FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Antje Morris

* Story by Lolita Harper; photo by [tk]

Every now and then -- when nobody’s looking -- 58-year-old Antje

Morris busts out with a front handspring.

Or sometimes a cartwheel or round off, when she’s feeling jumpy.

Whatever she’s in the mood for, she said.

“Gymnastics is in your bones. You never lose that feeling,” Morris

said.

Speaking of bones, Morris said, hers are starting to get a little

sore. After 25 years of teaching gymnastic skills to Costa Mesa children,

Morris said her back is starting to feel the effects. Morris must spot

the children and always be on guard, ready to catch the tumbling child in

the event of a misstep.

Morris instructs more than 600 children every day for the city of

Costa Mesa at the Neighborhood Community Center. Gymnastics is her

passion and she loves teaching children, so it was a perfect fit, she

said.

Born in Germany, gymnastics were always a part of her life, as

tumbling, vaulting, beam and bars were ingrained in the school athletic

curriculum. But in the 1950s, the sport was not as organized at it is

now, she said.

“We tumbled in the streets or on the grass just for fun,” Morris said.

“I was the best in my school -- in most athletic competition. But I

didn’t have a very structured program to compete in.”

She did compete nationally in Germany but never made it to Olympic

status. The lessons and the love she took from the sport inspired her to

share it with others.

“My goal is to build their self-esteem and make them feel good about

themselves,” the instructor said. “Seeing a child happy is the most

motivating thing.”

When Morris came to the United States in 1969, she wanted to continue

teaching elementary students, but did not want to go back to college to

get credentialed in California. Her desire to work with children and her

passion for gymnastics led her to become an instructor.

“I came over to Costa Mesa’s program and started helping but I had a

language barrier. I couldn’t talk to the kids in German,” she said, her

native accent still prevalent in her speech.

Morris observed classes and learned the names of various skills in

English and, 25 years later, she has former students bringing their

children back for instruction.

“It is so amazing to see the little faces of former students and how

their faces light up when they’ve learned to do a somersault. Sometimes

you can see the same expression as their parent,” Morris said.