~Back~ THE STORY OF JEWART'S GYMNASTICS     Jewart's Gymnastics started in my basement in 1969. Actually, it didn't have a name at that time. But it did have a purpose; to teach dancing lessons to the neighbor kids. I had a pre-school program and several classes for elementary school-age kids. Tap, ballet and acrobatics were the roots. Modern Jazz and "toe" were soon added. My goal was to have a school that gave kids the best things that I had learned from my 12 years of dancing lessons, my four years as a Slippery Rock Dancer/gymnast, and my three years of teaching physical education for the Los Angeles City School District. To me "the best" meant that it would be really fun, only the best technique would be taught, it would be creative and we would "show off" our skills to get recognition.     It was 1972, the year that Olga Korbut dazzled the world with her innovative routines, that we expanded to the Dance/Gymnastics School under Adzema's Pharmacy. When one of the girls broke my nose while I was spotting her back handspring, I asked my brother Paul to join me. Our enthusiasm about starting a gymnastics team and bringing something new to the community gave us excitement and a common goal. Our successes in competition whet our appetite to grow the business.     The "gym" under the pharmacy was 1400 square feet. It had brick pillars in the center of two rooms and 10 foot ceilings. We knew that we needed a bigger facility, so in 1976, we added a second location on Route #8 above Anderson's Car Wash. We hired brother Nick and Allison Hoburg to team-teach with us. Mary Jayne Sirianni was our next employee. Sue George was hired as a part-time assistant.     In 1980 we built the 7,000 square foot gym on Wildwood Rd. We were expecting the Olympic games to give us a lot of publicity as it had in previous Olympic years, but the US decided to boycott the Moscow Games. Fortunately, our new facility was a great drawing card and we weathered the boycott and the recession. In 1984, with the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, we added 4000 feet to the side of the gym and built the "gym house" for Paul. The strong support of gym parents helped us continue expanding the gym for the next 12 years. As the enrollment grew we convinced our brother, Brian to leave Ohio and run our USAIGC team. Nick returned from Chicago to round out our staff and head our boys programs.     In 1990 Paul married Kathy Hart. This was a significant merger in the history of the gym because Kathy took over the running the office. It's hard to believe that we had survived for over 20 years without that important office position. We moved into the 90's with a real office manager, a computer and an answer machine. The gym took a significant step to become a business.     The 90's brought the addition of the second generation of Jewart's to work at the gym. My sons Randy, Alex and Ben certainly added innovation and a challenge to the status quo to the business. In 1992, during the Barcelona Games we completed our next addition. We expanded the rear of the gym to set up a second vault runway and the boys' area and added the Lucky Star gym and dance room downstairs. The rockwall pit area was added in 1993 and in 1994 we moved the pre-school gym upstairs and put in our awesome cave climbing area.     Our family commitment to the kids we coach and the passion we feel for developing youngsters in the sport of gymnastics has been the energy behind the growth and evolution of Jewart's Gymnastics. The the families of our gymnasts have supported us, inspired us, and influenced our decisions more than they will ever know. Finally, I would like to recognize our wonderful staff and the former gymnasts that have worked with us over the years. They have been instrumental in helping us carry out our mission. Our heartfelt thanks to Michelle Lichina Packer, Michelle O'Connor, Amy Armour, Nicky Eisel, Jesse Wilson, Courtney McCauley, Kim Gillespie Smart, Louie Liguori, Dave Robinson, Brian St. Dennis, Ashley Andreone, Mark Hamilton, Courtney and Lindsay, Anne St. Clair, Bobby Spelic, Candi Workman, Jamei Badali and the many others who helped us make it to the twenty-first century! Wow!     We have been teaching in the North Hills for over 35 years. In 1999 we were awarded the Family Business of the Year by the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business and the Family Enterprise Center. In 2000, I was named one of the PA 50 Best Women in Business. In 2002 we added our outdoor fitness trail and ropes/adventure course. We are proud to be a work in progress: Proud to be leaders in the world of gymnastics: Proud to have the opportunity to coach such great kids. Thanks for reading our history. ~Back~ Phone: 412-487-5999 - Fax: 412-487-7333 - Email: ejewart@jewarts.com or gymnastics@jewarts.com Gym Address: 2468 Wildwood Road, Wildwood, PA 15091 - Mailing Address: 111 Oakhaven Drive, Wexford, PA 15090 We are located just outside North Park on the Yellow Belt