It's getting better! We decided to stay at this place because of the friends our daughter had here and so many issues have been addressed. It's taken a while but you can see a difference, throughout the facility. There could still be some improvements, none of which are dealbreakers. And no place out there is perfect. The strengths are the newest hires that have really made coming here way better and makes for a smoother experience when the occasional mishap happens (like the computers being down for check-in etc). read more

Both our kids have been attending for couple years now. The love it! And while they've enjoyed and grown in that time, there is absolutely a noticeable (positive) difference in how the gym is operated after the new director joined last year. Our kids are more engaged and getting challenged more. Still loving it and would highly recommend! read more

Sumer has been the most helpful front desk coordinator Bay Island Gym has had in years. In my six years as a member, consistency and friendliness at the front desk have been a challenge--until Sumer joined the team. She's truly a breath of fresh air. Her warm, helpful attitude and genuine care shine through every time she interacts with families. BIG is lucky to have her, and it would be a real loss to see her go. read more

Bay Island Gymnastics has a huge space and several kinds of classes. The sign-up is not super intuitive, and some of the administration is clunky. The teachers we have had, though, have been great. Jesus really made sure to include my daughter - who's pretty shy and wasn't sure she wanted to participate - all the way through the lesson (the Bay Islanders class), and she had a great time. They are clearly doing some serious training in here, as well, as some of the older students are doing pretty impressive work while classes are going on, which is great inspiration for starting students. read more

Our daughter enjoyed the program here, but the business gets less than one star for administration. As other people have noticed - they have no concept of customer service when dealing with parents. In person, staff at the counter are rude and unprofessional, and unhelpful. Phone calls are rarely, if ever returned. Even the one time in September I got someone on the phone, in a rare case of someone being helpful, she promised to call me back after escalating my question to someone with higher authority, then never did. I sent an e-mail to withdraw my daughter, as suggested on the website. I phoned multiple times and never got a live answer, and never got a phone call back. To withdraw my daughter, I had to physically drive to the site and speak with someone in person (Jordan) who was refreshingly sweet and helpful. She sorted everything out financially, and promised that my daughter was withdrawn. No, come the start of the new month, they've billed my credit card again. Of course, I called right away, and it went to voice mail. I left a voice mail I expect will not be returned. I have no choice but to dispute the charge through my bank. read more

I have been looking for gymnastics classes for my daughter and heard positive things about Bay Island. I saw that they had space in some classes, so I reached out. The person managing their admin email asked me to come on a Saturday evening at 6:15 for my kid to be assessed by a coach before enrolling her in the right level. We showed up (a 40 min drive) and an employee was there, but told me they were closing and he didn't know I was coming. I let him know the name of the person I was supposed to meet with. He was very helpful, waited with me, and called the coach I was told I'd be meeting with. She had no idea about this meeting. I was frustrated, but left my contact info and the employee apologized and let me know someone would call me back. I waited a week, and nothing. No calls or emails. So then I sent another email recounting the situation up until this point and asking for someone to contact me--because I'm still interested in classes for my kid! And nothing! No call, no email. Do they not want more students enrolled? It was fun getting my daughter's hopes up, too. read more

The facilities here are excellent, but there are a few things you should know before sending your children here, particularly for summer camp. - some of the instructors are not very good with kids and can be shaming and disrespectful - during summer camp, my child got burned on her face by an iron during a craft. When BIG contacted me, they downplayed the injury. When I came to pick my child up, I was told that it was my 5 year old who was responsible and that she never should have been that close to the iron. I asked why there was an iron at a child's face level accessible to the children, the response to which was to tell me the children were told the iron was dangerous. I subsequently talked to others who were less blaming, but nobody I spoke with took responsibility for the injury. She still has a scar 2 years later. - the surrounding neighborhood can be challenging (this is admittedly not anything BIG can control, but still worth your attention). For a long while there was an encampment across the street which has since been taken down, but the area is still industrial and a bit sketchy. My rating has almost everything to do with the summer camp experience we had and nothing to do with the surroundings. read more

