With little experience in the sport as a competitor, Ted Steeves was a vital contributor to accumulating interest in high school gymnastics in Massachusetts. The baseball and football coach added men’s gymnastics to his repertoire when he took over as Athletics Director and director of physical education at Wellesley High School in 1941. His contributions were not limited to coaching the men’s team, as he instituted gymnastics as part of the P.E. curriculum and he instituted women’s gymnastics during his 28-year tenure. Steeves helped to restart the Massachusetts State High School Gymnastics Championships, which was dropped due to World War II. The first two championships were won by Wellesley. Due to his efforts, nearly 70 Massachusetts high schools fielded teams during Steeves’ career.