Burgaw has everything to 'Gain': Local gym and owner inspires community

At The House of Gains, Desmond Jordan spends countless hours working and training people of all ages to become stronger at the gym in the heart of downtown Burgaw.

Myron Mckoy, a varsity boys basketball player at Trask High School, is one of the many student-athletes pumping iron there. The junior started lifting weights right before his freshman year.

"He told me that he was going to help me become a better basketball player and get stronger," Mckoy said. "It's a very fun environment at the gym. You work hard and he pushes you. I can say that everything he does is for my benefit, and it just helps me in all aspects of my sports."

More:How three Trask basketball players have helped shape athletics at the school

Jordan, now a professional powerlifter, has been in Mckoy's shoes. He knows what it's like to be a teenager in rural western Pender County.

Jordan grew up in Pender County and played football, basketball and baseball and ran track. He went to Pender High School in Burgaw and then Trask after the school was built in his hometown of Rocky Point. He became the school's first standout running back.

After graduating in Trask's second-ever senior class, Jordan played football at Guilford College in Greensboro and transferred to Winston-Salem State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education. He went on to play professional football in Europe for the Bielawa Owls of Poland.

His journey in sports led him back to Pender County and opening The House of Gains in 2019. It was always one of his goals.

More:Former Pender County football star finds new outlook with new sport

"In our area, we didn't have a whole lot," he said. "If it wasn't for my daddy coaching me, and my brothers, and the coaches in the area, I wouldn't have the opportunities I got."

Jordan said House of Gains is special because it's a family-oriented place with a variety of training sessions, dance, yoga and more. It also has a community center vibe. House of Gains works with the Communities in Schools program, provides physical fitness lessons at schools, and mentorship to participants in the Pender County Teen Court, which provides a second-chance opportunity to offenders in the age group.

During his high school years, Jordan had a lot of stats on fields and courts and continues to be an inspiration as a champion powerlifter and leader of the Hog Squad powerlifting team.

Strength in numbers

Edward "EJ" McDuffie trains with Jordan as powerlifter and started in July to prepare for his first competition. He said the gym has a positive impact on the area.

"Everyone has a goal when they come to the House of Gains," McDuffie said. "Once you come to the gym, it's like being in one big happy family and you love being at House of Gains because everyone motivates each other."

A lot of local youths are also learning.

"It goes hand in hand with the sport they play, with building strength and being more explosive," Jordan said. "With building strength and just working out in general, it's a lot more mental than it is physical. People don't give a lot of credit to the mental aspect.

"You're going to be tired, and your body is going to be sore. It's going to be a lot easier to say I'm going to stay home and not clock in today. It teaches you to push through. In the work world, there are going to be a lot of days when you don't want to go to class, but you have to mentally lock in and push through that to reach your ultimate goal. "

In the summer, Mckoy is at the gym five times a week and three days during basketball season. Along with becoming a better athlete, he's also learned life lessons. Jordan is always checking on his schoolwork, grades, and how Mckoy treats his parents at home.

"If I mess up, he's going to discipline me and make my workouts harder," he said. "But he always uplifts me and tells me he's proud of me. He shows me basically what a man should be."

Devin Gardner, a freshman running back for N.C. State from nearby Duplin County, said Jordan has become a mentor to him, too. He began working out with Jordan before his senior season.

"I feel like I'm on another level," Gardner said about improving as an athlete. "If I didn't go to him before my senior season, I wouldn't have had the season that I had in high school."

Jordan also sparked his interest in powerlifting and rugby.

"With Des, I feel that he knows more about you than you know about yourself," Gardner said. "It seems like a lot of people, rather it's younger athletes or women who want to lose weight, they'll doubt themselves and say they can't do something. But Des keeps pushing them. They're amazed at the results that they bring out of them."

More:Burgaw's time is 'Now': How big plans are bringing life back to Pender County town

Getting stronger

When it comes to The House of Gains, Jordan's ultimate goal is to get a bigger facility consisting of fields for sports programs and computer rooms. It's not going to be easy, but Jordan is used to heavy lifting.

"Never take no for an answer and believe in yourself," Jordan said about the message he pushes to kids.

"I had countless people tell me that I wasn't going to make it in this sport and even when I opened the gym, people told me I wasn't going to make it," Jordan said. "When I started powerlifting, they said 'Des, you're strong, but those dudes are really strong. Now, I'm ranked number three in my age group, in weight class, in the nation. And I won a world championship in powerlifting, and I only been doing it for two years. If I had listened to them, I would have never got started."

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Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Burgaw gym and owner provides inspiration in lifting up community