Horrible customer service! You call, you email, no response. Unreal! How can they still be in business? I would never trust them with my child if they cannot even pick up a phone or email back. Unprofessional! Clearly you do not care about customers, kids or your establishment. Huge NO! read more

Do not recommend, my daughter has been here for years and has not advanced at all. She is very interested and wants to keep growing but isn't receiving the proper coaching. Also, the regular admin at the font desk (usually there in the evening) is extremely rude and unprofessional. Any question is a burden, rolling of the eyes, rude demeanor. It's very sad that our kiddos love this place, but it's just no worth the price. $110 a month plus yearly enrollment fees for poor customer service and no advancement in 3 years is not ideal. We'll be looking for other options. Look elsewhere is possible. read more

Extremely unprofessional admin and management. Did not have a good experience. If you want to go to a gymnastics gym that actually cares, go literally anywhere else. My child hasn't learned anything from their experience here. For the price, it's not worth it. read more

I was so incredibly disappointed and shocked at the lack of inclusion at this gym. I have a 6yr old who needs a bit more support. I was honest from the beginning and started the ninja class. It is no surprise that a yr later my son was one of the few left. The turn over in these classes is excessive and there is a reason why! The teacher is always late and there is rarely any variety. He takes a long time to set up obstacle courses and to explain the route to the kids. He rarely showed new students how to execute the skill. At one point a child said my son hit him which was not true. I asked my son and he said he didn't do it. I asked Jonathan if he had asked my son if he had done it and he said no- he punished him by making him go to the back of the line which was upsetting for my son. He didn't even ask him what had happened- didn't see it but was quick to punish him. We decided to switch to another class to see if it was a better fit and after only 2 classes we were told that it wasn't a fit and he was not welcome. I was understandably livid especially bc he really enjoyed the class and liked the teacher. I was told that he could join a special class that was at 1 time offered on Sat. There was absolutely no effort made by them to help under my son. I later found out that other kids who had attended left feeling that it wasn't a good fit bc of their inability to be inclusive or understanding of any child who was the slightest bit out of the box. There were classes that weren't even options for my son bc he was a boy. I thought to myself- how sexist. I'm all for inclusion on every level but to not allow boys in certain groups especially at such a young age when they are not practicing on different apparatus is ridiculous. The worst part about my interactions with this gym was their obvious lack of empathy or caring of being inclusive or honestly even about how they treated their students. I taught gymnastics for 7 yrs and it was obvious that many of the teachers for the young kids had never been a gymnast or even knew the basics. Many of the children who left are now attending head over heels and feel like it's a much better fit- for actually caring about their child and being inclusive. I implore you to not give your business to this gym in hopes that they will understand that their actions have monetary consequences- the only way they may change their ways. I also want to say that my son did run out of line a few times- as he adjusts to a new class he does this. He was there a yr and I was allowed to help and he never did this. All of a sudden I wasn't able to help and he was given 2 classes to adjust- it's hard for any 6 yr old to adjust much less a child on the spectrum. He is very high functioning and was doing great in this class but needed a bit more time to adjust or I could have have helped. The number of kids in that age group that I saw not listening at times running in front of or away from the group, playing on equipment as they passed- was too many to count. They however singled out my child who was told he couldn't return, on top of that the teacher- who he liked very much said that she had told admin that he could stay and was fine with it. I'm not sure how any child or teacher can get used to each other in 2 classes. I was told by several mothers- why do you want to be at a place that is so unwelcoming and unempathetic, find a better place. I wanted him to have the option. A child should never not be included bc he's a boy or bc he's a little different. Inclusion is as important for others as it is for him, This place has so many negative reviews for a reason! There are a few great coaches I'm sure- and the gym is a good space - but the area is sooooo bad that the only reason I kept going was that my son really liked the new class. It feels like you are driving through a 3rd world country to get there. Head over to head over heels! Find another gym- honestly any gym! Thank you to Mrs Caitlyn who although you didn't have much if any gymnastics background said you wanted him to stay. read more

Very inconsistent, unprofessional, and unapologetic, if you do recreational .. maybe competitive is different.. but that was our experience there ! read more

