in Granite Bay, CA. In October 1997 the third Tricks location opened here on Marconi in Sacramento.

So how did we get from 1990 to now? I (Lauren) started at Tricks in May of 2012 as a host. I was in college at Sacramento State at the time and working another job at a pet food store. Since I was pursuing a degree to become an elementary teacher, and because of my experience in gymnastics and dance from a young age, Tricks seemed like a great fit. Initially I was unsure how long I would be able to balance two jobs and school. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take very long for me to fall in love with Tricks. After a few short months, I left the pet food store and Tricks became my home away from home! Not much has changed since then. I’ve made incredible memories with our Tricks families that will last a lifetime, and my closest friends are the people I’ve worked with at Tricks who have become like family to me. I’ve coached in every program in the gym and I truly love every part of coaching. Best of all, Brian and I became best friends working together at Tricks and married in 2021! Truly, Tricks has changed my life and I feel so lucky to call this my forever home.

Brian grew up doing gymnastics and tumbling in Auburn, CA. He went to Sacramento State as well and pursued a degree in Deaf Studies/American Sign Language. That’s what actually led to us meeting one another. Both of us were in the Sign Language Interpreting Program at American River College together in 2018-2019. We were discussing our childhoods in class and Brian mentioned he did gymnastics when he was younger. To his surprise, I asked if he wanted a job to which he replied “Yes!”. He applied later that day, interviewed later in the week and was hired shortly thereafter. He has been a TAG coach ever since! Not only does Brian love coaching, he also loves that this job keeps him active and that he gets to have such a positive impact on so many lives just like his gymnastics coaches did for him growing up.

Brian proposed to Lauren in September of 2020 on Lassen Peak. In November of that year we got our Border Collie/Queensland Heeler pup and can you guess her name?! It’s Lassen, named after where Brian proposed! She’s been our hiking and rock climbing companion ever since. We got married October 8, 2021 and shared the day with so many of our Tricks friends. They truly have become an extension of our family.

In 2020, The Taylors approached us to take ownership of the Sacramento location of Tricks. We were nervous but so excited for what our future could hold. On July 1st 2023, we officially changed from “Tricks Gymnastics Inc” to “Tricks Sacramento LLC”. We had an amazing ribbon cutting ceremony and made it official! We are so excited to share in this journey with all of you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for believing in us. Welcome everyone to Tricks Sacramento. We’re so excited you’re here!

MEET OUR TEAM

Today we are Tricks Sacramento but to know how we got here, we want to share some of our history with you. Tricks really began with two very important people: Barbara Jo and Vern Taylor. Barbara Jo started gymnastics at age 8 in her neighbor’s basement where she learned dance and tumbling. Coming from a family of 9 children and limited discretionary income for activities, her Mom put her in summer city rec classes where some coaches saw her potential and talked her into pursuing gymnastics more seriously. She began training and went on to compete with private clubs and then later on, in high school. She began teaching at the same summer rec program she first began in at age 14.

Vern and BarbaraJo met and got married in 1988 and moved to California to pursue a job for Vern. Vern worked while Barbara Jo searched out a gym to coach in. It didn’t take them long in their careers however to figure out that they wanted to pursue an ambitious change. In March 1990, Barbara Jo and Vern had a very serious talk that ended with a pinkie promise; he wanted to open their own gym. Luckily for them, while BarbaraJo was initially reluctant because of knowing how much work owning a business was, Vern was very persistent and the rest eventually became history!

Tricks opened it’s first gym on November 14, 1990 in Granite Bay, CA. In October 1997 the third Tricks location opened here on Marconi in Sacramento.

Brian grew up doing gymnastics and tumbling in Auburn, CA. He went to Sacramento State as well and pursued a degree in Deaf Studies/American Sign Language. That’s what actually led to us meeting one another. Both of us were in the Sign Language Interpreting Program at American River College together in 2018-2019. We were discussing our childhoods in class and Brian mentioned he did gymnastics when he was younger. To his surprise, I asked if he wanted a job to which he replied “Yes!”. He applied later that day, interviewed later in the week and was hired shortly thereafter. He has been a TAG coach ever since! Not only does Brian love coaching, he also loves that this job keeps him active and that we get to have such a positive impact on so many lives just like my gymnastics coaches did for us growing up.

40+

Caring
Instructors

27

Years Of Experience

613

Graduations Over the Last Year

12

Levels of Progression

200+

Classes Offered

All numbers are approximate as of Summer 2024

Tricks Sacramento Mission Statement

We exist to make a difference in the lives of our students.

Our purpose is to develop happy, healthy, confident children.

We believe that participation at Tricks will greatly improve physical abilities and build self confidence that will last a lifetime!