Allison Meads has a secret.

She is the greatest high school gymnast in Kansas history, and very few people in her life know it.

The 2013 graduate of Olathe East so dominated the state during her career, she earned 12 of 15 possible first-place medals at the state competition. But Meads made decisions along the way to be a well-rounded individual. She put gymnastics behind her after high school, focusing on other interests.

Now a Spanish teacher at Combs High School (located southeast of Phoenix), Meads coaches high school pole vaulters on the side. She is married and dedicated to being a great teacher.
And she rarely tells anyone about her accomplishments.

"Nobody knows!" Meads said with a laugh. "I don't really need that (recognition). That part of my life was really cool, but I don't think I wish people knew about that part of my life. Even my husband doesn't really know that I have these records. I look back on it fondly, and it was fun, but that's part of my past."

Meads' parents introduced her to gymnastics at age three, and she instantly took to tumbling and then competitive gymnastics. She excelled at an early age, but eventually realized she wanted more from life.

"All throughout elementary school, that was my life," Meads recalled. "But in sixth grade, I decided to quit gymnastics in order to try out a bunch of other activities. I wanted to explore what other interests I had. I did volleyball, soccer and tried other things.

"Then about eighth grade, I realized I missed gymnastics, so I got back into it. Ultimately I decided to do high school gymnastics, rather than club. I wanted to be part of my high school, to be on a team and be more involved in that way, to still have the social life of high school."

Dedicated to the Olathe East squad as a sophomore, Meads quickly became the most dominant gymnast in state history. She took first place in three of the four events – vault, beam, bars and floor – each year, including winning the floor competition three times. That also led her to take first in All-Around competition. Meads is one of just two Kansans to win All-Around three times, the other being Mallory West of Lawrence High School. Meads is the state leader in career championships with 12 first-place medals.

Still true to her commitment to be well rounded, Meads surprised herself by finding success in another sport.

"The track coach knew I was a gymnast and asked if I would like to try pole vault. I was like 'Pole vault? What in the world is that?' But I ended up trying it out and really liked it."

In her new endeavor, Meads developed quickly and eventually set the school pole vault record.

Meads said she grew as a person and as a student through her experiences in athletics.

"In that moment, I learned so much about leadership skills that I wouldn't have learned in any other situation," Meads said. "It gave you a platform to be a leader. It gave you confidence as a young woman. And it gave you the challenge to go out and be the best you can be regardless of the circumstances.

"It taught me core values like discipline, embracing competition, celebrating others' successes, and how to deal with failure."

Although she put gymnastics and track behind her after high school, the experiences had shaped her as a person.

"It affects my work as a teacher and coach, through the lessons I learned about working hard and being dedicated and doing it to the best of your ability," Meads said. "I tell my students 'You don't have to love Spanish. But when you're in class, you should try to be the best you can be.'"

Unlike many female athletes, Meads said she never felt like her male counterparts were treated differently. In fact, she said that gymnastics has traditionally been a sport in which women are elevated.

"It's a blessing to have been on that side of that," Meads said. "Men's gymnastics is not as popular as women's gymnastics. So I've never given it much thought.

"I was blessed to be part of a track program where the women's team was just as dominant and given all the same emphasis as the men's team. So I never experienced a 'women are secondary' attitude. So I have to applaud the women who did go through that."

As a teacher and coach, Meads is eager to pass the lessons she learned through athletics on to others. She said it's important for all students to find an area where they can connect socially, challenge themselves and develop confidence.

"I try to communicate that if you set your mind to it, you can do it. Don't let society or anyone put limitations on what you can do. Getting involved in competition teaches all kinds of skills and character. Being on a team brings people together for a common goal, teaches responsibility. Even if you aren't the best at (the activity), there's still so much to be learned from it." 

We are grateful to partner with WIN for KC, an organization with the mission to empower the lives of girls and women by advocating and promoting the lifetime value of sports through opportunities for participation and leadership development. WIN for KC and the KSHSAA believe involvement in activities and sports lay the ground work for supporting well-rounded citizens in our communities and beyond. For more on WIN for KC visit: https://www.sportkc.org/win-for-kc