What does it take to be a national champion in gymnastics? That’s a good question for Melinda and Joe Scheible, owners of All-American Flames Gymnastix in Port Huron. They have sent ten gymnasts to nationals just this year and their daughter, Hannah Scheible, is the highest-scoring Level 10 gymnast in the country, after dominating at this year’s USA Gymnastics Level 10 national finals in Oklahoma City.
Hannah’s journey with gymnastics has always had one goal: a scholarship to compete as a college gymnast. Hannah has had her eye on the University of Oklahoma since she was eleven years old. When it comes to college gymnastics, Oklahoma is in a class by itself. After being swooned by thirty other colleges and receiving six full-ride offers, Oklahoma came through and offered her both a full-ride scholarship and a spot on the team. She is now on the top-rated Oklahoma Sooners team, winners of the 2023 NCAA championship, representing her parents’ gym and all her hometown fans in a big way.
Besides Hannah, Flames has more national competitors.:Zachary Scheible, Collin Lilley, Annabelle Schneider, and Noella Marshall, who also competed as Level 10 gymnasts in Oklahoma City.
What does it take to get to Nationals? Coach Mel said that her top gymnasts are in the gym at least twenty hours per week. Once a gymnast shows interest in college gymnastics, the recruiting process starts early. There are only a handful of scholarships to go around, so the competition is intense. Flames Gym has produced several other college gymnasts over the years, with students from the gym getting scholarships to colleges all over the country.
This is a different track from gymnasts who are training for the Olympics. College-bound scholarship hopefuls compete in the USA Gymnastics competitions. Of the over 100,000 gymnasts involved in USA Gymnastics, 1% get to a Level 10, according to Scheible, and just a quarter of those elite gymnasts get a full scholarship. Hannah plans to use her scholarship to become a Registered Dietician with a Master’s in Nutrition.
Coach Mel said that Flames has over 1000 students right now, from age 18 months to age 18 years. The gym offers a multitude of classes, training, and even options to just have fun, like parties and parents’ nights out where kids can just enjoy the 35,000-square-foot facility that is packed with training equipment for every skill level.
To learn more about Flames, click here.
To learn more about Hannah’s journey, click here.
To follow the University of Oklahoma Gymnastics team, click here.
Photos provided by Melinda Scheible.
Story by Jennie Graves McClelland
