Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center
Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, or Parkettes for short, is a gymnastics club located in Allentown, Pennsylvania that had its beginnings in the early 1960s with a middle school gymnastics program in Allentown that gradually grew into an intramural program and then into a facility that has produced several teams and individual gymnasts representing the United States, the Czech Republic, and Canada in international meets, including the Olympic Games.[1]
The husband and wife team Bill Strauss and Donna Strauss have served as the head coaches at Parkettes since its inception.
History
In 1986, Parkettes' gymnasts took the 1st (Jennifer Sey), 2nd (Hope Spivey) and 4th (Alyssa Solomon) places at the United States National Gymnastics Championships.
At the 1988 Olympic Games, Parkettes-trained gymnast Hope Spivey represented the United States.
In 1992, Parkettes' gymnast Kim Kelly caused a considerable controversy in that after she was selected for the 1992 Olympic gymnastics training squad, she was then not selected for the competition team extremely close to the opening of the games.
In 1998 and 1999, Kristen Maloney won the United States National senior All-Around gold. In 2000, she competed at the Olympics, winning a bronze medal.
Kristal Uzelac won the United States Junior National All-Around gold in 1999, 2000, and 2001.
In 2002, Vanessa Meloche, a Canadian gymnast at Parkettes, finished third at the Canadian championships and first on the uneven bars.
In 2016 Parkettes lost their best doctor, Larry Nassar, due to over 200 people coming forward about sexual abuse. The owners were good friends with him and let him get away with it all.
Media coverage
In 2003, CNN produced a documentary, Achieving the Perfect 10, which contained some criticisms of the demanding and competitive nature of Parkettes' training program. In 2008, Jennifer Sey, the 1986 National Champion from Parkettes, published a book, Chalked Up, which was critical of Parkettes and elite gymnastics.
Notable alumni
- 2016 Olympic Trials competitor
- LSU Tigers gymnastics
- 2019 NCAA team silver medalist
- 2018 Birmingham World Cup silver medalist
- UCLA Bruins gymnastics
- 2019 NCAA team bronze medalist
- 2000 Olympic Team Bronze Medalist
- 1996 Pacific Rim Team champion
- 1998 Pacific Rim Team and All-Around champion, Balance Beam bronze medalist
- 1998 & 1999 US National Champion
- UCLA Bruins gymnastics
- 2001 NCAA Team champion, Balance Beam bronze medalist
- 2004 NCAA Team champion, Uneven Bars silver medalist
- 2005 NCAA Vault and Balance Beam champion, All-Around silver medalist
- 2002 Commonwealth Games Team, Vault, and Uneven Bars bronze medalist
- 2002 Canadian uneven bars champion
- 2012 U.S Olympic team alternate
- 2013 U.S World Championships team alternate
- 2014 American Cup champion
- 2014 Pacific Rim All Around, Team, Floor Exercise, & Uneven Bars champion
- Stanford Cardinal gymnastics
- 2015 NCAA Vault champion
- 2018 NCAA Uneven Bars champion and All-Around bronze medalist
- 1985 World Championships team member
- 1986 US National Champion
- 1999, 2000, & 2001 Junior US National Champion