Our Story

Where Kids Become Confident

Gyminny Kids began in 1987, when married founders Liz Mullarkey and Rob Bryson opened a small San Diego gymnastics center in Rancho Bernardo with one guiding belief: create a place where kids and staff feel like family, and everything else will follow.

Liz and Rob built Gyminny Kids with heart, patience, passion, and loads of hard work. They believed in teaching character through sport, supporting their staff as if they were their own children, and creating an environment where kids could thrive physically, emotionally, and socially. Their legacy of family and values became the foundation of everything we still do today.

A Coach Who Grew Up in the Company

Daniel Gundert, a former gymnast, first joined Gyminny Kids in 2003 as an 18-year-old, energetic coach, freshly out of high school, who deeply believed in the power of gymnastics to shape a child's life, as it had his own. Over the years, he worked nearly every job in the building, coaching teams, hosting events, scrubbing mats, building programs, and learning the business from his mentors, Liz and Rob.

Gyminny Kids became the place where he grew up, learned to lead, and discovered his purpose: helping children build confidence, character, and strength through sport.

From Coach to Owner

In 2015, founders Liz and Rob approached Daniel with a life-changing opportunity: to step into leadership and begin purchasing the company. Their belief in him, long before he believed in himself, changed everything.

After six years of leading the team, growing the programs, and honoring the original family-centered culture, Daniel completed the full acquisition in late 2021, officially becoming the sole owner of Gyminny Kids along with his wife, Melanie.

A True Family Company

Today, Gyminny Kids is proudly a family-run organization. Daniel and his wife, Melanie, are deeply involved in the company, and all five of their children attend and train at Gyminny Kids, from toddler classes to competitive teams.

Running the company as parents of five gives Gyminny Kids a unique perspective: every decision is made through the lens of what's best for families and what kids need to grow.

We know what matters to parents because we are parents. We know what kids love because we watch our own children live it every day at Gyminny Kids. And we design our programs with the same intention we want for our family: safety, fun and fitness, character development, clean facilities, clear communication, and experienced coaches who genuinely care.

Gyminny Kids isn't just a business. It's our family's life, passion, and purpose.

Growth Fueled by Legacy

Since taking ownership, Daniel has expanded Gyminny Kids from its original single location into five thriving San Diego locations:

• 4S Ranch

• Poway

• La Costa

• Carlsbad

• La Jolla (UTC)

North County Gymnastics & The Gyminny Kids is now a two-time Inc. 5000 honoree as one of America's fastest-growing, privately owned companies, the highest-rated gymnastics program in San Diego, as voted by the San Diego Reader, and one of California's most respected children's activity organizations.

What we offer is unique: a program that offers a place for everyone. From parent-tot classes to Special Needs VIPs, all the way through level 10 boys and girls high-level competitive teams. The gymnastics preschool program has been called "the best in the nation" by former FIG President Steve Butcher, and the competitive teams have achieved massive success, with hundreds of state and regional champions and many national qualifiers.

Our Mission Today

Through all this growth, one thing has never changed: Our promise to give every child a safe, fun, inspiring place to grow, body, mind, and character.

We are more than a gymnastics center. We are a family. A community.

A place where confidence takes root, where friendships are built, and where every child is encouraged to believe in themselves, one skill at a time.

What's Next for Gyminny Kids

As we look to the future, Gyminny Kids continues its mission to instill confidence, character, and world-class gymnastics in families across Southern California. With five thriving locations and more on the way, we're expanding intentionally, building larger, cleaner, safer gyms, adding new programs, and investing in the coaches, office associates, and managers who make our culture special. Our long-term vision is to grow into a network of 20–30 family-centered gyms, each one rooted in the same values Liz and Rob began with in 1987 and strengthened by the next generation of the Gundert family. As we grow, our promise remains the same: to create the best possible environment for kids to learn, move, belong, and become the best versions of themselves, one community at a time.

Visit danielgundert.com to learn more about Daniel Gundert's personal story through his memoir, Baby Gorilla.