"It is now over thirty years since Bill & I first discussed our interest in the sport of gymnastics. We had both been involved in athletics since we were young; however, this sport stood out both as a challenge and as an exciting prospect for our students at the school where we taught. With the inspiration of Carol Parks, the principal at Trexler Middle School in Allentown, we started an intramural gymnastics program for girls. Our knowledge was minimal, our spotting abilities based on instinct - yet our desire to learn this fascinating sport drove us to continue to learn more while building our program." - Donna Strauss (when asked how it all began…)

The Parkette program has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the early 1960's. Bill and Donna Strauss formed the group that was to become one of the most famous and recognized gymnastics programs in the USA Gymnastics history.

It was with great pride that the Strausses selected the name Parkettes when identifying their new team. It was to honor the man that inspired them to pursue their dreams of building a gymnastics program in the Lehigh Valley.

Little did they realize, as they started helping young people develop their athletic abilities, that in less than two decades they would achieve a ranking of #1 Team in the United States and be voted by their peers. . . coaches of the Year in 1983,1994 and 1998.

The road to success was not an easy one. The sport of gymnastics has increased dramatically in popularity since the founding of the Parkettes. As gymnastics grew, so did the Strausses means to provide a quality program to their students. In their formative years, the Parkettes practiced in places such as a barn with no heat, a dimly lit basement of a church, the Strauss's own backyard (during the summer), and the second and third floors of Symphony Hall in Allentown's downtown area!

The Strausses and their gymnasts worked in unbelievable surroundings, using used or even "homemade" equipment. Yet they continued to achieve success after success. In 1976, a Parkette gymnast qualified as a member of the USA Olympic Team. In 1979, Parkettes competed for the United States in the Pan American Games and brought recognition to the USA and the Lehigh Valley. 1981 found a Parkette on the USA World Gymnastics Championships Team competing in Moscow.

However successful, the Strausses knew that if the true potential of the gymnasts were to be tapped, they would need a modern training facility, which would afford Olympic level gymnasts a safe environment in which to work. Of equal importance to them was their interest in providing local children with the opportunity to gain the physical and psychological benefits associated with the sport of gymnastics. This facility needed to serve not only competitive gymnasts, but the entire Lehigh County and beyond.

Alfred W. Pelletier, then Chairman of the Board of Mack Trucks, Inc., heard of the plight of the Parkettes and realized that Allentown and this country had a "diamond in the rough." Through the efforts of Mr. Pelletier, the Parkettes Parents Organization, and many other local businesses and private citizens, enough monies were raised to begin construction of a new Olympic sized and equipped training center on land donated by the City of Allentown. Groundbreaking was held during March of 1981 and by Thanksgiving weekend of that year, the Parkettes had moved into the finest gymnastic training facility available in the United States.

One week later, the Parkettes competed in the First International Team championships held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. They placed second behind the powerful Chinese team and finished as the top United States team. What a difference a new gym makes! The atmosphere among the gymnasts and their families was one of great relief…they had finally made it to the end of their rainbow (or so they thought).

This was just the beginning, of a long history of Parkette successes on the national and international gymnastics scene. In 1983, a Parkette was on the World Championship Team. In 1986, Parkettes finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in Championships of the USA. These girls then went to Moscow to compete in the Goodwill Games that same year. The Parkette success culminated in 1988 when Hope Spivey became a member of the United States Olympic Team. Coach's Bill and Donna Strauss also obtained Olympic positions, with Bill being named Administrator for the Women's Gymnastic program and Donna being named Co-Coach of the Olympic team.

In its efforts to meet one of its major goals: providing quality gymnastics training to all children, the Parkettes hired Joe Stallone as the Men's program Director in 1995. Joe Stallone's credentials include 17 years coaching experience, NCAA Competitor at Penn State, US Olympic Festival Coach, USA Jr. National Team/Individual Coach, 1995 Coach of the Year, member of the USA Men's Program Committee 1997-2000, Jr. Pan American Games-Gold Medal Team Coach. With Joe at the helm of the men's program, the Parkettes offer some of the finest men's and women's training programs available in the country.

Kristen Maloney of Pen Argyl, a Parkette since age 10, was crowned the 1998 USA National Gymnastics Champion in August of 1998. She defended this title again in 1999, proving herself to be the most accomplished American gymnast since the '96 Olympics. Kristen won the Gold Medal on the Beam at the 1998 Goodwill Games, 1st place All-around at the International Team Championships and 1st Place All-around at the Pacific Alliance Championships. It is with great excitement that the Parkettes and Kristen look towards 2000, Kristen's final year as a Parkette competitor. She will attend UCLA on a full gymnastics scholarhship in the fall of 2000.

In February 1999, the Parkettes were honored to hold the First Annual Brian Babcock Memorial Invitational in honor of the late Brian Babcock. Babcock was the former Men's Program Director, as well as 1985 USA National Men's Champion. The invitational will be held every year to honor three traits closely associated with Brian and his impact on the sport of gymnastics: Desire, Dedication, and Determination.

The Parkettes organization provides the finest in gymnastics training to over 1200 local children that participate to have fun while developing physcial fitness, coordination, strength and flexibility. Recreational classes begin with Pre-school classes (1-6), followed by our after school boys and girls programs. For the gymnast who is interested in competing, the opportunity exists on one of the many different teams, and is handled on an individual basis.

In addition, several specialty classes have been developed to meet the specific needs of a variety of groups. These include Cheerleading; "Special Needs" classes, addressing the needs of children with emotional, mental or physical handicaps; and Adult classes.

Our story has only just begun ...