Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center

Last updated

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]

Contents

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]

21st century

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

Notable coaches

Related Research Articles

Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which assigns the Code of Points used to score performances and regulates all aspects of elite international competition. Within individual countries, gymnastics is regulated by national federations such as British Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics. Artistic gymnastics is a popular spectator sport at many competitions, including the Summer Olympic Games.

Achieving The Perfect 10 is a television documentary film released on CNN on August 10, 2003 about young girls training gymnastics at the highly competitive Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Kristen Ann Maloney is a retired gymnast from Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, in the United States. She won bronze in the team event at the 2000 Olympic Games. Maloney was also the U.S. senior all-around national champion in 1998 and 1999 and the 1998 Goodwill Games gold medalist on the balance beam.

Natalia Vladimirovna Yurchenko is a retired Soviet artistic gymnast, who won the women's all-around gold medal at the 1983 World Championships. Renowned for her innovative and daring gymnastics, she is best known as the originator of the Yurchenko vault family, which is a round-off back handspring entry onto the vault, and then performing a series of twists and flips off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Gymnastics</span> National gymnastics governing body

United States of America Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Established in 1963 as the U.S. Gymnastics Federation (USGF), USA Gymnastics selects and trains the men's and women's national teams for the Olympic Games and World Championships. USAG sets the rules and policies that govern the sport of gymnastics, promotes the sport at all levels, and serves as a resource center for members, clubs, fans and gymnasts.

Kristie Phillips-Bannister, formerly known as Kristie Phillips, is a retired American elite gymnast. The 1987 senior U.S. National Champion and one of the American team's strongest and most visible competitors in the mid-1980s, Phillips was considered to be one of the front-runners for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. By the Olympic Trials in 1988, however, she had endured several coaching changes and a growth spurt, and was only named second alternate to the team. She went on to participate in competitive cheerleading in college and has since enjoyed successful careers as an actress, stunt woman, coach and gymnastics club owner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristal Uzelac</span> American gymnast

Kristal Dawn Bodenschatz is a retired American gymnast. A junior national all-around champion for three consecutive years, she was considered one of the United States' most promising junior gymnasts in the late 1990s.

Corrie Dong Quan Lothrop is an American artistic gymnast. She was an alternate for the United States' 2008 Olympic women's gymnastics team. She was adopted from China at age two. Corrie trained with Kelli Hill at her gym, Hill's Angels, which also produced Olympians Dominique Dawes, Elise Ray, and Courtney Kupets. She previously trained at her family gym, Yellow Jackets Gymnastics, in Middleton, Massachusetts. She was signed to the University of Utah for the 2010 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Sey</span> American artistic gymnast and executive

Jennifer Anne Sey is an American author, business executive, and retired artistic gymnast. She was a seven-time member of the United States women's national artistic gymnastics team and was the 1986 U.S. Women's All-Around National Champion. She was also a member of the 1985 U.S. Women's World Championship team that finished 6th, as well as the U.S. Women's Team at the 1986 Goodwill Games. Following her gymnastics career, Sey entered the business world. She developed a social media following due to her views around school closings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Allentown, Pennsylvania</span> Overview of sports activities in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Sports in Allentown, Pennsylvania has a rich tradition at all levels, including professional sports, the Olympics, and high school levels. While most Allentown residents support professional sports teams in New York City or Philadelphia, Allentown itself also is home to two major professional sports teams, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple A team of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball, and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, the primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Jennifer McIlveen is a retired artistic gymnast who competed for Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and subsequently for the UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team in the NCAA. In 2020, Pinches emerged as a prominent figure in the campaign against abusive coaching practices in gymnastics. becoming a co-founder of the charity Gymnasts for Change with athlete rights advocate, Claire Heafford.

Elizabeth "Ebee" Nicole Price is a retired American artistic gymnast. Price was an alternate for the 2012 Summer Olympics Gymnastics team, the 2014 American Cup Champion, and the 2013-2014 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup All Around Series Winner. She was a member of the U.S. Junior National Gymnastics Team from 2010 to 2012 and the US Senior National Team from 2012 to 2014. She retired from international elite gymnastics in April 2014.

Leslie Pyfer is a former artistic gymnast. Pyfer won the USA Gymnastics National Championship in 1979. She competed for the United States at the 1978 and 1979 World Championships.

The United States women's national artistic gymnastics team represents the United States in FIG international competitions.

Christina Lydia Desiderio is a retired American artistic gymnast. Desiderio was named to the 2015 U.S. Junior National team, after her performances at the 2015 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships.

Maggie Elaine Haney is a former American gymnastics coach, having been suspended for eight years by USA Gymnastics in April 2020 due to her abusive conduct. She serves as the head coach at MG Elite Gymnastics, Inc in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. She is best known for coaching 2016 Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez and 2018 World champion Riley McCusker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konnor McClain</span> American artistic gymnast

Konnor McClain is an American artistic gymnast and a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team. She is the 2022 U.S National Champion and was the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy and the 2019 U.S. Classic Junior All-Around Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 U.S. Classic</span>

The 2021 U.S. Classic, known as the 2021 GK U.S. Classic for sponsorship reasons, is the 37th edition of the U.S. Classic gymnastics tournament. The competition was held on May 21–22, 2021, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Brian Babcock is a former American artistic gymnast and member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team. He was the winner of the 1985 USA Gymnastics National Championships.

References

  1. "Parkettes Gymnastics Training Center in the Lehigh Valley, PA". www.parkettes.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Reinhard, Paul (June 22, 2018). "From west Allentown backyard to producing Olympians, the Parkettes celebrate 50th anniversary". The Morning Call . Allentown, Pennsylvania . Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  3. "PARKETTES HONOR EX-MACK BOARD HEAD FYI". The Morning Call . Allentown, Pennsylvania. November 24, 1985. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  4. Peter Hall. "Gym owners, 3 coaches named in SafeSport allegations at elite Pa. gymnastics training center". Times News Online.
  5. Koltnow, Bo (21 February 2022). "Allentown's Parkettes defending itself against allegations of abuse". WFMZ.com.
  6. Hall, Peter (20 February 2022). "Parkettes owners and 3 coaches named in SafeSport allegations. Former athletes claim weight-shaming and sexual harassment at elite gymnastics club". Mcall.
  7. "Transcripts CNN Presents Achieving The Perfect 10". transcripts.cnn.com. August 10, 2003. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  8. "Book Review: "Chalked Up" by Jennifer Sey". thegymnasticsguide.com. Retrieved December 12, 2023.

40°36′02″N75°27′49″W / 40.60050°N 75.46361°W / 40.60050; -75.46361