By Jonathan Garrisjgarris@theleadernews.com

Karbach Street might now be known more for the local brewery, but for those look-ing for a quick, no-frills bar-bershop experience know to turn to Noe Garcia at Masters Barber Shop.

Inside his barber shop, tucked away inside Suite A at 2416 Karbach St., Garcia keeps things as simple as he can. Along the walls are a combination of retro pictures and posters mixed with pho-tos of his family. These days, his shop boasts one of the strongest average scores on Yelp among most other busi-nesses, with a perfect rating out of 45 reviews.

Garcia admits he’s not ex-actly a tech-savvy person, but his daughters have read some of the reviews to him in the past.

“I’ve been to Noe several times and he is hands down the best I’ve been to in Hous-ton,” Ben F. says in his review online. “You can’t beat the experience and the great con-versations that he brings to this place. His prices are too low for such a quality cut and you can’t help but tip the man before leaving.”

Other reviews say the same thing, and he’s gotten praise from people both young and old. In fact, Garcia said the Yelp rating and word of mouth has helped him more than anything else and his clientele stays consistently di-verse across age groups.

“I’m old school,” Garcia says with a laugh. “I’m not really into smartphones or computers and I like to read

the paper. I still keep hearing ‘I found you on Yelp’ over and over and people have given me a lot of praise on there ap-parently.”

Unless a customer had a negative experience he can help rectify, Garcia said he’d rather keep doing what he does than hunting for more

reviews or scores online.“People ask me all the

time if I go online but I like to stay home and stay off the internet,” Garcia says with a laugh.

The fuzzA lifelong Houstonian, born

right here in Harris County,

Garcia said the shop wasn’t necessarily something he first had in mind years ago but he grew into it.

“My dad first opened Mas-ters Barbershop in 1968,” Garcia said. “It was first locat-

By Betsy Densonbetsy@theleadernews.com

Carly Markesich, the president of Discover Gymnastics, has come a long way from when she had to hang a sign outside her door look-ing for gymnasts to train.

“We have 2,000 students in here a week,” she said. “We get a boost during the Olympic year too. Every four years there’s a surge.”

One of those students is Oak Forest’s Sophia Butler who The Leader profiled last September. Butler and Discover Gymnast Kadence Nguy-en are the gym’s two Elite gymnasts. The Elite level is the top level of gymnastics competi-tion. It has two age divisions, Junior (12-15) and Senior (16+). For Butler’s age, which is 11, the Elite category is called Elite Hopes.

For the second year running, Butler quali-fied as an Elite Hopes athlete at the National Qualifier in Auburn, WA this April, where she was first All Around in her age group, first on Beam, second on bars, and third on vault. She competed at Hopes Classic at the National Team Training Center in Huntsville, TX at the Karoyli ranch and qualified to the Secret Clas-sic Hopes Championship.

Eighteen year old Simone Biles, a three time World Champion who won the Senior division of the Secret Classic for the last two years, has a near lock on the Olympic team, so that gives you an idea of the company that Butler is keeping.

In addition, two Olympic gymnasts have been training at Discover and Markesich will be going to Rio in August to root them on. The first is 25-year old Catalina Escobar, a member of the Columbian National team, who lived

in Houston and trained at Discover until she qualified for the Olympics. Now she’s back in Columbia until she journeys to Rio in August. Markesich said that Escobar would probably be retiring after the Olympics but would likely be back as a coach.

The second Olympic hopeful is 40-year old Oksana Chusovitina who is on the Uzbekistan National Team. This will be her seventh con-secutive Olympics and while she normally lives and trains in Uzbekistan and Germany, she came to the U.S. to work with good friend and three time Olympic Gold medalist Svet-lanta Boguinskaia, who lives in Katy.

“[Chusovitina] doesn’t train the same way,” said Markesich. “She doesn’t need to do the same things as a 14-year old because she has the muscle memory. It’s all about staying flex-ible and in shape.”

