Tumbling classes, cheer lessons, group and individual gymnastics instruction, after-school programs, open gym nights, birthday parties, summer camps, community partnerships and fundraisers—John W. Ireland III is a busy business owner. His product is recreation, and his clients are almost all under 18 years old. A former cheerleader himself in the early 1990s at the University of Kentucky, Ireland opened The Academy – Lexington Gymnastics and Cheerleading in 2000.
Drew Purcell
John W. Ireland III, a former University of Kentucky cheerleader, opened The Academy – Lexington Gymnastics and Cheerleading in 2000.
“I thought I was just doing this for a minute, until I figured out what I was going to do with my life,” he said.
The Academy celebrated its 20th anniversary in February. The Academy is off Man o’ War, across from Hartland Shopping Center. It’s not uncommon for the gym to be rented on weekends for up to 10 birthday parties with 20 kids each, or by sororities needing a big warehouse space to put together dance routines. “We have lots of daycares that bring the kids during the day like a field trip,” Ireland said. On Friday and Saturday nights he hosts an open gym at The Academy for a nominal hourly rate. And the after-school program is more of an athletic daycare with supervision. “We pick up kids and they get to play in the facility and get exercise,” he said. With 15 passenger vans, he and his staff and volunteer drivers go to nine different schools in Fayette County to pick up kids and take them to the gym, where the agenda is physical activity first, along with time for homework and snacks on the side.
Rather than only focusing on the competitive aspect of cheer and gymnastics, Ireland runs The Academy for kids with and without a high level of coordination, with and without competition in mind. “I just want a kid to have fun and learn the skills,” he said.
Before becoming a business owner two decades ago at the age of 24, Ireland worked in Los Angeles as a licensed behavioral modification therapist for children with autism, a career he found out about as a psychology major at UK. “Funding for autism wasn’t recognized as a special need yet,” he said. “Parents had to seek help outside of Lexington.”
Drew Purcell
A display case houses trophies won by the gym’s competitive cheer squad.
Several families would pool their resources to fly in a therapist from Los Angeles, who then asked for UK undergrads to volunteer assistance in working with the families. “I said ‘yes, this is what I want to do. I want to work with special needs kids,’” Ireland said. He moved to California but found it difficult to sustain a career with clients spread out on different sides of the city, driving hours to get to the next one and billing three hours a day.
“I realized I couldn’t do it anymore,” he said. “I came home and felt like a failure.” He started working at a gymnastics facility in Hartland and was able to buy it in 2000. In 2006 he moved The Academy to its current location across Man o’ War Blvd.
“I feel like this facility has succeeded because we really try to allow everyone to utilize the space regardless of their abilities, physically or financially,” he said. From day one he has welcomed special needs children. “We integrate those kids into our typical classes,” he said.
For a couple of years, Ireland’s business model did change dramatically. In 2014 he was wooed by a corporation that was buying up small gyms across the country. Ireland sold his business to them and worked as the manager. The location moved to Hamburg and the name was changed to Lexington Gymnastics and Cheerleading. Ireland had philosophical differences with the corporate model of selling cheerleading uniforms, hair bows and shoes. “It failed,” he said. “They left Lexington.”
By 2016 he was back to running a gym the way he wanted, with affordable rates, inclusion and scholarships.
“Small-business ownership is no easy task. You have to have a very thick skin, a true desire to accomplish, and to be able to set goals for yourself.” — John W. Ireland III
“Small-business ownership is no easy task,” he said. “You have to have a very thick skin, a true desire to accomplish, and to be able to set goals for yourself.” He has come to appreciate the necessity of self-motivation and the ability to realize that not every idea will be successful. “The ability to turn it around, regroup and move in a different direction are essential.”
For an events calendar and class schedules, visit theacademylex.com.