Arlington Gymnastics Families and Supporters,

We are a coalition of eight programs — Adaptive, Rec, Aerials, Tigers, Barcroft, Wakefield, W&L, and Yorktown — united by one mission: saving Arlington gymnastics. Nobody asked what happened this week to happen. Three kids just did it.

But first — one ask. Share this petition with three people today. The parent at pickup. The teammate's family. The neighbor who remembers the Barcroft gym floor. We're at 5,359 signatures — 10,000 makes our case undeniable before the March 24 hearing: https://www.change.org/save_arlington_gymnastics

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They Didn't Wait for Permission — The 10K Challenge Is Live

Three gymnasts who grew up on the Barcroft gym floor launched their own Instagram campaigns this week, calling on their friends, classmates, and followers to help reach 10,000 signatures on our petition. Nobody asked them to. They just showed up.

Teagan Wielechowski volunteers with the adaptive gymnastics program every Sunday morning. She's a Level 10 Aerial who wrote: "A simple signature could mean the world to me and all the aerials, tigers, and recreational gymnasts."

Rocco Giambalvo stood up at the County Board budget hearing in his Tigers jacket and testified. On Instagram he wrote: "It would leave behind thousands of kids in rec and summer camp programs... and kids with disabilities."

Will Terzaken is committed to Army West Point gymnastics — and credits the Tigers program for getting him there. He wrote: "Give them the chance to grow and learn, help them achieve their dreams."

These aren't endorsements from the outside. These are the kids this decision directly affects, asking their own community for help. See their full stories at savearlingtongymnastics.com/#10k-challenge

From the National Stage to the Gym Floor

Over the past few weeks, U.S. Olympian Yul Moldauer and 4x NCAA Champion Ian Gunther amplified our campaign to a national audience. Now the gymnasts who grew up in these programs are doing the same thing locally — organically, on their own initiative. The message is the same at every level of the sport: these programs matter. See their endorsements and the full campaign timeline at https://savearlingtongymnastics.com

The Board Is at the Table

Here's where things stand with the County Board:

• This community has shown up to four Open Door Monday sessions and counting
• Board Chair de Ferranti stayed two and a half hours at the March 9 session at Lubber Run, engaging one-on-one with families and gymnasts
• Board Members Karantonis and Cunningham have each visited Barcroft in person
• The community has delivered a written proposal for fee-based solutions
• A working group — athletes, families, coaches, and DPR staff — has been proposed to collaborate on a path forward
• We've shared a community-built data resource, DPR Data: DPRdata.com, with all five Board members — an independent look at the numbers behind DPR's proposal, ensuring the conversation ahead is grounded in the full picture. More on that soon: https://dprdata.com

The door isn't just open. Real conversations are happening. Follow the full timeline of Board engagement at https://savearlingtongymnastics.com/#key-dates

What You Can Do in the Next 12 Days

1. Share the 10K Challenge with three people. The parent at practice. The neighbor who remembers Barcroft. Help us reach 10,000: https://www.change.org/save_arlington_gymnastics
2. Sign up to speak at the March 24 Public Budget Hearing (6:30 PM, Bozman Government Center, 3rd Floor). This is where your voice goes on the public record. Slots fill up — register early.
3. Attend the final in-person Open Door Monday: March 23 at Walter Reed Community Center. Last chance for a face-to-face with a Board member before the hearing: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Departments/County-Board/Open-Door-Mondays
4. Follow @savearlingtongym on Instagram and share the gymnasts' stories: https://www.instagram.com/savearlingtongym/

A Personal Note

In our first update, I told you I was just a dad standing in the Barcroft lobby watching my kids through the glass. In the second, I told you I'd watched an Olympian share our kids' chalk messages with the world. Now the kids themselves are rallying their peers — and honestly, that hits different.

When a teenager who coaches adaptive gymnastics every Sunday morning asks her classmates to sign a petition to keep her gym open — that's not a campaign strategy. That's a kid who isn't ready to let go.

Nobody told Teagan, Rocco, or Will to do this. They didn't wait for permission. They just showed up — like this community has at every single step.

12 days. 5,359 signatures. They showed up. Now it's our turn.

With appreciation,
Save Arlington Gymnastics

savearlingtongymnastics.com
#SaveArlingtonGymnastics