When Terri
Rouviere Gazda was voted "Most Athletic" by her classmates
in the Hopewell High School Class of 1976, little did they
know that was merely the beginning of a tremendous athletic
future.
Terri was a WPIAL level gymnast, a skill
she put to use on the track as she placed 6th in triple jump
at the 1976 WPIAL Track & Field AAA Championships, where she
was the smallest jumper. She was also the setter for the
volleyball team at Hopewell and later at CCBC. Although a
talented multi-sport athlete, gymnastics was Terri's
favorite sport and proved to be her calling.
Terri began coaching gymnastics for
Hopewell's recreation gym program in the summer of 1977. She
also coached for Carol Leone's School of Dance & Gymnastics
while completing her Associate Degree from Community College
of Beaver County in 1978. After transferring to Slippery
Rock State College, Terri was a PIAA Gymnastics Official
while completing her Bachelor's Degree in Health & Physical
Education in 1980. She was also a member of Slippery Rock's
women's track & field team.
After completing her degree, Terri was a
substitute teacher and head gymnastics coach for Harmonie
Maennerchor (formerly Ambridge Turners). At that time, she
also got into bodybuilding and powerlifting, setting records
and getting nationally ranked.
Later, Terri began coaching gymnastics at
Allegheny Academy (adjudicated youth), Rhema Christian
School, CCBC, and local dance studios.
Terri enjoyed coaching all different types
of students, but missed leading her own gym program. She was
hired as head gymnastics coach at Monaca Turners in 1992,
where she currently has three private club teams. In 1998,
Terri extended her coaching duties to include becoming the
head coach of Center (now Central Valley) and Hopewell High
School girl's gymnastics teams. In 2011, Terri was hired as
head gym coach for South Side High School. Incredibly, Terri
will become the head coach of a fourth high school gym team
for the 2015-2016 season when she takes over at West
Allegheny. Besides being the head coach of four WPIAL high
school gymnastics teams and three private club teams (Monaca
Turners), Terri also has several WPIAL-area independent
individual gymnasts that she coaches through her facility at
Monaca Turners.
Now in her 38th year of coaching, Terri
serves on the PA Classic Gymnastics Steering Committee in
hopes to keep the sport of girls' gymnastics alive for years
to come.
Terri met her husband Richard while
co-coaching at Harmonie Maennerchor. Married in 1988, they
have two children, and reside in Coraopolis. |