Of course not every student who comes through the door is bound for the Olympics.

“The Olympics is five kids every four years,” said Markesich. “Most people come to us for enrichment. Parents are trying to see what kids are good at, what they like. I tell them if they find any activity that their kids are good at and that they love, then they’re a very lucky par-ent.”

Markesich said it’s the kids who can’t sit still who are the prime candidates to excel in gym-nastics.

“The ones who are naturally physical and have high energy, good flexibility, some strength and endurance, and of course fear-lessness – when we come across those kids we discuss with the parent maybe taking it to the

Discover Gymnastics - Olympic hopefuls

Photo by Christina MartinezFor the second year in a row, Discover Gymnastic’s Sophia Butler will compete in the Secret Classic Hopes Championship with other Olympic hopefuls.See Discovery P. 4B

Saturday, June 4, 2016 • Page 1B

Old school barber gets online love 1B · Houston Parks and Rec opens pools 2B • Eagle Scout Prayer Garden 4B

This week’s edition of Business Leaders takes a look at a local gym that gets a big boostin an Olympic year as well as a beloved barber and what’s new on 19th Street.

L-R: Amy Ritter – Bank Offi cer/Lender, Margaret Vandever – SVP/Lender, Scott Lester – Bank Offi ce President, Cecilia Rodriguez – AVP/Offi ce Manager, Justin Vickrey – VP/Lender

Experienced community bankers providing value to Houston business owners.Please stop by - we want to visit with you and fi nd out how we can help your business.

Your Neighborhood Bankers

MAKING A DIFFERENCE, TOGE THER.281-517-8760

www.allegiancebanktexas.com

2222 North DurhamHouston, TX 77008

•Wills, Trusts Preparation

•Advice on Estate Planning

•Creating, Negotiating, Revising Contracts

•Representation of Startup and Growing Businesses

With legal and business experience, high standards, local presence and ...

a dedication to customer service

An Attorney For You

www.mAldonAdolAwYer.com

Call Today 713-880-3329Law Office of David J. Maldonado, PLLC

1415 North Loop West, Suite 780Houston, Texas 77007

Woodside Village

• Spacious 1, 2 & 3 Bedrooms• Unique 2 Bedroom Townhomes• In a Serene Residential Area• Lush Landscaping with Oak trees• 2 Sparkling Swimming Pools• Community Club House• Fitness Center• Great Inner Loop Location• World Class Dining & Shopping Nearby• Easy Access to Major Freeways• Professional Management Team

2400 HackettHouston, TX 77008

713-861-6172

ApArtment HomesLocated off of East T.C. Jester

Masters Barber Shop - Cuts on Karbach

See Master P. 4B

Business briefs

By Betsy Densonbetsy@theleadernews.com

This weekend is the grand opening of Gipsy Girls at 726 W 19th St. in the same complex as Mark’s Hair Stu-dio Painting with a Twist and Insomnia Video Game Cul-ture and Vinyl Toys. Gipsy Girls will offer accessories and gifts aimed at tween and teen girls. The store also has a whole room dedicated to karaoke which can be rented for birthday parties and other celebrations.

Owner Isabel Sigala who lives in the Heights and is the mom of both a boy and a girl

says they will be open Satur-day at 11 a.m. with a special grand opening event at 3 p.m. At the grand opening, kids and adults can check out the karaoke room which has a stage and lighting.

“Since Olive Anne closed there is nothing like this for kids’ parties,” said Sigala. “We have a lot to offer.” Better Business Bureau Recognizes Dove Law Firm, PLLC, with Pinnacle Award

Dove Law Firm, PLLC – a law firm located in Shady

Opening of Gipsy Girls on 19th

See Briefs P. 2B

Photo by Jonathan GarrisNoe Garcia gets a lot of love on Yelp but he says he’s always operated his business just the same - with a focus on a quality cut and friendly service.

