Seeds to start Brandy Marie’s Gymnastics in Buffalo Township were sown at young age
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A birthday party at the former Champion Gymnastics in Tarentum would change the course of Buffalo Township resident Brandy Marie Pomaybo’s life.
She was just 7 years old at the time of her friend’s party and was blown away by the acrobatic feats performed by some of the people there.
“From that day on, I was hooked,” Pomaybo said. “There was nothing more I wanted to do. I loved the idea that I was able to jump and flip and spin. It was basically my way of expressing myself. I was pretty quiet as a kid in social settings.”
Pomaybo, 37, gets that same feeling of wonder every time she looks into the eyes of a young gymnast at Brandy Marie’s Gymnastics in Buffalo Township.
“The most rewarding thing for me, and what makes this all worthwhile, is the fact I get to watch these kids grow up into responsible and competent adults,” Pomaybo said.
Pomaybo first launched her business in 2012 when she converted about 400 square feet of her Buffalo Township home into a gym. About 100 families were signed up at the time.
“You’d see people eating at picnics waiting for class to start,” she said. “It was really odd, and I don’t even think it was legal to do. I had to find a way to make money to get a facility.”
The business moved into a 4,000-square-foot garage in Tarentum in August 2013 and served about 200 families.
Brandy Marie’s Gymnastics has been in its current 10,000-square-foot facility on Parker Road since 2015. It serves about 400 families. The facility offers gymnastics classes, cheer programs, open gym clinics, a boys acrobatics program called “Ninja Flip” and yoga and adult classes.
Pomaybo is assisted by cheerleading coach Kirstie Musco of Leechburg, a 2010 Kiski Area graduate, and gymnastics coach Amber Desiree, a 1999 Freeport Area High School grad with about 30 years of gymnastics experience. Other highly trained staff also work at the facility.
Its All-Star cheer program has grown from 12 to 34 participants the past three years. Their team of 5- to 8-year-olds won a championship and judges’ choice award at SHOUT! Cheer & Dance in Monaca in January.
Some of the facility’s teams of 7- to 14-year-olds won a USA Gymnastics state competition in Gettysburg in April. Competitor Samantha Fairman earned highest all-around out of 900 girls, and 21 members of the team won state titles in individual events.
Alaina Discello, 8, of Lower Burrell recently earned a perfect 10 score on the balance beam at a Lucky Stars event in New York.
“They don’t have to be a champion to be a special kid,” Pomaybosaid. “Every one of them are special kids.”
Gymnastics was not Pomaybo’s only profession. She worked as a full-time registered nurse at intensive care units from 2004 to 2013 at UPMC Presbyterian and other medical facilities. She still has up-to-date nursing credentials and uses those skills if something happens at her gym.
Pomaybo also studied orthotics and prosthetics, but her love of sports overruled all.
“I guess I just kept trying to find what made me happy, and it’s teaching gymnastics, teaching kids,” Pomaybo said.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.
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