United by fate, bonded by love, and driven by passion, Mihael-Catalin & Ashley Anton live each day to brighten the lives and enhance the futures of the young girls they work with through the sport of gymnastics. On opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, in two very different cultures, both Ashley and Mihael grew up immersed in the sport of gymnastics, both holding an Olympic Dream which remains untouched but brought so much more than they ever expected to their lives.
Growing up in Romania under a rigorous communist regime, Mihael did not enroll in gymnastics for his love of the sport; he was sent to the gym as a form of recovery after narrowly fighting death due to illness as a young child. At only five years old, Mihael was rushed to the hospital where he ultimately lost his pulse, and doctors were initially stumped by what could be wrong with him. In a small miracle; his pulse returned and he was diagnosed with toxic shock, sepsis, & kidney failure. He was given only a few weeks to live but miraculously he was able to recover. After his unbelievable recovery, Mihael was asked by doctors to start doing a sport in order to regain his strength and mobility. Within two years after beginning gymnastics, Mihael had already become a pommel horse Gold medalist with the score of a perfect 10! In only two short years he went from needing help to move and being too weak to stand on his own; to becoming a Champion in what is said to be the hardest sport in the entire world, in a country which is famous for having the best athletes in the sport. Despite all odds he became Junior National Champion and one of the strongest competitors on the Romanian National Team.
He continued to make great strides in his gymnastics career, winning many National Titles and training on the Romanian Olympic Gymnastics Men’s National Junior Team. In 1994 Mihael’s career came to a halt when he suffered a catastrophic injury on high bar in which he suffered extreme facial and head trauma. This injury nearly ended his ability to do gymnastics again. After being out of gymnastics and any type of physical activity for eight months due to medical restriction, his strong mind and love for gymnastics brought him back to the sport, and less than a year after returning he regained his title of pommel horse National Champion. In 1998 he was placed on the Senior Olympic National Team. He went on to again win multiple National Titles and to compete the skill on high bar which nearly killed him.
After receiving an offer to train in Cirque du Soleil, Mihael left gymnastics, and moved to Canada where his artistic and acrobatic talents were highlighted while he trained to perform in Cirque du Soleil shows. His areas of expertise we the flying trapeze, Russian swing, and the aerial hoop. His experience enlightened him to conditioning which was specific to each athlete’s needs in order to prevent and rehabilitate injury. Although he loved the company, training, atmosphere, and everything about his experience with Cirque du Soleil, he returned to Romania to begin coaching gymnastics.
In 2002 Mihael was awarded his Bachelor’s Degree in Sport specializing in Artistic Gymnastics from the National School of Coaching in Bucharest, Romania. In a short period of time he became one of youngest most highly decorated coaches in the country; training gymnasts with multiple National & International Championship titles; most recently his former gymnast, Diana Bulimar, competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in the team competition.
Mihael is also an accomplishment coach in a sport other than gymnastics… He is the coach of the 2011 Ms. Fitness National Silver Medalist and 2011 Ms. Fitness International Bronze Medalist, Ashley Del Monte Anton. Mihael started coaching Ashley when she was twenty-one years old… Although she had a background in competitive gymnastics, she had been out of any type of physical activity for seven years due to a severe elbow injury. He provided her the inspiration to transform and strengthen her body and mind; reassuring her that she would not get injured performing acrobatic skill if she practiced proper conditioning. He masterful coaching allowed her to become a world renowned competitor in the sport best known for her impeccable physique, powerful speeches, and spectacular fitness routines. Ashley went on to become the youngest, most highly awarded first year Ms. Fitness competitor in history and was awarded the Gold Medal for her routine Ms. Fitness National & International.
Growing up in America, born prematurely at only 1lb 3oz, Ashley began gymnastics inspired by USA’s historic win at the 1996 Olympics. Ashley started gymnastics at the age of seven and went on to win many state and regional titles. Although she trained in gymnastics through level 10, with each new level she acquired a multitude of injuries. In 2004 she suffered a severe elbow injury which left her unable to continue her gymnastics career. Although her injury left her feeling unfinished with her own gymnastics career, she channeled her passion for gymnastics into coaching. At only fifteen years old, Ashley began coaching her own competitive gymnastics team in a gymnastics center owned by her parents. She was determined to give her athletes what she felt she was not always given herself as a gymnast; an individualized experience which promotes self-love while providing detail oriented training & conditioning to prevent injury.
In differing ways Ashley & Mihael both faced hardships and abuses within the sport. Motivated from the heart, they each held the same goal of coaching gymnastics “beyond the skills”, touching the hearts and minds of the children they work with.
Meeting in America, fighting adversity, blackmail, and even homelessness, Ashley & Mihael dreamt to open their own facility to live out their dream of changing the culture of gymnastics, and providing young girls a unique chance to capture their athletic dreams, while empowering their spirits, allowing them to grow into “champion” women.
Starting out with just one mat traveling from location to location, Ashley and Mihael were able to begin building their business and move into their own facility in 2013. Still to this day their facility is quaint in size, but large in heart, where each child is approached as an individual, always keeping in mind the impression left upon them when they walk out the door of the gym each day.
“It is hard to describe what we do as a “business” because truly it is a passion and a blessing. We are lucky to live each day sharing our love of our sport while teaching young girls to value themselves in a world which can be so harsh. What we do each day is so much more than pointed toes; it’s teaching girls to strive, to define themselves by their principals and efforts rather than the titles they win, to appreciate others even those who surpass them, to trust themselves in moments they are scared, to remain driven in the face of adversity, to stand back up after a fall, & to give 100% of their heart towards their dream. Through gymnastics we have the ability to empower girls to become strong, fierce, driven, confident, passionate, and gracious women. Our visionary, athlete-centered, holistic approach gives each student the ability to acquire the tools to make any dream they may have, no matter the size, come within grasping reach.”