Page 2B • Saturday, June 4, 2016

Summer starts swim season at Houston Parks and Recreation Department pools

For The Leader

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department oper-ates 37 outdoor pools during the summer and fall pool sea-son. The season is scheduled to begin this Memorial Day weekend (weather permitting) and pools will operate on the following schedule.

Summer Pool Season begins once school dismisses and runs from June 4 – August 12. Parks department pools will

operate on a Tuesday through Sunday schedule from 1 to 8 p.m. All parks pools will close on Mondays except where noted for holidays.

The Fall Pool Season runs from August 13 through Sep-tember 5, coinciding with the start of school for many area students. Pools will open dur-ing the Fall Season on Satur-day and Sunday only from 1-8:00 p.m. All pools will be closed Monday through Fri-day.

Parks department pools will open during summer holidays on the following schedule.

Memorial Day Weekend, May 28 - May 30, 1-8 p.m.

Independence Day, July 4, 1-5 p.m.

Labor Day, Sept 5, 1-5 p.m. The Houston Parks and

Recreation Department will offer a variety of classes and activities centered on pool and water safety, as well as adult fitness. This includes H2O Learn to Swim Classes

for youth (6-13), SwimWise Classes for all ages, and Wa-ter Fitness Classes for adults. All classes are offered free of charge to the public, but reg-istration is on a “first-come, first-served” basis and on-line registration is required. For specific dates and times of these classes, please visit www.houstonparks.org and click on pools and aquatics.

Houston Parks and Recreation Department

2016 Summer Pool Sites• Love Park 1000 West 12th Street 77008 • Memorial Park 6402 Arnot 77007 • Moody Park 3201 Fulton 77009 • Oak Forest Park 1400 Du Barry 77018 • Stude Park 1031 Stude 77009 • T.C. Jester Park 4205 West T.C. Jester 77018 • Tuffly Park Pool/Moody Park Pool 3201 Fulton 77009

10

610

610

45

North houstoN

INdepeNdeNceheIghts

greater heIghts

houstoNheIghts

woodlaNdheIghts

lazyBrooktImBergrove

washINgtoN avememorIal park

oak ForestgardeN oaks

Washington

E. 11th

E. 20th

W. 34th

W. 43rd

Pinemont

W. 18th

W. 11th

N. S

hepherd

YaleElla B

lvd.

Studew

ood

Airline

Crosstimbers

N. Main

N. P

ost Oaks

Antoine

Memorial Dr.

Mangum

N. D

urham

Katy Rd.

T.C. Jester Blvd

T.C. Jester

Fulton

Westcot St.

Hempstead Rd

Bingle

Directory1

Buffaloe Floorcovering, inc.

3831 Pinemont713-686-3589

2Nifty cleaners

5901 Washington Ave713-868-2210

3Blind Girl

Productions2317 Bingle Rd.713-518-3030

4coda

355 W. 19th Street713-864-4411

SHOPShop these friendly neighborhood retailers

$

3831 Pinemont 713-686-3589

Renie Buffaloe Kristynik and Denie Buffaloe Lunsmann

BuffaloeFloor Covering, inC.

Est 1965

3 Years in a Row!2013, 2014 & 2015

The Glenn Buffaloe Family Thanks Everyone For Voting Us #1

Best of 2015

Readers' ChoiceTHE LEADER

nifty5901@gmail .com

5901 Washington AveHouston, TX 7700

713-868-2210Washington

I-10

TC Je

sterW

estcott

4

1

$

1

2

3

2

Blind Girl ProductionsResellers of Cool Old Stuff, Vintage Items & Antiques

Keith & Sondra Hardy - Owners713-518-3030blindgirlproductions@hotmail.comfacebook.com/blindgirlproductions

We have Cool Stuff!Store Hours: 10am - 7pm

Thursday - Monday

2317 Bingle Road

3

Open Tuesday -Sunday

www.codaintheheights.com

4

Acres focusing on finding solu-tions to clients’ financial issues, including responding to lawsuits for unpaid debts as well as help-ing people file for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy – was rec-ognized by the Better Business Bureau during its 24th annual Awards for Excellence as one of 32 companies to receive the Bet-ter Business Bureau’s 2016 Pin-nacle Award.

