54-year-old Pedro Tweed’s, personal mission is to help children live more positive lifestyles. Director of Recreation and Head Coach of Monticello Gymnastics in upstate New York, Coach Tweed has become a well-known name in his community because of his devotion to gymnastics and coaching. There’s even a “Welcome to Monticello – home of Pedro Tweed” greeting sign on your drive into town.
The sign is just one representation of his inspiring journey, which more than once has placed him under the national spotlight.
For the past 30-years, our Coach of the Week has dedicated his life to the sport of gymnastics running gyms, developing new techniques and sharing his love of competition. He’s even in the Guinness Book of World Records for completing more than 32 Planche push-ups in a row. Coach Tweed invented the difficult push-up exercise as a young competitor.
Watch a video of Pedro completing his GBWR test here:
Coach Tweed has demonstrated and discussed his physical feat on the Regis Philbin Show, The Wayne Brady Show and numerous local news outlets over the years.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Coach Tweed moved to New York City as a teenager and soon graduated from high school. Always a driven individual, he excelled as a gymnast and student athlete. Coach Tweed then began touring New York’s Sullivan County, where he held gymnastics and martial arts exhibitions. In 1977, he moved to Monticello where his coaching dream ensued. He started by conducting gymnastics programs on a volunteer basis. He eventually settled in Monticello full-time after marrying his wife Crystal. Coach Tweed also has two stepdaughters, Angelica and Layla.
[Coach Tweed with Austin Michael Komatz Level 4 2009 State Champion]
A committed coach and fan of the athletes at Monticello Gymnastics, Coach Tweed has coached numerous state champions at various levels. He’s also added to his coaching credentials with features in the International Gymnastic Magazine and Hispanic Magazine. To top things off, he also volunteers with an assault advocacy service where he translates for Spanish-speaking victims.
Finally, Coach Tweed is also the author of “Freeway” a motivational book on self-evaluation. He illustrates his personal outlook on life and a path for achieving goals. Coach Tweed is also in the works for two new books.
Our Coach of the Week is truly working to alter his community landscape for the better. Coach Tweed expressed that his coaching role is much more than a job; it’s duty as productive citizen. He wrote, “We do not emphasize winning as much as we emphasize having fun.”
And that’s exactly what it’s all about, enjoying a positive youth sports experience. Thanks Coach Tweed for all you have done and continue to do.
