BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — It's quite an accomplishment for a high school to take home a state championship in athletics, a testament to hard work, training, and perseverance.
But what about 24 state championships?
That's the case for the Brecksville-Broadview Heights varsity gymnastics team, which is keeping its winning legacy and focusing on family front and center.
As head coach, Maria Schneider oversees the program, taking pride in her team's reputation not only in Northeast Ohio, but beyond. In total, the program has been awarded 24 state titles, including the last 21 in a row. The first trophy came to the high school in 1994.
"They all want to just be a part of the program and be a Bee," Schneider said of her athletes and young gymnasts. "We have families that want to move into our district because of the tradition of the program, and it's very nice."
So what exactly goes into being a Bee?
"Determination, resilience, hard work, teamwork — it's just that tradition of excellence is what it means to be a Bee," Schneider answered. "It also means you don't have to be that gymnast out on the floor. That is something that we always say: You're part of a team, and whether you're out there competing that day at state meet or not, you are pushing your teammates all year long to be better."
It's an identity Schneider understands intimately. She herself grew up in the district, competing as a gymnast for the high school in the late 1980s before ultimately returning to serve as a middle school health and life skills teacher, in addition to her role as coach.
"Being born and raised in this community and the heritage behind everything — the values and the people — and my family was all here, and I didn't want to be far from them at that time," she said of coming back home in 1996 after attending Kent State University. "It was kind of a no-brainer for me. It just was something I still, to this day, I get so excited to walk in the halls and know that I was a student here. And now I'm teaching students down at the middle school, at the same high school I graduated from."
Schneider isn't the only member of her family who’s been part of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees community. In the front hallway, next to a case brimming with trophies, is the gallery of achievement, a wall of plaques honoring individuals who've made an impact in the district. Among them are plaques for Schneider's mother and father, Joan and Ron Ganim.
Before Schneider was head coach, her parents led the team, kicking off its winning streak.
"It's a little nerve wracking when I start to stop and think about it and what they built," Schneider told us of her parents' legacy. "I don't feel like I'll ever see myself in that same role of what they developed and what they built as a program."
In 2019, Schneider took over as head coach from her mother, Joan, two years after the death of her father. The husband-wife duo ran the high school program together, as well as their gym, Gym World, in Broadview Heights.
Joan started her life as a dancer and acrobat, not getting into gymnastics until she attended Kent State. After college, her first teaching job was in Brecksville, where she also became the gymnastics coach.
However, after having two children, Ganim says she was told by her principal to stay home. Needing another stream of income, she and her husband started Gym World more than 40 years ago.
When Maria decided she wanted to compete for her high school, Joan and Ron returned to the program.
"We did everything together," Ganim said of her and her husband. "We ate together, we worked together. we did fun things together, we raised our children together."
Of the legacy she and her husband created as coaches, Ganim added, "I guess we never thought about that. I mean, we just coached the sport. We did what we loved, and we were lucky that I had some good athletes. I have wonderful staff that works with them all the time. I mean, it takes a village.
"I never thought of it as a legacy. Every year, it's a new team, new kids, new kids coming up, and you just enjoy each year. People will say to me, 'Aren't you tired of winning all the time?' I'm like, 'No.' It's not the same group of kids. Every year, it's a totally different group of kids and different issues, different problems, different skill levels, and you just work the best you can."
For rising junior Emily Gromek, being part of the Bees program is meaningful.
"I can't wait till I'm old and I can say that I was part of the team," she said. "I'm really grateful that I was able to be part of this team and I'm able to be part of a family that's so supportive, but also can push you to your limits."
While these athletes feel the pressure to uphold their titles, rising senior Gianna Rabagnani also feels the support.
"The team is just really welcoming and the teammates are just amazing, and they're always helping you through everything," she explained.
Today, Gym World remains a training facility for a host of different districts and programs, and while Ganim is officially retired from both teaching and coaching, you can still find her in the gym every day helping young athletes.
As the Bees prepare to go for another championship-worthy season, both Ganim and Schneider aim to keep their legacy of winning and family first.
"My dad said, 'Be a legend in your own mind,'" Schneider said, "and you have to just build upon that and have the confidence in yourself as a coach, and then as an athlete."