Balcony Sports in Ocala
Gymnastics, tumbling, dance and karate classes for children from 18 months up, on SW 33rd Avenue since 1997.
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What is Balcony Sports in Ocala?
Balcony Sports is a youth gymnastics center at 1220 SW 33rd Ave in Ocala, open since 1997. It teaches preschool and recreational gymnastics from 18 months, tumbling, dance and karate, plus week-by-week camps for ages 5 to 11. Families register online through its class portal or by calling (352) 401-3663.
Balcony Sports, Inc. calls itself a youth sport center. Its website credits founder Michael Hamer with creating the gymnastics center, which opened in 1997 because the Ocala area needed a place for people of all ages to train and compete safely. The name comes from his idea of “balcony people”: people who cheer each other on.
Gymnastics is the core of the program. In mid-October 2026 the Balcony Sports class portal listed more than 100 weekly classes, and nearly 90 percent of them were preschool or recreational gymnastics and tumbling. A handful of dance and karate classes fill out the schedule; the exact count changes from week to week. Every program is recreational; the website and portal list no cheerleading squads or competitive gymnastics team.
The website says every staff member passes a Level 2 background check through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a fingerprint-based state and national search of criminal records and sex offender registries. On Google Maps, Balcony Sports has a 4.2-star rating from 51 reviews (October 2026).
What classes does Balcony Sports offer, and for what ages?
Balcony Sports groups classes by age, so most children move up through a sequence. The table summarizes the weekly schedule posted in the class portal on Oct. 15, 2026. Times and age bands change each term, so check the portal before enrolling.
| Program | Classes and ages | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool gymnastics | Tumblebuddies (18 months to 2 years, with a parent or guardian); Tumblebees (girls age 3, boys ages 3 to 4); Kinderbees (girls age 4) | 45 minutes (some 1 hour) | Monday to Friday mornings and afternoons (a few early evenings), Saturday mornings |
| Recreational gymnastics | Girls Beginner and Advanced Beginner (ages 5 to 15, split into age bands); Boys Beginner (ages 5 to 12) | 1 hour | Monday to Friday afternoons, with classes starting between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. |
| Tumbling | Tumbling classes for ages 10 to 15 and 11 to 17 | 1 hour | Tuesday and Thursday evenings |
| Dance | Intro Ballet/Tap (ages 3 to 6); Beginner Ballet/Tap (5 to 8); Advanced Beginner Ballet (9 to 12); Jazz and Exploratory Dance (9 to 16) | 1 hour | Wednesday and Friday afternoons and evenings |
| Karate | Beginner Karate (ages 4 1/2 to 6 and 7 to 13); Karate (ages 7 to 14, and 13 and up) | 1 hour | Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings |
Source: Balcony Sports class portal and the gymnastics, dance and karate pages of balconysports.com, checked Oct. 15, 2026.
What happens in each program?
Preschool gymnastics
Tumblebuddies works on gross motor skills, balance, coordination and following instructions, with a guardian alongside. Tumblebees uses Olympic-style equipment and preschool activity stations without a parent. Kinderbees teaches 4-year-old girls basic gymnastics and tumbling with proper technique and terms.
Recreational gymnastics and tumbling
Beginner classes for boys and girls teach skills on vault, bars, beam and floor. Advanced beginner levels track progress on skill cards, and children move up a level when they complete one. Beginner tumbling suits cheerleaders, dancers and other athletes; see our guide to cheer for kids in Ocala for all-star options.
Dance
Recreational dance starts with Intro Ballet/Tap for preschoolers and moves through beginner and advanced beginner ballet, beginner jazz and an exploratory class that rotates through modern, lyrical, jazz and tap. Each class has a dress code, such as a leotard, pink tights and ballet shoes for ballet. More studios are in our Ocala dance studios guide.
Karate
Sensei William Bauer teaches the Shinote style of karate. Beginner Karate works toward the white and yellow belts, and the main karate class, aimed at teens and adults, adds advanced technique and self-defense. Compare other dojos in our Ocala martial arts guide.
Does Balcony Sports run camps?
