The county manger's office of the Arlington County Board is proposing to eliminate ALL competitive, recreational, and adaptive gymnastics programs — including the Arlington Aerials (girls), Arlington Tigers (boys), youth rec classes, parent-tot gymnastics, and adaptive programming for children with disabilities — and close Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center as part of the FY 2027 budget. This decision was made without community input and threatens 47 years of Arlington gymnastics history.

🚨 1. What's at stake:

This isn't just about competitive teams. Arlington's gymnastics programs serve kids at every level — from toddlers taking their first tumble in parent-tot classes, to recreational gymnasts building coordination and confidence, to adaptive athletes with disabilities who have few other options, to Junior Olympic competitors training for college. The proposed budget eliminates all of it.

The Arlington Aerials were co-founded in 1979 by Coach Tim Mengering and Steve Garman with just 20 girls in a middle school gym. Today, the program is a thriving Junior Olympic gymnastics team that has produced state champions, Division I college athletes, and served tens of thousands of Arlington youth. Tim Mengering was inducted into the Arlington County Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, and the County Board itself formally commended his life's work.

The Arlington Tigers boys program, founded in 2009, was profiled by NPR during the 2024 Paris Olympics as a model of what public boys gymnastics can look like — at a time when programs across the country are vanishing. Their Level 7 boys took first place at the 2024 Eastern National Championships. With only 15 NCAA men's gymnastics programs remaining nationwide, public programs like the Tigers are critical to keeping boys in the sport.

Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center is the purpose-built home of all these programs — a 28,000 sq. ft. facility constructed specifically for gymnastics. It is one of the only public facilities in the region offering adaptive gymnastics for children with physical and developmental disabilities. Closing it wastes a significant taxpayer investment and leaves these families with nowhere to go.

⚠️ 2. Why this matters:

• Arlington's own budget survey shows 70% of residents can afford or adjust to fee increases — yet the county chose elimination over exploring alternatives
• The budget engagement survey never asked residents about cutting gymnastics or closing Barcroft
• Private gymnastics alternatives are significantly more expensive, eliminating affordable access for families who depend on public programs
• Families of children with disabilities will lose one of the few adaptive gymnastics programs in Northern Virginia
• Hundreds of rec-level kids — many of whom aren't interested in competition but benefit enormously from the sport — will have no public option
• Arlington high school gymnastics teams (including Yorktown's 2026 6D North Region Champions) depend on these county feeder programs
• The Arlington Tigers are one of the few public boys gymnastics programs in the region — there is no comparable replacement

✊ 3. What we're asking:

We urge the Arlington County Board to:

• Remove the elimination of ALL gymnastics programs — competitive, recreational, and adaptive — from the FY 2027 budget
• Explore alternatives: fee increases, public-private partnerships, shared-use models, and community fundraising
• Keep Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center open for its intended purpose
• Engage the community in any future decisions about these programs
• The Public Budget Hearing is March 24, 2026. Every signature tells the Board that Arlington values its gymnastics programs and the families they serve.

Sign this petition and share it.

Then visit 👉 https://www.SaveArlingtonGymnastics.com to take further action and follow us at 👉 https://www.instagram.com/savearlingtongym/ for updates.

Show up on March 24.

#SaveArlingtonGymnastics