Philadelphia Boys’ Gymnastics began as Temple University Boys’ Gymnastics Team (TUBGT) in the fall of 2003 when two nearby boys’ team programs were terminated and the gym at Temple became available for evening activity. That first year was also the start of the Temple Boys’ Invitational, which later became the Philadelphia Boys’ Invitational.
TUBGT trained in the Temple University gymnastics facility and produced several boys who went on to collegiate competition. Proceeds from the program were donated to TUMG, providing a nice supplement to its operating funds. In 2011, the team name was changed to Philadelphia Boys’ Gymnastics and registered as a non-profit organization. PBG continued to train boys at Temple until June 30, 2015, when the gym became no longer available. After a summer of training at two local clubs, a site was found in the nearby Germantown section to which the program moved in October, 2015. Since then, PBG has grown to serve a current group of over 150 boys and remains the only program in Philadelphia to train boys toward competition in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic Program. We added beginner girls’ training in January and have over 70 girls learning with us.
Fred Turoff is the program director, and many current and former TUMG team members have had the opportunity to coach the boys along their way to gymnastics mastery and fun. All the coaches are college-level athletes currently competing or recently finished, which is a great way to show boys that gymnastics can be a lifelong sport. PBG has the added distinction of having a strong Parents’ Association which raises funds to help pay for competition costs. Any PBG athlete who wants to compete, regardless of need, is eligible for some financial assistance for all the meets on the schedule. The combination between our unique scholarship program and the inspiring coaching staff has allowed the program to grow greatly in the past few years—bringing it to its highest levels since the program moved from Temple. Of course, the pandemic affected our enrollment as it did all such programs. We’re still rebuilding to our pre-pandemic numbers and then surpassing that goal.