In recognizing businesses and non-profits for their achievements and commitment to quality in the workplace, the Better Busi-ness Bureau selected 292 greater Houston area businesses to honor at the annual Awards for Excel-lence. Dove Law Firm, PLLC, was one of only 32 companies to be recognized from within this larger group as a 2016 Pinnacle Award winner. The winners are selected by an independent panel of judg-es based on applications submit-ted by the business.

When Dove Law Firm, PLLC, was asked what it means to re-ceive this recognition, Shady Acres resident Ryan Dove said, “One of Dove Law Firm’s primary focuses is on providing extraordi-nary customer service. It is an

honor to be recognized with such a prestigious award that symbol-izes our focus on customer ser-vice.”Coder Kids Houston camp in the Heights

Jeff Ward, who was a teacher for six years before finishing his MBA at Rice, recently launched a program called Coder Kids Hous-ton. Ward is offering a summer camp for coding in the Heights at 2500 Yale St. this summer. Visit the website at http://coderkid-stx.com/, of the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CoderKidsTX/ for more informa-tion. H-E-B in the Heights?

H-E-B confirmed to the Houston Chronicle that it is “working with a political consulting firm in Austin to help change a law precluding beer and wine sales” in the dry area of the Heights.

According to the report, the gro-cer contracted with Texas Petition Strategies to collect signatures needed to secure a place on the November ballot for the measure to legalize beer and wine sales for off-premise consumption.

HEB spokeswoman Cyndy Garza Roberts told the Chronicle that a location in the Heights was identified but negotiations are still ongoing. Houston Heights Bever-age Coalition chair Steve Reilley said he is not participating in the efforts to revise the dry laws “at the directive of HEB,” and said there is a mixture of Heights con-sumers supporting the effort.

“HEB seems to have decided to fully and publicly support the effort. This is definitely a develop-ment,” Reilley said. “HEB was not behind my personal involvement – I just would like to have an HEB in the neighborhood.”

If you have an item for Business Briefs, e-mail betsy@theleadernews.com

Briefs from P. 1B

Camp Hope is our three-week day camp for children ages 5-years old through 6th grade. It is an adult-mentored student-led ministry. Each day, children will hear a new Bible story, learn what it means to their life by creating a craft, eating a snack, playing a game, and experiencing the story through the arts and worship.

Monday-Friday, June 13—July 1Cost is $25 per child per week.

The camp hours are 8:30 AM—3 PM. Register at St. James Lutheran Church1602 W. 43rd - 77018 • 713-686-1577

That’s our Camp Hope theme this year. We will hear about heroes in the Bible, and have fun telling stories about heroes then and now.

LS SEARCHERLEADER

www.LeaderSearcher.com

Local business is our

business.Send your story of interestnews@theleadernews.com

By Jonathan Valadezjvaladez@theleadernews.com

After St. Thomas High School’s May 24th loss, which eliminated the Eagles from the Texas Association of Pri-vate and Parochial Schools 5A playoffs, the 2016 high school baseball season has officially come to a close in the Leader area. This year, five of the six area teams advanced to the postseason. John H. Reagan BulldogsGrade: B+

Led by Head Coach David Petty, the Bulldogs returned to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus, which also hap-pened to be the team’s first year in 6A.

Compared to last year, Rea-gan won three more district games and moved up one spot in 6A Region III District 20 standings.

The Bulldogs got off to a slow start to district play by going 5-6, before rallying late and winning five of their last six games, which also helped them leap Bellaire High School for the final playoff seed.

Reagan was not a big scor-ing team this year and relied on their defense to win them many games. Although they were outscored 64-60 in dis-trict, the Bulldogs were able to walk away with 10 district games by playing gritty de-fense and winning many of them in 2-1 fashion.

