Simply the best

National flags are painted on the walls of the New Hope Gymnastics building, not surprising after one learns that it was first built as a training center for the 1984 U.S. Olympic women’s volleyball team.

Above the familiar interlocked Olympic rings on one of the walls, there’s also a phrase: “We have a dream.”

Twenty-five years later, gymnasts who come to New Hope still have a dream. They frequent the Fountain Valley facility, located in the Los Caballeros Sports Village, with ambitions of their own.

The boys’ team at New Hope recently showed how much it could achieve, winning the prestigious Iron Man trophy after the Southern California State Junior Olympic Men’s Gymnastic Championships meet March 15 in Riverside.

“The Iron Man trophy means a lot to us,” said Guonian Wu, who trains the Level 7 through 10 boys. “That means we’re the best boys’ program in Southern California. I’m so proud of my boys. They work very, very hard, and their dedication has paid off.”

New Hope also won the title in 2006 and 1996.

Wu knows about winning the Iron Man, calculated by taking top scores from Levels 5 through 10. He’s won seven of them in a distinguished coaching career. A former member of the Chinese men’s gymnastics national team, Wu has been at New Hope for about four years and he commands respect.

After all, not every coach has a pommel horse move — “the Wu” — named after him.

“I tried to use my Chinese training” Wu said of his coaching philosophy. “It was kind of harder, kind of different for them. But I just kept telling them, ‘This is the way you can eventually reach your goal.’ ”

No explanation needed now. But even beyond the strict training, which can go about 25 hours a week, there is a sense of family at New Hope. The boys see it, even the most talented ones like Yoshi Mori, a senior at Irvine High.

Mori, a U.S. Junior National Team member, won the all-around boys’ Level 10 title at the state championships.

He finished no lower than third on any individual event, and he wants to be at least top-six this weekend at the Region 1 men’s championships in Chandler, Ariz., so he can represent the region at nationals.

“We’re not here just to do gymnastics,” Mori said. “We’re all friends, we’re family. I think that’s what makes a difference. No other team is as close as us.”

He pointed to Matt del Junco, who finished second to Mori at state. Del Junco also won the Level 10 vault national title last year.

“I’ve been his teammate since I started in the sport,” said Mori, who hopes to compete at the University of Illinois next year. “He’s seriously like my brother.”

Other team members come from as far away as Torrance or Simi Valley. But there are also locals, like the Morgan family of Fountain Valley. Randy Morgan, the mom, said she’s been coming to New Hope since her older son, Keith, was 6. Keith is now a freshman at Fountain Valley High, but like most high schools, there’s no gymnastics program there.

She said Coach Scott Picquelle used to coach in high school, but such programs have all but vanished.

“I think [New Hope] does a great service to the community,” Randy Morgan said. “These children really achieve, and they have a fun time. I owe a lot to the coaching here. They understand about keeping it fun.

“It’s really extraordinary. All of these kids go on to be regional and national champions and go on to prestigious colleges.”

She wouldn’t get an argument from her younger son, Drew. At 11, he’s a Level 6 gymnast.

“It’s a good atmosphere,” Drew said. “The older guys, they always help the younger people.”