Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes opens gymnastics academy in Mount Laurel, New Jersey

Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes opened the ninth location of her gymnastics academy Saturday in Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey, bringing her approach to youth gymnastics to South Jersey.

Hundreds of children and families attended the grand opening of the Dominique Dawes Academy, which offers programs for children from 18 months through age 14.

Among them was 3-year-old Amira, whose mother, Niaisa Wise, said she wanted her daughter to become more comfortable with movement.

"I just wanted her to get a good atmosphere, and start to learn how to move her body more," Wise said.

The academy offers gymnastics and tumbling classes, as well as "ninja" programs featuring obstacle courses and other activities designed to get children moving.

"It's not only good for our daughters, it's good for our boys," Brittany Johnson-Brown said. "Our boys like doing gymnastics as well. So we are allowing them to come and explore."

Dawes, a three-time Olympian and member of the gold medal-winning U.S. women's gymnastics team at the 1996 Atlanta Games, spent part of Saturday meeting young gymnasts and their parents.

"I've been trying to explain it to [my kids] — they don't get it," Erica Wade said. "I'm like, this is the Simone Biles of my time!"

Dawes said the Mount Laurel location is part of her broader effort to create a healthier culture within gymnastics.

"It's more of a compassionate and empathetic environment, which is quite different from what I experienced in my childhood," Dawes said. "I'm a mother of four kids, and this is what I want for my young son as well as my three daughters."

Academy leaders said the goal is not necessarily to produce elite competitors.

"We are not focused on churning out Olympic athletes," the academy's general manager, Gavin Reath, said. "We are focused on creating that social, community-driven environment that every family can enjoy."

Classes at the Mount Laurel academy begin Monday and will be offered seven days a week. 

The facility will also hold open gym sessions.