The Bulldogs pitching staff was outstanding this season as they were led by junior Jes-sie Lawrence and sophomore Ulysus Rodriguez. Lawrence also threw a no-hitter to open district play against Westbury High School on Feb. 23.

The Bulldogs lost in the first round of the playoffs to Seven Lakes High School, who is the fifth-ranked team in Texas, ac-cording to MaxPreps.

In addition to Lawrence and Rodriguez, the club will return nine other players next season.

Reagan will lose six play-ers to graduation, including team-captain and second baseman Miguel Grenier, who played big for the Bulldogs. Grenier was the lone second baseman on the team, so the Bulldogs will have a huge void to fill moving forward.

Despite losing in the first round, this season has proven that the Bulldogs can play 6A ball. Lutheran High North LionsGrade: C

The Lions, who were led by second-year Head Coach Andy Moore, entered the year with high expectations.

LHN set many goals throughout the year, with the biggest being a return to the playoffs. The team fell short of the milestone this season, but they are fortunate to have a young core that will only continue to get better. They will only lose one player to graduation this year.

After winning their first dis-trict game in over five years last season, the Lions were stagnant this year by record-ing the same number of wins. The organization also scored 17 fewer runs than last sea-

son, while allowing 14 more runs.

Most of the players on the team have come up with one another through the Oaks Dads Club, and the group will be an exciting bunch to watch moving forward.

Scarborough SpartansGrade: B-

For the second straight year, Head Coach Edgar Vil-lalta was at the team’s helm. He was able to lead the Spar-tans back to the playoffs, also for the second straight year, before Bellville High School routed them 28-1 in the first round.

The club finished with the same district record as last season but were bumped a spot in the 4A Region III Dis-trict 22 standings.

Similarly to last season, Scarborough’s offense was enormous as they put up 161 runs throughout district play. Despite the team’s juggernaut offense, they were outscored 51-27 against Furr and Wash-ington High Schools, who were the top-two teams in the district.

Although they made the playoffs, the Spartans play in arguably the softest district in the area. Furr is the only team in the district to crack the top-1000 best teams in Texas, ac-cording to MaxPreps. St. Pius X PanthersGrade: B

First-year Head Coach Charles Johnson took over the reins at St. Pius and was able to improve the team’s district record by one game. Although a one-game jump may not seem like much, the Panthers play in a district with a Texas top-five team and an-other in the top 80. The other three teams in the district also were the second through fourth-place finishers in the TAPPS state tournament this season.

The team’s two district wins this season came against last year’s state champion, Concordia Lutheran High School, and this year’s state runner-up, Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School. The team also put up one run in every district game this sea-son and held eventual state champion, Prestonwood Christian Academy, to only one run in the first round of

the playoffs, which was also their fewest runs scored in the postseason.

The Panthers will lose nine seniors to graduation, includ-ing the team’s captain and catcher Matt Greenwood, but will retain nine other players. Johnson said he looks forward to the returning crop of play-ers and also acknowledged a few up-and-comers to the team.

St. Thomas EaglesGrade: A

The Eagles soared high this year behind third-year Head Coach Ryan Lousteau. STHS finished first in their district with a 7-1 record and earned the status of third-best team in Texas, according to Max-Preps.

After a mediocre season last year, the Eagles returned to win 27 straight games be-fore losing their only game of the regular season to district-rival Concordia. In district play, the Eagles scored four or more runs in every game, while outscoring their oppo-nents 58-27.

The team then went on to shut out their first two oppo-nents of the postseason be-fore losing in the third round to Prestonwood. In the Pre-stonwood game, the Eagles got off to a slow start, fall-ing behind 5-2, before almost mounting a comeback in the final inning.

St. Thomas will lose several key players due to graduation this season, including pitchers Matthew Ashbaugh and Paolo Cannatella and second base-man Alex Carnegie.

