Our History
Uzelac Gymnastics is a family owned business and is operated by The Uzelac Group, Inc. Brenda Uzelac, the Chief Executive Officer and Donnie Uzelac, the Chief Operating Officer, have dedicated their lives to the sport of gymnastics. They are the proud parents of four children, two boys and two girls. Three of their children have competed in and now coach gymnastics. They are also proud grand parents of five grand children; the oldest is a member of the Uzelac Gymnastics Team.
Brenda started training gymnastics as a young girl at Johnstown Turners Gymnastics. At a very young age, she knew her life would be teaching this wonderful sport. At 16, she started coaching at the Johnstown YMCA, and later became head coach of Turners Gymnastics.
As Head Coach of Turners, Brenda jumped at it with vigor and excitement. Determine to be the best coach she could be, Brenda learned a great foundation, which would later pay off.
When Brenda and Donnie had children of their own, little did they know that their youngest daughter would go from a “Gym Rat” at Turners, to the only women to win three consecutive National Championships in USA Gymnastics history!
When Kristal was 6 years old, Brenda and Donnie made a decision to move to Allentown, PA and have her train at the Parkettes National Training Center. This was a great move for Kristal and Brenda as both refined their talents. Kristal travel and competed with Team USA all over the world which led her to worldwide fame. Brenda started coaching at the Parkettes which gave her the opportunity to coach side by side with some of the best gymnastics coaches and clinicians in the world. She is proud of her many National Champions but most proud of her accomplishment of her gymnast going on to further their education and compete at some of the best colleges and universities in the country.
Kristal accolades where many, but she was most proud of being the youngest National Champion in USA Gymnastics history. Kristal claimed three Junior All-Around National Championships and at least 15 times was an Event National Champion. She won numerous championships at the state and regional level. She traveled with Team USA for eight years to such places as France, England, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Hawaii, and many more. She competed against past Olympians and won. When on the competition floor, she was the most dynamic and focused gymnast you have ever seen. She went on to compete at Penn State where she still sits in their Sports Hall of Fame for the record breaking performances she had.
After Kristal went on to Penn State, and thirteen years later, the Uzelacs decided to go back home to Johnstown and apply what they had learned at the Parkettes. The formed Uzelac Gymnastics and opened up in the Galleria Mall. Five years and three moves later, the dream of owning their own training center became reality. They knew in their hearts that the community of Johnstown would benefit for generations to come. Nestled on a rural setting of a 12 acre plot in Adams Twp, but only minutes from the Galleria Mall, the Cambria County Airport, and hotels and restaurants, the U Sports Academy, is home of Uzelac Gymnastics, USA Elite Cheerleading, and the future “U” Sports Camps.
Welcome to the U Sports Academy!
Our Mission Statement
First and Foremost, our priority commitment
will be to the athlete!
Our full-hearted mission is to provide a fun,
motivating, and healthy atmosphere, for which
families interact together, regardless of age,
mental or physical abilities, race, religion, or
ethnic background. In this atmosphere, we will
provide the necessary training for an
athlete to develop, and to be the best that they can
be.
Our goal is to bring out and develop the
physical abilities through a challenging physical
development process, while fostering a true spirit
of sportsmanship.
Our athletes will strive toward
a goal and when that goal is reached, they will
learn to accept success in an honest manner.
When the inevitable failures occur during this
development process, they also gain the valuable
lesson that not succeeding at first effort can be a powerful learning experience, if handled
appropriately.
It is our goal to help the athlete
learn to accept this as part of the learning process
and to go on to achieve their goals.
Sport, in general, is a process of learning the
aspects (physical, mental, social and emotional)
of personal growth and development. Through
this means of movement education, each athlete
develops a realistic and positive self-image.
An athlete will be addressed with values of
responsibility, respect, fairness, and the highest
degree of integrity. It is with these values, the
Team Unity Triangle, coaches, parents and
athlete, can all strive for excellence in the Human
Spirit, together!
