This week’s edition of Business Leaders takes a look at a local gym that gets a big boost in an Olympic year as well as a beloved barber and what’s new on 19th Street. Old school barber gets online love 1B · Houston Parks and Rec opens pools 2B • Eagle Scout Prayer Garden 4B Saturday, June 4, 2016 • Page 1B
Discover Gymnastics - Olympic hopefuls By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Carly Markesich, the president of Discover Gymnastics, has come a long way from when she had to hang a sign outside her door looking for gymnasts to train. “We have 2,000 students in here a week,” she said. “We get a boost during the Olympic year too. Every four years there’s a surge.” One of those students is Oak Forest’s Sophia Butler who The Leader profiled last September. Butler and Discover Gymnast Kadence Nguyen are the gym’s two Elite gymnasts. The Elite level is the top level of gymnastics competition. It has two age divisions, Junior (12-15) and Senior (16+). For Butler’s age, which is 11, the Elite category is called Elite Hopes. For the second year running, Butler qualified as an Elite Hopes athlete at the National Qualifier in Auburn, WA this April, where she was first All Around in her age group, first on Beam, second on bars, and third on vault. She competed at Hopes Classic at the National Team Training Center in Huntsville, TX at the Karoyli ranch and qualified to the Secret Classic Hopes Championship. Eighteen year old Simone Biles, a three time World Champion who won the Senior division of the Secret Classic for the last two years, has a near lock on the Olympic team, so that gives you an idea of the company that Butler is keeping. In addition, two Olympic gymnasts have been training at Discover and Markesich will be going to Rio in August to root them on. The first is 25-year old Catalina Escobar, a member of the Columbian National team, who lived
in Houston and trained at Discover until she qualified for the Olympics. Now she’s back in Columbia until she journeys to Rio in August. Markesich said that Escobar would probably be retiring after the Olympics but would likely be back as a coach. The second Olympic hopeful is 40-year old Oksana Chusovitina who is on the Uzbekistan National Team. This will be her seventh consecutive Olympics and while she normally lives and trains in Uzbekistan and Germany, she came to the U.S. to work with good friend and three time Olympic Gold medalist Svetlanta Boguinskaia, who lives in Katy. “[Chusovitina] doesn’t train the same way,” said Markesich. “She doesn’t need to do the same things as a 14-year old because she has the muscle memory. It’s all about staying flexible and in shape.” Of course not every student who comes through the door is bound for the Olympics. “The Olympics is five kids every four years,” said Markesich. “Most people come to us for enrichment. Parents are trying to see what kids are good at, what they like. I tell them if they find any activity that their kids are good at and that they love, then they’re a very lucky parent.” Markesich said it’s the kids who can’t sit still who are the prime candidates to excel in gymnastics. “The ones who are naturally physical and have high energy, good flexibility, some strength and endurance, and of course fearlessness – when we come across those kids we discuss with the parent maybe taking it to the See Discovery P. 4B
Photo by Christina Martinez For the second year in a row, Discover Gymnastic’s Sophia Butler will compete in the Secret Classic Hopes Championship with other Olympic hopefuls.
Masters Barber Shop - Cuts on Karbach By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com Karbach Street might now be known more for the local brewery, but for those looking for a quick, no-frills barbershop experience know to turn to Noe Garcia at Masters Barber Shop. Inside his barber shop, tucked away inside Suite A at 2416 Karbach St., Garcia keeps things as simple as he can. Along the walls are a combination of retro pictures and posters mixed with photos of his family. These days, his shop boasts one of the strongest average scores on Yelp among most other businesses, with a perfect rating out of 45 reviews. Garcia admits he’s not exactly a tech-savvy person, but his daughters have read some of the reviews to him in the past. “I’ve been to Noe several times and he is hands down the best I’ve been to in Houston,” Ben F. says in his review online. “You can’t beat the experience and the great conversations that he brings to this place. His prices are too low for such a quality cut and you can’t help but tip the man before leaving.” Other reviews say the same thing, and he’s gotten praise from people both young and old. In fact, Garcia said the Yelp rating and word of mouth has helped him more than anything else and his clientele stays consistently diverse across age groups. “I’m old school,” Garcia says with a laugh. “I’m not really into smartphones or computers and I like to read
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An Attorney For You With legal and business experience, high standards, local presence and ... a dedication to customer service • Wills, Trusts Preparation • Advice on Estate Planning • Creating, Negotiating, Revising Contracts Photo by Jonathan Garris Noe Garcia gets a lot of love on Yelp but he says he’s always operated his business just the same - with a focus on a quality cut and friendly service.
the paper. I still keep hearing ‘I found you on Yelp’ over and over and people have given me a lot of praise on there apparently.” Unless a customer had a negative experience he can help rectify, Garcia said he’d rather keep doing what he does than hunting for more
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Opening of Gipsy Girls on 19th By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com This weekend is the grand opening of Gipsy Girls at 726 W 19th St. in the same complex as Mark’s Hair Studio Painting with a Twist and Insomnia Video Game Culture and Vinyl Toys. Gipsy Girls will offer accessories and gifts aimed at tween and teen girls. The store also has a whole room dedicated to karaoke which can be rented for birthday parties and other celebrations. Owner Isabel Sigala who lives in the Heights and is the mom of both a boy and a girl
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says they will be open Saturday at 11 a.m. with a special grand opening event at 3 p.m. At the grand opening, kids and adults can check out the karaoke room which has a stage and lighting. “Since Olive Anne closed there is nothing like this for kids’ parties,” said Sigala. “We have a lot to offer.” Better Business Bureau Recognizes Dove Law Firm, PLLC, with Pinnacle Award Dove Law Firm, PLLC – a law firm located in Shady See Briefs P. 2B
reviews or scores online. “People ask me all the time if I go online but I like to stay home and stay off the internet,” Garcia says with a laugh. The fuzz A lifelong Houstonian, born right here in Harris County,
Garcia said the shop wasn’t necessarily something he first had in mind years ago but he grew into it. “My dad first opened Masters Barbershop in 1968,” Garcia said. “It was first locatSee Master P. 4B
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