ALICE BUCHALTER

Alice Buchalter, a native of Philadelphia, PA., and moved to the Saginaw area with her husband in 1961. After enrolling her daughters in a gymnastics program in Saginaw Township, she realized the Freeland Community School District had no gymnastics  program of their own. She borrowed equipment and became the founder, director and head coach of the Freeland Schools Community Education Gymnastics Program from 1969-1994. Buchalter was head coach of the Freeland High School gymnastics team from 1973-94 where she compiled an outstanding 185-18 record in regular competition. Along the way Freeland captured a pair of state championships, a runner-up finish, and eight regional titles. During the 1982-83 season, the Class C Falcons competed against powerful and much larger Class A and B  gymnastics teams from throughout the state as there was no class differentiation for gymnastics at the time. That season Freeland competed in eight meets and placed first in all but one of them. The 136 points they earned in the state meet helped them become the first Class C gymnastics team in state history to win the state championship. In the 1984-85 season, the Falcons competed in 10 meets during the regular season and finished first nine times. Freeland’s only loss during the season came from Holland by 0.25 of a point. The Falcons would go on to score 138.25 points to win their second state title in three years. During her illustrious  career, she coached one National Champion, four Senior Gymnasts  of the Year, seven individual state champions, 13 all-state gymnasts  and qualified a gymnast or a team in every state meet for 21 years – her entire career as head coach. Buchalter was named Michigan High School Coach of the Year three times and named the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Special Sports Coach of the Year in 1984. She also was tabbed the National Federation of State High School Association’s Outstanding Coach in Michigan in 1986. Additionally, she was the  National High School Gymnastics Coaches Association All-American  Coach of the Year for 1986-87. Buchalter was recognized by the Saginaw County Boys and Girls Club with its Outstanding Coach Award in 1998, and was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000. She received the prestigious USA Gymnastics Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.