When I was first looking at gymnastics class options for my child, I was hesitant about BIG because of the negative reviews on Yelp. However, I heard good feedback elsewhere and we decided to give it a go. Now I am very surprised at all the negative reviews here! The negative reviews have not matched our experience at all in the last year. My daughter started gymnastics here at age 6 in the Islanders class. Her coach, Beverly, was incredible. She was very warm and friendly with the kids, and took time to make sure the kids were safe while having fun and learning. My child definitely picked up new skills quickly. Once she got used to the class format, she was so excited to go every week. She's now been moving through the program at a pace that seems right for her. It feels like the coaches are great at understanding when a gymnast needs extra support as they are trying to learn a new skill, as well as when they need the extra support and push as they move up and around the program. They seem to appreciate that each kid learns at their own pace and are very encouraging in the areas the kids need it most. My daughter loves gymnastics and loves being at Bay Island. She's made some wonderful friends there over the past year. We are thankful for the BIG community! read more

My 6 year old comes here. Waiting area is overly crowded and the place is disorganized. On this Saturday there appeared to be 7 classes going on with 6-7 students per instructor. Some of the instructors are better than others while some should not be teaching at all. They are popular and all the classes looked full. The front desk isn't really able to handle the load. It's typically not pleasant to speak with any of the people at the front. They are located opposite Home Depot and McDonald's. read more

Bay Island Gymnastics - Waiting area - Gymnastics Near Me - Oakland, California

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The prices could be lowered compared to hours offered for camps. Staff should be way more courteous on the phone, and be more mindful of the class your little ones are attending. read more

My kiddo likes this place and keeps asking to go back. His regular teacher has been pretty good - provides good variety and works well with the children. This is for the Adventurers level (Pre K age). They seem to have a good amount of fun and play mixed with some good drills. My main complaint is that classes do not ever seem to last 40 minutes. Even my 4 year old tells me that he feels the class is too short and I do find that the classes end 5-10 mins early. We attended a make up class today with a new instructor (who was subbing) and the instructor ended the class 15 minutes early. This means that we paid for a 40 minute class and only got 25 minutes of instruction. When I asked the instructor why the class was so short, they stated that they let the kids go down the slide for the last 10 minutes as part of their class structure and if the children don't keep using the slide then they essentially end the class early for themselves. Not only does this not account for the additional 5 minutes that were also a part of the full class but having kids go up and down a slide for 10 minutes isn't exactly what I want to pay for and having preschoolers decide when the class ends for them doesn't even make much sense much less are the kids aware they can keep using the slide when the instructors give them their stickers or stamps and the children take this as the end. I'm considering finding a new studio soon and will likely keep a closer eye on how the instructors continue to handle class durations because this is essentially taking our money when we are not provided with what the studio claims we are getting for our fees. read more

I am writing this review to warn others so that hopefully the same thing does not happen to you. I signed my son up for gymnastics class only to find out after they charged my card that it is an all girls class so he is not eligible to attend. I asked them to refund my card since he is not illegible. They would not refund the yearly membership fee of $97 even though he never attended a class and is not enrolled in any program. I have emailed and left many voice messages asking someone to call me back and to refund my card as it is illegal to charge for services never provided. No one has replied to my emails or phone messages and now I have had to file a dispute with my credit card company to get the charge refunded. I am surprised they would not bother to call or reply back to emails and think it's okay to take someone's money for not provided any services. I have since enrolled my son in another gymnastics program which he is loving and they are amazing! read more

My experience: We signed up our child for their adventurers class(age 4-5 range) Saturday morning. Our daughter is a bit energetic and active. Her coach was definitely NOT the kind of coach that should be dealing with children, perhaps teenagers, but she does not have the patience to deal with kids who can be easily distracted. Several lessons she would be stone faced or look miserable with children. The coach finally had the nerve to snap at us when my daughter wouldn't respond to her name until she was called 3 times, despite the place being a screaming mad house because there are kids everywhere and classes going on all over read more

my daughter has been going here for two years but I don't know how much longer we can keep dealing with the rude staff! it's so unnecessary and constant, can't call it a bad day. wish they were more helpful, they don't even like to answer simple questions. I'm tired of being disrespected by them. read more