Waltrip RamsGrade: B+

The Rams also finished first in their division after go-ing undefeated under Head Coach Mike Evans.

Similarly to the Spartans, Waltrip relied on their bats to win them games as they scored seven or more runs in six district games. In the first round of the playoffs, the Rams were unable to get their offense going as they lost 1-0 to Brenham High School.

The team will lose three of their key players to gradua-tion in centerfielder Richard Bailey, pitcher Clayton Mal-kowsky and third baseman/pitcher Nick Hollas.

THE SPoRTS.Saturday, June 4, 2016 • Page 3B

It’s not an emergency, but it’s still urgent to you.

Now there’s a new option from Houston’s acknowledged emergency care leaders. Introducing Memorial Hermann Urgent Care. Walk in and get the care you need when you need it – without the wait.

9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Daily

Walk-ins welcome

mhmg.memorialhermann.org

Now open in Heights area

4500 Washington Avenue, Suite 300

Houston, TX 77007

713.861.6490

NOW OPEN

Earning the grade on the diamond

Contribued photoSt. Thomas earned the highest mark of all teams as they reached the TAPPS state semi-finals before being eliminated by Prestonwood Christian Academy.

w w w . m o s q u i t o j o e . c o m

Call Today For Free QuoTe

We make outside fun again!

713-864-8888

Mosquitos

FleasTicks

• Hitting Club (every Monday - all year)• Speed & Agility Workouts• Coach Pitch Tournament Team Training • High School Tournament Team Training• Baseball/Softball Camps

Improve Your Child’s PerformanceSCHedule of evenTS

oaksbatterup.com | heightssportsacademy.com3004 Yale St., Suite B • 713-957-2323

oaks Batter up Texas | Heights Sports Academy

With high school baseball season over, how did each play the field?

Page 4B • Saturday, June 4, 2016

Professional DirectoryD i r e c t o r y o f l o c a l s e r v i c e p r o f e s s i o n a l s

Pat Walker, a native Hous-tonian, is a dedicated pro-fessional, caring advisor and great neighbor. Her ability to come up with workable solu-tions to her client’s complex real estate needs has made her one of the best and most respected real estate agents in the city. Need a Real Estate professional? Call Pat today.

713-412-6682pat@thepatwalker.com

pat Walker shipley Do-nutsGeorge G. Junkin, D.c. -nW chiro

11500 nW fwy. suite #201 • Houston, tX 77092713-686-0828

www.drjunkin.com

3410 ella Blvd. at 34th st. • Houston, tX 77018713-682-4343

“Treat the problem itself, not just the symptoms.” This is the philosophy behind the chiropractic practice of Dr. George Junkin. Chiropractic adjustments and healthy life-style choices produce the best results. For over 35 years, Dr. Junkin has helped patients get releif from pain due to an in-jury or chronic condition. The result being fast long-lasting relief.

Mike Clark is the proud owner of the #1 Shipley Do-Nuts in Houston. We’ve been at this location since 1963. Satisfaction guaranteed to all his customers. See our weekly coupons on page 5A in this week’s The Leader news.

Hi! I’m Tony May. Come see me for all your insurance needs. Covering Auto, Home, Life and Business. We make insurance simple. With two convenient locations.

730 north post oak, ste 402Houston, tX 77024

713-807-8264

the May Group, llc

3902 north shepherd Houston, tX 77018

713-695-7368

cameron J. penney, cfp®

713-300-5165 • cameron@penneyfinancial.com www.penneyfinancial.com

Cameron Penney provides an alternative to the sales-driven financial advisor. Rath-er than selling commission-based products, he provides objective financial advice for a fee, typically at an hourly or fixed rate.

