Zia was founded in 1985 by Jutka Szabo, in partnership with Mark Robbins, in a building off of Siler Road. Jutka and Mark had been working at a gym on Hickox Street called Santa Fe Gymnastics when they decided they needed their own facility. Gymnastics was a popular sport following the Olympic success of Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci in the 1970’s. Many high schools in New Mexico, including Santa Fe High, even had women’s gymnastic teams!

After about a year at the Siler location Zia relocated to its current location at 1517 Pacheco. There have been many improvements in the facility and the equipment since the early days, but there is never enough space for everything we want to do! In 1997 Jutka became the sole owner of Zia Gymnastics Academy when Mark left the area. He is currently the State Judging Director for Florida, a position Jutka holds in New Mexico.

From the beginning Zia Gymnastics had a primary goal of offering children an opportunity to enjoy an introduction to gymnastics and develop the strength, balance, and flexibility they can use throughout their life. Recreational gymnastics is the foundation of the Zia program and a large number of people who grew up in Santa Fe (it seems like everyone) have had at least one class at Zia. Zia also works with the City of Santa Fe Summer Recreation Program to offer summer classes for boys and girls who want to try the sport.

In addition to the recreational program, Zia offers a women’s competitive team for those girls who want to develop their skills and compete in USAG sanctioned meets. Three qualified and experienced coaches are available to work with our team gymnasts and over that past 22 years Zia has a proven track record of State Champions!