Terrible billing practices and customer service. My daughter was enrolled for a few years prior to the pandemic and continued until a few weeks ago. I was billed consistently throughout the pandemic when they did not have any in-person classes. I was told that my daughter would lose her place and have no preference to re-enroll when classes resumed, so I maintained her enrollment. Once classes resumed, I was shocked to discover that my daughter had no make-up sessions resulting from the months we paid while classes were not held. I recently cancelled via their online registration system, which sent no confirmation. It wasn't until the July tuition was charged that I discovered the cancellation did not process. I cancelled again, requesting a refund for July since my daughter didn't attend classes and was told I had to pay the full month of July and would receive no refund. Overall, I paid for months of classes my daughter couldn't attend due to the gym closure, with no remedy offered. Complete waste of money. Classes were adequate, but not great. There are a handful of great coaches, but their classes are virtually impossible to get into. read more

I'm reviewing the services based on a birthday party we had for my son. Staff (Erica, Sophia and Anna) were great with a rowdy bunch of boys, leading them through a parkour style hour on the mats. They also helped with set up and serving food after gym time, keeping things moving along. Was overall impressed and would recommend this place, at least for a party. read more

Bay Island Gymnastics - Gymnastics Near Me - Oakland, California

Our time at Bay Island started out great, but over time we became increasingly disappointed. The fees are high, but nonetheless we had high hopes for BIG. We wanted our daughter to progress and work towards competition, but there was no direction, communication, or commitment to her development. It became clear that BIG doesn't care, and that the relationship is purely transactional. If you want your child to get the most from gymnastics, don't waste your money here. read more

After a long waitlist and finally getting my 3 year old into a class, I am super disappointed. 1) First, props to the instructors for this age group, especially when respectfully dealing with a few kiddos who have issues that they should not have to handle solo. At this age, our expectations on actual instruction is low because it should be a good mix of play and structure. So the coaches are nice and positive. 2) Holy crap, after a months long waitlist to get into the current class.... she turns 4 and they invite us to join the next class, only there are NO SPOTS for the next class but we can join a waitlist after 20 other kids, including ones who are not even currently enrolled. No one told us this was a thing or we would have asked to be added to all waitlists forever, I guess? It's a failure of administrative structure that allows a student to move up (no guaranteed spot or priority on class times or instructors) so I don't know how we'd develop any kind of relationship with gymnastics as a sport, hobby, or even weekend activity at this place. Maybe it's different for teen levels, but if you have kids under 7-8, save your money. Go to a playground, buy a trampoline, or check out Ruby's Tumbling. read more

Bad service, most of the staffs are rude & unprofessional. They need to train more. You can not just grab somebody's kid and then almost drop it! I'm talking about the tall girt, short hair, with glasses & in fuschia wind breaker jacket. The girl in pink over size sweat shirt is very rude to talk too, she lacks training. The man with the long hair & in gray sweatshirt screams at the top of his lungs, when your child runs to the balls. Really ??? If that's the way you respond to situations & your with toddlers & kids. I believe you don't have any business being with any kids !!! Never coming back !!! read more

Jennifer, Aggressively grabbing and pulling on a child is never okay. The first method you should teach your staff is to use there words; which Ian never did. The second is to never put their hands on a child unless the child is in danger. Safety is number one but in our case safety was never an issue. Of course your staff will use any excuse to cover themselves but you never came to me or her father and asked what we saw. You also never informed me or her father that another staff member accused Darsi of grabbing our child. Kids do not always go home and tell their parents everything that goes on when they're outside of the home therefore it was your responsibility and your staffs responsibility to inform us of the allegations; which you did not. You responded on yelp in sake to save yourself and your company if you really was apologetic you would've sent me an email and apologized to my child. My fellow parents out there like I said before if you want your kids safe I would keep my child away from this place. And in the last review I did not even mention the allegations of Mr. Darsi being an alcoholic. This review is to alert all of the other parents out there Jennifer not to get a sorry sad response from you. My child goes to head over heels gymnastics in Emeryville And although we live in Alameda the drive is well worth it my child have had nothing but The best experience there in the last year and a half the staff is awesome and I have not had one issue. The staff is well trained and experienced you actually see them on on the floor verbally and physically explaining the techniques to the students. Friday Parent nights out are great as well. read more