Greg Lindley has over 25 years’ experience as a civil trial attorney in both state and fed-eral courts in Texas. Lindley has worked at some of the oldest plaintiff ’s firms in the Houston area. He is experienced in han-dling serious injury cases and probate/guardianship litigation. Conveniently located in the Houston Heights area.

the essmyer Building5111 center street • Houston, texas 77007

(713) 869-1155 • fax (713) 869-8957gslindleylaw@gmail.com

Does your business serve the local community?

We are a privately owned company that is owned and operated by physical thera-pists who share one common goal: provide every patient we see The best care we can give them every time we see them.

We recognize that every patient has individualized and personalized goals in re-habilitation and in life.

2020 n loop W, suite 135 • Houston, tX 77018 (281) 816-7891

www.amptrehab.com

aMpt, advanced Movement with phyical therapyKathlyn c. curtis, J.D., l.lM. (tax)

A fifth-generation Houstonian, Kathlyn is an authority on Houston’s most desirable neigh-borhoods and excels at transforming houses into homes and homes into investments for her clients. A seasoned negotiator, Kathlyn brings a decade of legal experience to the closing table, along with vast market knowledge and an un-matched “I Love Houston!” attitude. Check out

the Heights’ first Art Box and matching free little library on 14th St. @ Heights Blvd. sponsored by Kathlyn, who is curating the library and collecting book donations at her office. For an instant estimate of your home’s current worth, visit kat.smarthomeprice.com or call Kathlyn directly at (713) 376-3011.

realtor associate, Keller Williams realty

let people know the value you provide by advertising in our

monthly directoryCall A Leader Sales Rep Today

713.686.84941333 Heights Blvd. - suite 103 • Houston, tX 77008kat@whyilovehouston.com • www.whyilovehouston.com

Gregory s. lindley attorney at law

Discovery from P. 1B

next level.”Discover offers classes for

children, both boys and girls, 6 months of age to 18 years. The classes for the young-est students involve sensory activities. There are also pro-grams for gymnastics, tum-bling and cheer. Discover also does birthday parties, camps and a parents’ night out program to make full use of the building.

Markesich notes that many of Discover’s older gymnasts are looking to compete in college, and to get a scholarship.

“The college scholarships for gymnastics are very good,” she said. “NCAA gymnastics gets a lot of sup-port from schools.”

Markesich was a gymnast herself in Pittsburgh before starting to coach gymnasts

in college. She moved to Houston in 1982 and held a corporate job in Interna-tional Trade for a time be-fore opening her own gym 17 years ago.

“I thought if I could do Middle East route devel-opment for a global firm, I could run a gym,” she said.

The first place she landed was a bit of a fixer upper to put it mildly on Old Katy Road. Markesich started with 7,000 square feet, ex-panded to 18,000 square feet and then found out that she had to vacate because of the expansion of I-10.

“We had 400 students at the time,” she said. “I had to decide whether to close up shop or find a new gym. It was a big decision.”

And one that has paid off. Sophia Butler for one is

glad she started taking les-sons as a three year old at Discover. She has her eyes on the 2020 Olympics and if that doesn’t work out then 2024. Her mother Gail said that several top college gym-nastics programs, including Florida, have sent letters expressing interest in Sophia for future scholarships.

Butler said she admires U.S. National Team gymnasts like Simone Biles, Lauren Hernandez and Jazmyn Fo-berg because of their power-ful attitude and in particular Biles because at 4’9’ – “she’s short like me” – she can still do “amazing things.”

Five girls every four years – if Butler becomes one of them one day, that would be pretty amazing too.

For The Leader

Robert Coghlan IV, St. Pius X High School Class of 2017, entered the Boy Scouts of America in the first grade as a Cub Scout. He worked his way through the ranks to be-come a Life Scout by eighth grade and had all of his Eagle Scout merits complete before entering the ninth grade at St. Pius X.

Robert’s father, Dr. Robert Coghlan III, recalls that he studied the Eagle Scout Rank requirements soon after be-coming a Boy Scout.

