BIDDEFORD  — Dudziak’s School of Gymnastics, a locally owned and operated gymnastics facility in Biddeford since 1994, was just voted “Maine’s Junior Olympic Club Of The Year” for their 2016-2017 competitive season. 

This title is awarded to a Maine gymnastics club who achieves the highest level of athletic success while upholding a high standard of ethics and sportsmanship. 

This year Dudziak’s had 14 athletes qualify to New England Regionals and graduated three seniors to collegiate programs.  

“We were very excited to get the news,” says Roxanne Deshaies, Owner and Head Coach of Dudziak’s. “It’s very humbling to be recognized by our peers…our coaches deserve all the credit.”

This recognition caps off a string of accomplishments that were recently received by both Dudziak’s Coaches and Athletes. 

In May, Amanda Gustafson, a University of New England Senior, Dudziak’s coach, and Captain of the UNE Club Gymnastics team, was recently named “Female Athlete of the Year”  by the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC). 

This is a National Award given to only one athlete for their leadership, academic, and athletic success.  Amanda is credited with organizing and creating UNE’s first collegiate gymnastics competition for the University.  

To go further, this spring the University of New England named Gymnastics its “Club Sports Team of the Year” and this would be the first time UNE Gymnastics would receive this award. 

UNE Gymnastics uses Dudziak’s as its primary facility for both training and competitions and is coached by Mallory Nugent, a Dudziak’s coach and former UNE student.

Dudziak’s families and staff also were delighted to hear of yet another accomplishment of a former athlete and coach this summer. 

Ellie LaFountain, an Ursinus College freshman, was named Ursinus Gymnastics’ “Rookie of the Year” after being voted co-captain for the upcoming 2018 season. 

She will be the youngest gymnastics captain in Ursinus Gymnastics history and returned to coach this summer at Dudziak’s in Biddeford.  

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