I'm surprised at all the negative reviews this place has received. From my 1 year experience, Bay Island Gymnastics has been nothing but great! Every time I call to schedule a make-up class or ask a question, someone is there to pick up. The coaches are awesome, they make sure the kids are learning and having fun, and they start and end classes on-time. On some days, the waiting area does get a little cramped, but a lot of people don't actually use the the room upstairs where there are tables and chairs. Plenty of seating up there and the view is better! And they've got free WIFI! How great is that?! I guess most of the issues that plagued this gym have since been remedied. I would recommend my friends to this gym. The kids have fun here and that's really what matters. read more

This place, this place. Sigh. Location- converted warehouse Condition- old patchwork of equipment. Gymnastics area on one side and children's play area in random spots Temperature- no heating in December, and staff requires children to remove shoes and socks. Parents oh children under 4 must remove shoes and socks as well. So, you will be cold, in an old facility with dirty play areas. Party routine- the instructors rap complicated instructions to young kids, and are not accommodating of toddlers trying out new things. One star for the staff who tried to do a good job, but it seems like the business plan here is still sergeant meets give us your money. read more

This was the best gymnastics facility I have ever been to. I don't know why people are complaining. The coaches and owners are welcoming, and the other gymnasts there have invited us into the gymnastics community. I can't wait to go back there! Everyone seems to be having fun, and even the competitive teams are loving. Every meet, they get better and better, by nice coaches, not by discipline. read more

Our two kids (now almost 5 and 8) have been having their birthday parties here for several years now. We've loved the kids' parties every time. The parties are really well organized, and the staff engages with each kid so every one has something at their level. They really seem to have thought through the party plan as well--they divide the kids into groups so it's not an overwhelming free-for-all, and they have instructors with each group working with the kids. After the kids get completely and happily worn out playing with the amazing long/high swing, trampolines, bars, foam obstacle courses, rope swing, and jumping into a HUGE foam pit, they head on upstairs to the party room. It's nice to have a separate and spacious room to get everything set up (and actually be able to talk to other parents) while the kids are doing gymnastics. You bring in pizza, cake, etc and whatever tablecloths or balloons you want. The staff comes up to help clean up. Easy, super low-stress birthday party. And one last thing. Our daughter's party was scheduled for today, and she woke up with a really high fever. We were sure we'd have to just lose our $ (there is a no cancellation policy two weeks before the event), but they were incredibly understanding and let us reschedule the party for a couple weeks later with no extra fees. Amazing! Highly recommend Bay Island for a birthday party!!! read more

Loving the junior explores class with con Darcy. This gym is clean, nest and well organized. The class has a starting circle and ends with hand stamps. This is so important for my little one who is just beginning to understand structures and beginnings and endings . The front desk has never been open when I've been there and that makes it hard to get questions answered. However email and phone tag get the job done but it's just not creating a community feeling, it would be nice to be welcomed at the front upon read more

My daughter was taking classes here for two years I off and on. They switch instructors on a weekly basis. Whenever she had a teacher she likes it is only temporary. A few months ago they sent emails to all the parents stating that we must update credit card info. I did not receive the memo. I took my daughter to practice and the front desk notified me of the change. I never bring my purse or wallet too these practices because it is very crowded and no safe place to set them down. I told them "I am sorry I did not know about the payment info change! I did not bring my credit card with me but I can come by tomorrow morning and update it." What infuriated me was they booted my daughter out of practice because she had an $11.00 balance. I told them "can she just practice today since we can easily pay tomarrow morning?" They said "no". I feel like that was very harsh and heArtless considering we've been paying them a lot of money for quite some tIme. It was not liKe I couldn't come back the next day as I promised, to update the payment info. Because of the lack of compassion and horrible customer service I decided to look elsewhere for gymnastics classes. The reason I felt compelled to write this review is because despite the fact that we haven't been members for the past five months, they still try and charge my credit card every single month. I've tried calling them and emailing them explaining why we are no longer members, but they still are trying to charge us every month. read more

