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 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.
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]
