Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erika DeBolt . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Erika thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I like to think we are a mission driven company. I personally feel like without having a mission to accomplish, the gym may not do as well. My mission is to make sure the kids stay safe and happy! For a lot of kids, the gym is a safe place, a second home, a place they come to for achievements! I strive daily to make sure these kids know when they walk in the building that they are family, they are loved, they were missed when we didn’t see them for a week. I want them to feel the love. I want them to feel like they belong. We have many differences throughout the children in the gym, some have divorced parents and one parent refuses to bring them. Some have lost a parent. Some have special needs. Some are autistic. My mission is to make sure that every child feels like they belong here. I want every child to want to come to the gym. I want them look forward to coming back. The achievements so many how big or how small are still an achievement and a step toward a goal they may have. My mission is so meaningful to me because I have been where many of these kids have been or currently are.

My parents divorced when I was around 2 years old. My mother had custody of my sister and I, were starting moving around once we were school age. I remember for years, I wasn’t in the same school district longer than a year. I remember starting at a new place, a new school and not feeling like a belonged there. Not feeling welcome. It got harder as I got older. We were homeless at one point and lived out of an abandoned church and also out of a school bus. I remember living at a KOA camp in the school bus. I had no normalcy. My sister and I had to make the best out of every situation. I remember having my daughter when I was 18 years old and feeling like so many people that I would fail because I was so young. I have been married and divorced and re married.

So many things happen in each persons life. Things that people don’t know about. You never know what someone is going through. I know how that feels. I remember being a child and just being broken. I wish I would have been able to be with my dad and not living across the country from him. I wish I would have had a place for comfort with a sense of belonging. I don’t know what every child is going through, but I do know that as long as I make it my mission to make sure they are safe, happy, want to keep coming back and feeling like they belong here, then I know I have done my job.

If they are special needs, autistic, or have sensory issues, we have a place for them.

If you are wanting to go far in your gymnastics and want to compete set goals of getting a trophy, we have a place for you.

If you are here for coordination, balance, fun, just to learn something small, we have a place for you.

I want each and every child to KNOW we have a place for them. They do belong and we want them here.

Erika , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Quest Gymnastics & Extreme Sports Center was established in 2017. I had worked for the previous gym, GymQuest and when we found out they were selling, we jumped on the thought of buying it.

I love coaching, I love teaching the kids, I love learning from the kids, what better way to tie it all together!

We offer classes from walking up to age 18. There is a class for everyone! From recreational gymnastics to competitive gymnastics, from Ninja to Parkour, to tumbling.

We host birthday parties on the weekends! You will also see us perform at the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival and Beavercreek 4th of July parade. We love helping the community and being a part of it!

The family atmosphere is what I believe sets us apart from others and that is what I am most proud of. When you have a family move due to being in the service or move due to work and you get a card or feedback about your gym and how they know they won’t find another place like it- you know you have done well. We build so many special relationships here and I am so so proud of my staff for that!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I honestly never knew how resilient I was until I owned a business. I can take all the feedback, negative or positive. It is sometimes a hard pill to swallow to hear that your staff isn’t doing something to meet customer satisfaction, but you take it in and you deal with it and you fix it. None of that has even come close to the journey of issues that have hit us back to back in the gym.

It all started when the Memorial Day tornado hit the gym. My husband and I were out of town and got the call. Nothing makes you more sick than hearing that your lively hood has just taken a hit. You aren’t there and have no way of getting there quick enough. Luckily, our amazing staff and parents had it cleaned up by the time we were able to fly home. The damage that we dealt with for months upon months after, was nothing light of easy.

Then in December 2018, I got a call while I was working at the gym that my dad was unresponsive and had just collapsed at his home. I was out of the gym the next 2 weeks and honestly needed longer. That is something that still haunts me to this day and something that I struggle with daily. He was the only parent I had. I didn’t think I would ever bounce back from that.

March 16, 2020, all gyms were mandated to close per Governor DeWine. With no end in site, not knowing what was going to happen, how long we were down, how we were going to pay bills- no clue as to what the future held, I remember going to my office, putting my head on my desk and just crying. After the last 2 tragedies, I knew I couldn’t handle much more. For almost 4 months, I worked from home, doing zoom conditioning with our competitive team girls to help keep them in shape. I had parents having me come to their house for private lessons to keep their child working skills and to make sure I had money. It was so unbelievably hard. I can’t stay out of the gym for long, so I went in and cleaned our foam pit and cleaned the gym and just cried at the silence. If you have ever been to Quest, you know it isn’t a quite place. It was so quiet I could hear a pin drop. I remember opening back up after almost 4 months and making a sign to hang at the front saying ‘Welcome Home’. It was one of the best days I had had in a LONG time.

July 2021, I was at work, and got the call that my mother n law was just found unresponsive. We hadn’t heard from her in over a day which wasn’t normal. My sister n law went to check on her and had found her. She was the last close grandparent that my son had and 1 or 2 close grandparents for my daughter. It was like losing my dad all over again. Watching my husband go through that was one of the hardest things I have had to do.

2022 we lost our dog of almost 16 years, less than 3 months later my father n law had passed away and less than 3 months after that, my husbands grandmother had passed away.

Many days have passed where I don’t know how we made it as far as we have. Sometimes I wonder if owning the gym is what I am supposed to be doing. When so much bad happens back to back, you often wonder what you have done wrong, why you?

We have experienced so much loss since owning the gym, yet it makes me work harder. It makes me want to give 100% every day all day. You learn that you no day is promised. You never know what tomorrow brings so live each day like there is no tomorrow. After what has been thrown at us, I honestly feel like I could take on the world at times.

If we can bounce back from all of that, we can do anything! I always talk about resilient kids are when I see them in the gym, but I never take the time to think about how resilient I am as well!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth! There is nothing better for your business than hearing feedback from others! In 6 years of owning the gym, we haven’t really done any marketing to get new customers.

I personally feel like word of mouth is the most important and I would rather work hard to make sure our families have positive things to say, than spend money on marketing for people that still don’t know much about it and may or may not try it!

There is also nothing better than being a business owner and hearing new families come in or call and say they heard nothing but great things and have to give it a try!      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.questextreme.com
• Instagram: questgymnastics_
• Facebook: Quest Gymnastics & Extreme Sports Center