Full disclosure: My friend Renee N. is the manager of Bay Island Gymnastics. But, Renee's awesomeness is only one of the reasons that BIG is so great. Granted, my experience is limited. I don't have a kid to enroll in classes - instead the kids make me feel totally inadequate while I wait to start the adult class (which is really an excuse to jump on giant trampolines). But, when we do have kids we will most definitely be enrolling them...and not just to give them some semblance of grace and agility. Before going to Bay Island, my only gymnastics experience was through Parks and Rec, so I was amazed by the equipment that BIG has for all levels, from tiny kids to competition level. But, the more time I spend surprised that I haven't sprained something in the adult class (Renee and Tim make sure that doesn't happen, even for a klutz like me), the more the positive team work aspect has become apparent. All of the coaches I've met are super dedicated and love coaching. If all of them are even half as dedicated as Renee, you kids will be in good hands and hey, they may even become awesome gymnasts. read more

Love this place!! My daughter comes here twice a week for approximately 3 months now, so far so good! Staff in front is friendly, knowledgeable, willing to help and accommodate schedule. All trainers seem to be pretty well with the children and have an assistant to help them as well. Bathrooms are always clean and well maintained as well as the facility. The only down fall about this place is you are only allowed one make up class, if you miss. You can only make uo class once and that's it. It definitely makes sense, just my only complaint! ! We will continue going here for many months possibly years to come!!!! read more

Bay Island Gymnastics - Only one part of the gym! - Gymnastics Near Me - Oakland, California

We went her for my nephew's b day party and they had three associates split the kids into three groups and they used the entire building and all did various fun activities throughout the building. The kids had a blast and after playing we went upstairs to their party room and had cake and pizza that was brought by my sister in law. The place was nice and clean and the associates were friendly. read more

My daughter has been taking classes here for 5 years now and she loves it. We've seen our fair share of coaches over the years and they are all awesome. The staff are friendly and the coaches are tough but fair. We just had my daughter's birthday party here and it was a blast. read more

Very nice way to get kids active! I have one of mine in this gymnastics and she loves it and she loves her teacher as well! It's very surprising to see negative reviews because the staff are very friendly. read more

I signed up for my daughter in Feb, pay the subscription and the first month. A week later someone from bat island gymnastics called to say welcome and to tell me if I want to bring my daughter and have a tour. On our first day, no one greets us or introduce the teacher or nothing we have to figure it out and asking other parents. I sent an email asking a question about how it works if the kids are going on vacation someone name Taylor said that I have to drop out and sign her again after our 3 weeks vacations. I ask my daughter teacher and she apologizes for the wrong information she told there's something called makeups. She advises was to talk to the front desk people for more information. I talk to CHENILLE and her with an attitude after I told her in a brief description of what it happened. Said well you need to call the office the day she will do the makeup. After her attitude, I didn't want to ask more question. I'll look for another place to take my daughter. read more

Very disappointed at this place. Don't let the 4/5 stars fool you. These are people they know. There is a bad trend happening here. Staff are unprofessional, untrained and they don't care about the people who come here for birthdays. Read the negative reviews, they are true. I witnessed it and as I was complaining to staff named Kelly, her coworker was rude and right in front me and her as well. If the staff don't even behave in front of her colleagues, how do you think they would treat you and your kids. No call from management when left a message for a call back. Don't trust them with your toddlers here unless you want them to be grabbed and potentially be dropped and get hurt by staff. Please do yourself a favor and look for another place to go if you love your kids. read more

No one answers the phone! When they do and you get a chance to talk to them, they were not listening! I called to inquire about their developmental program for my daughter. I told them that my 6 year old daughter has taken classes and summer camps at other gyms before but has never been in any developmental program. I was advised to come to open gym on Friday so I can check out the gym and meet the developmental coach. I went there and found out that the open gym is only for kids 8 years and older. And the lady who talked to me on the phone said that I told her on the phone that my daughter has competed before. She looked at me as if I lied to her on the phone. In short, they don't listen to a word I was saying. Very unprofessional!!! read more

No thanks, staff was obnoxious on the phone and not willing to help get registered. I don't have time for that, there are plenty of other options. read more