Katy Evans Heddens, founder and owner of Black Diamond Gymnastics and Sports Centers, featured in TownLift’s “Trailblazers” for 26 years of whole-child coaching in Park City. Photo: Katy Evans Heddens

PARK CITY, Utah — When Katy Evans Heddens first visited Park City nearly 30 years ago, she felt an immediate pull toward the mountains and the people who call them home.

“We just loved the small-town vibe, the close-knit community and the overall appreciation of life and camaraderie,” she said. “It felt like the right place to plant roots and raise our family.”

Those roots run deep today. Evans Heddens, 56, is the founder and owner of Black Diamond Gymnastics and Sports Centers, which just celebrated its 26th anniversary. The company began in a single industrial bay off Silver Summit Road in April 1999 and has expanded to three locations in Park City, Daybreak and Heber City.

A teacher at heart

Adopted two days after her birth in Washington, D.C., Evans Heddens discovered gymnastics at 13, an age many consider late for the sport. She thrived anyway, earning two Division III national titles at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, where she majored in education, child development and adaptive physical education.

“My background is education first,” she said. “Gymnastics is just the vehicle. We’re intentional about the whole child — physical skills, social growth, confidence and the ability to make mistakes without fear.”

Black Diamond now serves 1,800 to 2,000 children a week across its programs, employing 92 staffers, including about 38 in Park City. The curriculum ranges from preschool academics to recreational classes, competitive teams, ninja courses and trampoline training.

A hub for mountain athletes

Four days after opening, the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team asked Evans Heddens to run a training camp. That invitation launched a decades-long partnership with local and international winter-sports athletes.

“By the Sochi Olympics we counted 76 athletes from 10 countries who had trained with us,” she said. “Cross-sport training shows kids there’s more than one path to excellence.”

Weathering storms and widening access

Evans Heddens has steered the business through recessions, a major internal theft and the high costs of running youth programs in a resort town.

“Community support kept us afloat,” she said. “When parents tell me we made a difference in their child’s life — whether they stayed six months or six years — I never take that for granted.”

She and her husband have personally funded scholarships and are seeking nonprofit partners to expand financial aid. “We try to make sure cost isn’t a barrier,” she said.

Giving back — and pushing forward

A nationally rated judge and frequent industry speaker, Evans Heddens is a member of Leadership Park City Class 31 and is running for the Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau board.

“I want to bridge the gap between business, tourists and community,” she said. “Park City rallies around causes it believes in, and I believe in kids.”

Her advice to newcomers eyeing a local startup: “Take it slow, do your research, be transparent and don’t be afraid to ask for help — then celebrate the small victories that carry you through tough times.”