FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Antje Morris
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* Story by Lolita Harper; photo by [tk]
Every now and then -- when nobody’s looking -- 58-year-old Antje
Morris busts out with a front handspring.
Or sometimes a cartwheel or round off, when she’s feeling jumpy.
Whatever she’s in the mood for, she said.
“Gymnastics is in your bones. You never lose that feeling,” Morris
said.
Speaking of bones, Morris said, hers are starting to get a little
sore. After 25 years of teaching gymnastic skills to Costa Mesa children,
Morris said her back is starting to feel the effects. Morris must spot
the children and always be on guard, ready to catch the tumbling child in
the event of a misstep.
Morris instructs more than 600 children every day for the city of
Costa Mesa at the Neighborhood Community Center. Gymnastics is her
passion and she loves teaching children, so it was a perfect fit, she
said.
Born in Germany, gymnastics were always a part of her life, as
tumbling, vaulting, beam and bars were ingrained in the school athletic
curriculum. But in the 1950s, the sport was not as organized at it is
now, she said.
“We tumbled in the streets or on the grass just for fun,” Morris said.
“I was the best in my school -- in most athletic competition. But I
didn’t have a very structured program to compete in.”
She did compete nationally in Germany but never made it to Olympic
status. The lessons and the love she took from the sport inspired her to
share it with others.
“My goal is to build their self-esteem and make them feel good about
themselves,” the instructor said. “Seeing a child happy is the most
motivating thing.”
When Morris came to the United States in 1969, she wanted to continue
teaching elementary students, but did not want to go back to college to
get credentialed in California. Her desire to work with children and her
passion for gymnastics led her to become an instructor.
“I came over to Costa Mesa’s program and started helping but I had a
language barrier. I couldn’t talk to the kids in German,” she said, her
native accent still prevalent in her speech.
Morris observed classes and learned the names of various skills in
English and, 25 years later, she has former students bringing their
children back for instruction.
“It is so amazing to see the little faces of former students and how
their faces light up when they’ve learned to do a somersault. Sometimes
you can see the same expression as their parent,” Morris said.
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