MARS Hill, Maine — In 2008, Allison Wheeler was standing in front of a handful of excited youngsters at the Bridgewater Grammar School, waiting anxiously in their brightly colored leotards and shorts and T-shirts.
The Blaine woman, a former gymnast who had begun coaching the sport in college, knew that she wanted to start teaching again in order to give County youth more athletic opportunities.
Wheeler acknowledged on Tuesday that she had no idea at that point that 11years later, most of those children would still be in gymnastics — along with close to 450 more youth from across the region.
“I just marvel at how successful this has become sometimes,” she said, pausing to speak during a three week break in activities at All Star Gymnastics. “I am really happy, but I am even more pleased to see all of the kids who are enjoying it.”
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- Cheerleaders at All-Star Gymnastics in Mars Hill showcase the first and second place awards they won at the Maine State Cheerleading Championships in Bangor in March, 2019. The business, launched by Allison Wheeler in 2008, started in Mars Hill with just a handful of students, now has three locations and more than 450 youth signed up for its programs this fall. (Allison Wheeler)
After the initial success of the Bridgewater endeavor, Wheeler opened her All Star Gymnastics flagship facility inside the former J.J. Newberry Store in Mars Hill in 2010. Each of her facilities is filled with competitive level equipment, including balance beams, high bars and tumbling mats. The initiative generated so much interest that parents began asking her to teach in other parts of The County. All-Star Gymnastics expanded to Presque Isle and Houlton in 2011. As interest in her facility grew, she began offering competitive gymnastics and cheerleading classes, as well as dance and tumbling classes.
Now, her Presque Isle facility is located inside the Aroostook Center Mall.
“We just expanded there and doubled our square footage,” she said. “We now have 9,000 square feet of space.”
The expansion allowed the business to add new apparatus, she said, including a full-size spring floor, a 40-foot trampoline and a 30-foot trampoline. The school also took over the tumbling program at the Maine Dance Academy in Caribou, and Wheeler added a rock climbing wall to her Mars Hill location.
“The move to bigger facilities was key to the business,” she said. “I was able to add more programs, which continues to bring in more children.”
The Houlton location also moved from its initial spot at the former Military Street Baptist Church to a bigger space at 106 North St., inside the former Theriault Equipment building.
The business started team competitions in 2012 to allow the gymnasts and cheerleaders at each facility to compete against other All-Star Gymnastics teams, and also to enter state elementary and upper level competitions. There are currently six teams, and several of them have secured first-place trophies in the Maine State Cheerleading Championships in Bangor.
Wheeler added another kindergarten through third grade cheer program in the Mars Hill gymnasium this year, which is now located inside the former St. Anne’s Church on Route 1.
She also said that she is seeing “amazing success” from a Ninja Stars program that she first offered more than a year ago.
“It is similar to the television show American Ninja Warrior,” she said. “There is a lot of running, jumping, climbing and flipping. The kids love it.”
When the business opens again in September, she will have 450 youth signed up to participate in classes.
Wheeler said that the secret to her success has been financing the entire business herself and moving slowly to expand.
“I don’t owe anyone anything,” she said. “Everything I did, I paid for it as I went. As programs grew and I had more money, I would rent a bigger building. I never bit off more than I could chew.”
She also said that she tries hard not to compete with other programs taking place in the area.
“I schedule my classes so that I don’t compete with the Houlton School of Dance or the Maine Dance Academy,” she said. “I think it is good for kids to get involved in several activities and try new things.”
The community support and a strong staff, she said, also has been crucial.
“I don’t advertise for staff,” she said. “I go out into the community and handpick them. That is the best way to get quality staff.”
As for Wheeler, the success of her business has allowed her to forgo other employment and work full time at her establishment.
“I love it,” she said.
For information, visit the gym’s website. All-Star Gymnastics also has a Facebook page.