Yes. Balcony Sports runs camps one week at a time for children ages 5 through 11, and members and non-members can both sign up. Counselors run crafts and organized games on the gym floor, outside and around the building. In summer, Balcony serves cheese or pepperoni pizza and holds ice cream parties on set Fridays, sets up an inflatable waterslide on some days and brings in a video game truck on others. Its website says the camps have run for more than 25 years. For more options, see summer camps in Ocala.
How do you sign up for Balcony Sports?
- 1Pick a class by age on the Balcony Sports class portal (iClassPro), which lists each class with its day, time, age range and instructor. Filters narrow the list by age, program and day.
- 2Create a family account in the portal and enroll, or join the waitlist if the class is full. Many classes showed a waitlist option in October 2026.
- 3Fill out the waiver found under Waiver in the Balcony Sports website menu.
- 4Pay tuition through the parent portal. Balcony Sports does not post class prices on its website, so call (352) 401-3663 or email Frontdesk@balconysports.com for current tuition.
Address, hours and contact
Address
1220 SW 33rd Ave
Ocala, FL 34474
Phone and email
Hours
Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: listed as closed
Hours from Google Maps, checked Oct. 15, 2026. The class portal also lists Saturday-morning preschool classes, so call before a Saturday visit.
How We Checked This Guide
The address, phone, email, history, class descriptions, camp details and staff screening come from the Balcony Sports website (home, gymnastics, dance, karate, camps and contact pages). The class list, ages, lengths and days come from the Balcony Sports class portal. Hours and the review rating come from the Balcony Sports Google Maps listing. All were checked on Oct. 15, 2026. An earlier version of this page described cheerleading and a competitive team that Balcony Sports does not list; those claims were removed.
AI tools helped gather the sources and draft this page; each fact was checked against those sources before publishing. Questions or corrections? Contact our team or read our editorial guidelines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Balcony Sports in Ocala?
Balcony Sports is at 1220 SW 33rd Ave, Ocala, FL 34474, in southwest Ocala. The phone number is (352) 401-3663 and the front desk email is Frontdesk@balconysports.com.
What classes does Balcony Sports offer?
Balcony Sports offers preschool gymnastics (Tumblebuddies, Tumblebees and Kinderbees), recreational gymnastics for boys and girls, tumbling, dance (ballet, tap, jazz and exploratory dance) and karate. Gymnastics makes up most of the schedule: in mid-October 2026 its class portal listed more than 100 weekly classes, nearly 90 percent of them preschool or recreational gymnastics and tumbling.
How young can a child start at Balcony Sports?
Children can start at 18 months. Tumblebuddies is for ages 18 months to 2 years and a parent or guardian takes part. Tumblebees, for girls age 3 and boys ages 3 to 4, is the first class without a parent.
What are Balcony Sports’ hours?
Google Maps lists Balcony Sports as open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday. Its class portal also lists Saturday-morning preschool gymnastics classes, so call (352) 401-3663 to confirm front-desk hours on Saturdays.
How much do classes at Balcony Sports cost?
Balcony Sports does not publish class prices on its website or class portal. Call (352) 401-3663 or email Frontdesk@balconysports.com for current tuition and any registration fee.
Does Balcony Sports run camps?
Yes. Balcony Sports runs week-by-week camps for ages 5 through 11, open to members and non-members. Campers play organized games in the gym and outside and do crafts. Summer weeks add pizza and ice cream parties on set Fridays, an inflatable waterslide and a video game truck on certain days.
Does Balcony Sports have cheerleading or a competitive gymnastics team?
Not as of October 2026. The Balcony Sports website and class portal list recreational programs only: preschool gymnastics, recreational gymnastics, tumbling, dance and karate. Its beginner tumbling class is aimed at cheerleaders, dancers and other athletes who want tumbling skills.
Balcony Sports en Ocala: gimnasia, danza y karate para niños
Balcony Sports es un centro de gimnasia juvenil en 1220 SW 33rd Ave, Ocala, FL 34474, abierto desde 1997. Ofrece clases de gimnasia preescolar desde los 18 meses (con un padre o tutor), gimnasia recreativa, tumbling, danza (ballet, tap y jazz) y karate, además de campamentos semanales para niños de 5 a 11 años. Según Google Maps, abre de lunes a jueves de 9 a.m. a 8 p.m. y los viernes de 9 a.m. a 7 p.m. Las inscripciones se hacen en su portal de clases en línea o llamando al (352) 401-3663; el centro no publica sus precios.