Our History
Steve Synhorst, the former women’s gymnastics coach at the University of North Dakota, originally founded Red River Valley Gymnastics (RRVG) in 1978.
In 1988 RRVG began its move toward competitive gymnastics by becoming an official member of the United States Gymnastics Federation (USGF), the precursor to the current day United States Gymnastics Association (USAG). USGF membership provided standards for gymnastics training as well as competitive opportunities.
In 1989, following the Title 9 ruling that guaranteed equal athletic opportunities for girls, the Grand Forks School Board sanctioned RRVG to represent Grand Forks Schools at North Dakota High School competitions.
Over the next few years RRVG began to grow, adding Rhythmic Gymnastics and Acro Show Teams with yearly tryouts held for each team.
As RRVG grew and added new programs, a more modern and larger facility was needed. The Coalition of ’92, which brought together RRVG and the Grand Forks Softball Association, was formed to raise funds to build new facilities for both RRVG and the GFSA. RRVG’s new facility was built in conjunction to an addition the Park Board was constructing to the Grand Forks Tennis Center.
In 1993, Red River Valley Gymnastics consolidated with another Grand Forks area gymnastics club, Dakota Gold Gymnastics, to form one unified organization, and they moved into their new facility at 1602 32nd Ave in Grand Forks. The name Red River Valley Gymnastics was retained and the Dakota Gold Gymnastics name was officially retired.
In 2012 the RRVG Board of Directors facilitated the purchase of its facility from the Grand Forks Park District.
Over the past decade, RRVG continued to grow and add new health and fitness opportunities for children in the Grand Forks community. All Star and recreational cheer programs were added in 2012 and Ninja Warriors classes were added in 2017. To reflect these advancements in programming, RRVG announced a new name - Red River Valley Athletics - in 2018.
Excerpts taken from Red River Valley Gymnastics Records Collection OGL #1368, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota
