Health & Wellness

Logo for Dominique Dawes Academy with a gymnast silhouette inside a red

Client Case Study: Championing Youth Sports | Dominique Dawes Academy

Dominique Dawes is a three-time Olympian, Olympic gold medalist, and one of the most decorated gymnasts in American history. As a groundbreaking athlete and cultural figure, Dominique has long represented excellence, resilience, and possibility in American sports.


She founded Dominique Dawes Academy, a youth gymnastics and ninja training facility built on the belief that sports should help children develop confidence, discipline, strength, joy, and a lasting sense of self. Under her leadership, the Academy has grown from a respected DMV-based institution into a rapidly expanding national youth sports brand.


With a goal of opening 50 gyms across the country in the next five years, Dominique Dawes Academy is not simply scaling locations. It is building a new model for youth athletics: one rooted in access, inclusion, positive coaching, and the idea that children of all backgrounds deserve a place to move, grow, and believe in themselves.

102,774,259

Audience Reached

$2,654,708

Publicity Value

237

Total Mentions = 1 year

THE CHALLENGE

MBO Media was retained to drive awareness for Dominique Dawes Academy’s national expansion while preserving the deep community trust that made the brand meaningful from the beginning.


The challenge was to position Dominique not only as an Olympic icon, but as a founder, advocate, and national business leader building a new kind of youth sports experience. Each gym opening needed to feel larger than a ribbon cutting. It needed to communicate momentum, mission, and cultural relevance.


The work required a media strategy that could connect multiple storylines: the emotional homecoming of the Silver Spring grand opening, the Academy’s first Virginia expansion in Ashburn, the brand’s movement into the Atlanta and Houston markets, Dominique’s advocacy against gymnastics cuts in Montgomery County Public Schools, and her broader role as a champion for girls, families, and youth sports access.

STRATEGIES & CAPABILITIES

  • Founder Positioning
  • Expansion Storytelling
  • Grand Opening PR & Broadcast Outreach
  • Advocacy & Thought Leadership Media Relations
  • Community Storytelling

OUTCOME

  • Connected the Academy's localized growth story to a national conversation about youth sports, confidence, access, and the future of athletic development 
  • Positioned Dominique as both an Olympic icon and a founder-advocate, turning Academy openings into meaningful public moments 
  • Drove coverage across Silver Spring, Ashburn, Atlanta, Houston, and additional expansion markets — framing the Academy as a fast-growing business and a mission-led movement 
  • Secured broadcast and editorial features in WTOP, FOX 5, Bethesda Magazine, and Northern Virginia Magazine 
  • Landed a high-impact two-page spread in Bethesda Magazine, reinforcing Dominique's leadership story and the Academy's vision for children's wellness, confidence, and opportunity 
  • \Activated 65+ influencers across parenting, lifestyle, wellness, and family niches to expand digital and community reach 
  • Established Dominique Dawes Academy as a standout youth sports brand with national growth potential and a deeply human mission

Testimonial

“The greatest lesson in life is to lean on others and realize that you are part of something greater than yourself.”

Dominique Dawes

Founder, Dominique Dawes Academy