Basel’s All-Star Gymnastics & Cheer The gym offers a diverse range of programs.[/caption]

In the summer of 1992, John Basel walked into a small gym at Champion Forest Drive and Louetta Road for a sales call. Reflecting on his lack of skill as an insurance salesman, Basel said he could not close the sale but instead left the meeting having purchased the gym. A few months later, on Oct. 1, 1992, he opened Basel’s All-Star Gymnastics & Cheer.


Up until that point, Basel said he had spent most of his life in gymnastics but never considered it as a career path. He started gymnastics as a child and continued to compete throughout high school and college. In high school, he started coaching and continued to do so while working.


“I was coaching at night,” Basel said. “But I never really thought about having my own gym until the opportunity presented itself.”


After three years of owning and operating the gym, Basel said it grew out of the 5,000-square-foot space. He purchased a piece of land and moved the gym to its current Louetta Road location. After seven expansions, the facility has grown from 10,000 to 26,000 square feet.


As a testament to the gym’s stability in Spring and Klein, Basel said many former athletes return to the gym for employment, including his daughter Kristen Basel, the gym’s business and event manager, and Anna Spencer, the gym’s office manager. Children of former customers also have started to come in to train at the gym.


“Spring has seen so many changes, and we’ve been a staple of the community,” Kristen said. “We now are second generation. We have parents who were students now bringing their kids here.”



Basel’s All-Star Gymnastics & Cheer


4963 Louetta Road, Spring
281-370-2882
www.baselsgymnastics.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-8:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. by appointment