“When he transitioned from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, he sat down with the book and only wanted to do the merit badges that were Eagle ones,” the elder Coghlan said. “So he started knocking all those out and then he started trying to do some of the fun ones.”

To date, Coghlan has earned 28 merit badges – sev-en more than are required for Eagle Rank.

Another requirement to become an Eagle Scout is to complete a service project. Coghlan wanted to complete a project for St. Pius X, so he turned to Director of the Of-fice for Campus Ministry, Pat-rick Spedale for ideas.

“We gave several sugges-tions to Robert and he was most interested in the out-door Stations of the Cross,” Spedale said. “We wanted something that was not per-manent, but sturdy, and could be displayed during Lent.”

According to his father, the project seemed to tie together Robert’s faith, his school and Boy Scouts perfectly. And so it began.

Coghlan proceeded to raise his own money for the proj-ect. Then, with some help from his grandfather and un-cle, and in coordination with Spedale, Coghlan researched, designed, built and installed a 15-set Stations of the Cross in the Mason Sebastian Ott Memorial Prayer Garden on

campus. The Belgian ceramic tile and wood stations were displayed during Lent for members of the SPX com-munity to make the journey of the stations each Friday. The project took about five months to complete.

“My dad pushed me to get the project done before I turned 18, in order to earn the award,” Coghlan said. “I became a better leader and learned to finish something I started through this project.”

“He wanted to do some-thing that would last and that would leave a lasting legacy for the school,” Dr. Coghlan said. “St. Pius X has given us so much, we needed to give back something.”

Coghlan hopes to have ev-erything complete in order to earn his Eagle Scout Rank this summer. Eagle Scout is the highest advancement rank in Scouting.

Junior’s Eagle Scout prayer garden benefits St. Pius X High School

ed on Hempstead and West 18th Street.”

Over the years, between construction and develop-ment in the area, Garcia’s father was pushed further and further and (eventually) wound up on Karbach and Hempstead. After another move, Masters Barber Shop finally found a home in the same building as a family friend along Karbach and it’s been there since about 1992.

Garcia, instead, had a shop of his own Pinemont Drive and Antoine Drive. He says he was there for a few years before moving to FM 1960 to venture off into something bigger, but things “went south.”

“Things kind of went full circle,” Garcia recalls. “I end-ed up back at my dad’s.”

Garcia and his father con-tinued working for years until his father’s health de-clined, but Garcia said he picked up on many of the skills needed for speed and accuracy. He attended bar-ber college here in Houston

as a teenager, learning a wealth of anatomy skills and the bodily functions that pro-duce hair and differences in styles in nationalities among other bits of knowledge.

He recalls one teacher in particular, Mrs. Osbourne, whom he said was a particu-larly tough teacher.

“However, I remember she checked one of my last hair cuts [and] she said I was a natural,” Garcia said. “That was a big compliment to get from her, especially when you’re so young.”

Garcia specializes in flat tops, beards, shampooing and other basic barber ser-vices. He cuts hair for chil-dren and adults and both men and women.

“I have some women with long hair that have been com-ing here for years,” Garcia said. “They like that I don’t simply wack it all off at once like a lot of other places.”

So what does Garcia think keeps people coming back and leaving some of the most stellar reviews out any

local business? He says his philosophy rests not only on simplicity and perfect-ing the art of a haircut, but also fostering relationships with customers and said that the continued development of the area has boosted his business.

“I remember riding my bike up and down Kar-bach and there was nothing but wood-frame two-story houses,” Garcia said. “I love the changes in the area and the Karbach Brewery has brought me a lot of business. Even with the construction on 290 when the road was closed down people ended up using the street in front as a shortcut and I would get people coming in telling me they had no idea there was a barbershop here.”

Masters Barber Shop is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call 281-773-9651.

Master from P. 1B

Contributed Photo For Robert Coghlan’s Eagle Scout service project, he researched, designed, built and installed a 15-set Stations of the Cross in the Mason Sebastian Ott Memorial Prayer Garden.