Raising the Bar
BUTLER TWP — Steve Heasley and gymnastics just seem to go hand-in-hand.
Heasley, the president of Butler Gymnastics Club, has been involved with the sport since his freshman year of high school.
And the Butler resident isn't planning on changing any time soon.
His gym is open to both competitive gymnasts and those simply looking for better flexibility, balance and coordination.
“I've had kids from different sports come through here,” said Heasley. “Football players, track and field kids, divers. A lot of the divers at Butler over the years have come through here, (two-time Olympic participant) David Pichler being one of them.”
Two years ago, Heasley retired after 34 years of teaching social studies and government classes at Butler High School, allowing him to spend more time at his gym, which keeps him busy.
Butler Gymnastics has about 300 gymnasts, ranging from toddlers to high school-age youths.
The club's competitive teams have traveled to meets in Oklahoma, New York, Ohio and Florida, among other sites.
The club also hosts four to five events every year, attracting gymnasts from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College as well as Ohio and West Virginia.
Heasley has seen his gymnasts win countless individual and team titles, evidenced by the trophies that line the walls of his facility.
His students are now spread out across the country.
“Hannah Welker is now a senior at the University of Illinois, Natalie Beilstein is at Michigan and Chad Wiest is an assistant coach at Bowling Green,” said Heasley. “Those are just a few.”
For Heasley, Butler Gymnastics has become a family affair.
“My mother (Anna) was the office manager here for about 15 years,” he said. “My daughter, Michelle, used to train here and she now helps me with the coaching.”
Two of Heasley's sisters, Billie Blostein and Judy Chenot, work at the club.“Billie is the office manager and handles all the advertising and customer relations,” said Heasley. “Judy is the controller and works with the pro shop.“You have to have business sense to make this work,” he added. “My family coming in to take some of the responsibility, that has allowed me to focus on coaching. Doing both would have been too much.”Heasley founded Butler Gymnastics in 1974.“I never thought it would grow into the business it has become,” he said. “Back then, gymnastics was something I enjoyed and I wanted to share my knowledge.“Our first year, we had about 60 kids and we rented a building in Lyndora,” he added. “As the kids got better, we needed more space and better equipment.”Through the early 1990s, Heasley mentored gymnasts at locations in and around Butler. In 1994, he built the initial Butler Gymnastics facility and added on to it in 1996.“We now have about 17,000 square feet, which makes us one of the biggest gyms in the state.“My idea is that, as a business, you are either growing or dying,” added Heasley.“Gymnastics has changed dramatically over the years. You have to keep increasing the size of your facility, or at the very least, keep getting the improved equipment. It's so much more sophisticated now, so much more safety-oriented.”Heasley, who will turn 61 Wednesday, was not introduced to gymnastics until his teen years at Butler High School.“I was sitting in home room in ninth grade one day and an announcement was made for anyone interested in joining the Butler gymnastics team,” he said. “I didn't even know we had a gymnastics team, and as it turned out, we had one of the best in the state.”Heasley joined the squad, which was coached by Dave McKinnis.“He was a big reason why I learned to love the sport and eventually got into coaching myself,” said Heasley, who found his niche in floor exercise and vault before going on to star at Slippery Rock State College, where he was named an Outstanding College Athlete of America as a junior and senior.After graduating from Slippery Rock with a Master's Degree in secondary education, Heasley had several opportunities to coach gymnastics elsewhere, but remained in Butler.He took over the Butler High girls for five years and the boys squad for three years, coaching the former to two consecutive WPIAL and PIAA titles in 1981-82 and an overall record of 54-2.Until Butler's boys tennis team won a PIAA title in 2010, the girls gymnastic team's state titles were the lone team PIAA championships in school history.For his efforts, both as a gymnast and a coach, Heasley was inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.“That was a great honor, one of the highlights of my career,” he said. “I was humbled by it.”
<B>Name: </B>Steve Heasley<B>Address: </B>Butler<B>Employment: </B>President and coach of Butler Gymnastics Club<B>Education: </B>Butler High School, Class of 1969; Slippery Rock State College, secondary education, 1973.<I>‘My idea is that, as a business, you are either growing or dying.'</I>
Steve Heasley, president and coach of Butler Gymnastics Club offers these tips for improving the quality of life in Butler County:• Further development of existing activities and facilities, such as Cruise-A-Palooza, the Jeep Festival and Pullman Park• Finding ways to retain our most precious community resource, our talented young people• Attract new business opportunities.
<B>Name: </B>Butler Gymnastics Club, Inc.<B>Address: </B>560 Evans City Road, Butler<B>President: </B>Steve Heasley<B>Services: </B>Training of competitive and non-competitive gymnasts<B>Employees: </B>10<B>Telephone: </B>724-482-2900<B>E-mail:</B> info@butlergymnastics. net<B>Website: </B>www.butlergymnastics.net
Steve Heasley, president and coach of Butler Gymnastics Club offers these tips to succeed in business:• Be passionate• Establish short-term and long-term goals• Stay the course, through both the ups and downs• Be open to new ideas• Communicate with customers and employees. Make sure your message is clear.
