Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center
Template:Short description Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, widely known as Parkettes, is a gymnastics club located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It has produced several teams and individual gymnasts representing the United States, the Czech Republic, and Canada in international meets, including the Olympic Games.[1]
History
20th century
Parkettes was founded by Bill Strauss and his wife, Donna Strauss.[2] It started as a backyard after-school workout program at the Strauss home.[2] It was later in a barn, school, and church basement as they got the program established.[2] Former Mack Trucks CEO, Alfred Pelletier, helped the program move to a permanent home.[2][3]
The first Olympian produced by the club was Jody Yocum, who was named as an alternate for the 1976 Summer Olympics.[2]
- In 1986, three Parkettes' gymnasts placed at the USA Gymnastics National Championships. Jennifer Sey won the competition, Hope Spivey came in second, and Alyssa Solomon came in fourth.
- In 1988, Parkettes-trained gymnast Hope Spivey represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
- In 1992, Parkettes' gymnast Kim Kelly was selected for the 1992 Summer Olympics gymnastics training squad.
- In 1998 and 1999, Kristen Maloney won the United States National Senior All-Around gold medal. In 2000, she competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, where she won the bronze medal.
- In 1999, 2000, and again in 2001, Kristal Uzelac won the United States Junior National All-Around gold.
21st century
- In 2002, Vanessa Meloche, a Canadian gymnast at Parkettes, finished third at the Canadian championships and first on the uneven bars.
- Parkettes 50th anniversary was Summer 2018.[2]
- In 2022, 11 Parkettes' gymnasts made misconduct complaints to the U.S. Center for SafeSport that resulted in an ongoing investigation of five Parkettes coaches.[4][5][6]
Media coverage
In 2003, CNN aired a documentary, Achieving the Perfect 10, which contained some criticisms of the demanding and competitive nature of Parkettes's training program.[7] In 2008, Jennifer Sey, the 1986 National Champion from Parkettes, published a book, Chalked Up, which was critical of Parkettes and elite gymnastics.[8]
Notable gymnasts & alumni
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Notable coaches
- Brian Babcock, 1985 USA Gymnastics National Championships winner
- Donna Strauss, Parkettes co-founder
- Natalia Yurchenko, Soviet gymnast and 1983 World championships gold medal winner
References
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External links
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