Elite Gym has expanded and now offers two locations, Milledgeville and Lake Oconee. Elite Gym-Milledgeville first opened its doors 22 years ago offering gymnastics to Milledgeville residents. Over the years their offering of programs expanded to cheerleading, dance and karate.

In August 2013 Elite increased its programs with a soft opening second location located at 4980F Carey Station Road at Lake Oconee. The Lake Oconee gym offers team gymnastics, All-Star cheerleading, pre- team gymnastics, dance and other gymnastics classes for boy and girls.

“We are extremely pleased with the response we have received with opening the new Lake Oconee location,” said Coni Moore, owner and director of Elite Gym. “My main goal was to get the gym opened with a core group of students and focus on bringing good qualified coaches to serve these kids. Now that we have been open for six months, we have developed a quality staff for the Lake Oconee location. My focus has always been to teach proper technique to prevent injuries so it’s important to hire exceptional coaches. I want these kids to be great athletes and have fun while doing it.”

Along with the addition of Elite-Lake Oconee comes the dynamic All-Star Cheer Director April Smith. The All-Star Cheer program is available at both the Milledgeville and Lake Oconee locations. Coach April’s credentials speak for themselves. She is a member of the Georgia Cheerleading Coaches Association where she serves as second vice president to the organization. She is a certified judge for the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) – Middle Georgia Officials Association and the Infinity All Star Series. With more than 20 years of experience in coaching all cheer levels, Coach April is an eight-time recipient of the Georgia High School Association Region Coach of the Year. She served as the Putnam County School System spirit coordinator and varsity competition coach for 12 years where she led her squad to seven region titles and 10 Top 16 finishes at the GHSA state level.

Coach April served as the Putnam County School System co-athletic director for two years (band, flag line, basketball, cheerleading, tennis, cross country, track, One-Act play and volleyball) and was the chairperson for the Putnam County School System Special Olympics in 2005. She currently teaches special education at Putnam County High School and holds the title of the 2006 Wal-Mart teacher of year. Coach April was also honored twice as the Putnam County Rotary Teacher of the Month.

After earning her graduate and undergraduate degrees from Georgia College, Coach April has gone on to become a member of the Georgia Cheerleading Coaches Association Leadership Team, Middle Georgia Cheerleading Officials Association, Georgia Athletic Coaches Association, Georgia Athletic Directors Association and Georgia Professional Association of Georgia Educators. During her down time she enjoys traveling with her family, watching her boys play ball, and coaching/judging cheerleading.

“We are really looking forward to what’s in store for Elite this year. We have a lot of exciting things going on between the programs currently offered at the Milledgeville Gym and now with Lake Oconee and Coach April. For me, it’s about impacting kids in a positive way and teaching them that competition can be rewarding and fun,” said Moore.

Elite Gym has two locations: Milledgeville at 248 Log Cabin Road — 478-454-3446 and Lake Oconee at 4980C Carey Station Road — 706-999-9797. Learn more about the programs offered at Elite Gym by visiting them online at www.EliteGymUSA.com. Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EliteGymUSA.