Team Staff

Kittia Carpenter

Kittia is the Girls Team Director at Buckeye Gymnastics. In the 20+ years that Kittia has been coaching at Buckeye her gymnasts have won over 250 state, regional, and national titles. She was an elite gymnast herself and a former elite national champion and she attended Arizona State University on a full athletic scholarship. Kittia is also a brevet judge and she has judged the top American athletes at the most important competitions in the country including Championships of the USA and the Olympic Team Trials. In addition, Kittia was elected by the coaches and judges to serve on the Ohio and Region 5 Boards for USA Gymnastics.

Becky Doggette

Becky has been involved in gymnastics since she was six years old. She was a top performer at Buckeye Gymnastics for seven years as she won many individual state titles and helped the Buckeye team win six State Team titles. She competed at the J.O. National Championships in Dallas where she caught the eye of the coaches from West Virginia University. She ended up going to WVU on a full athletic scholarship in gymnastics and leading the Lady Mountaineers to four winning seasons. She has been an important component to our coaching staff at Buckeye for many years and she has developed many state champions.

Li Li

Li Li is one of the most popular and decorated gymnasts China has ever produced. She competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and in two world championships. She also coached gymnasts who won a medal at the 1999 World Championships and the 2000 Olympic Games. Li Li has been coaching at Buckeye for over 7 years and she has had a huge impact sending many girls to National Team Training Camps, placing many of these girls on National TOPs teams, and getting our athletes qualified for J.O. Nationals.

Sasha Timchenko

Sasha is a former champion of the USSR and he was the head coach of one of the Soviet Gymnastics Training Centers in Ukraine where he developed national team members and at least one Olympian for the former USSR. Sasha brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Buckeye. He is hard-working with a focus on the development of solid and technically correct basics.

Philip Todorov

Phillip is one of the most accomplished gymnastics coaches in the world. He was the head coach for the Bulgaria National team during most of the 1980’s when Bulgaria was a gymnastics powerhouse. He has coached at the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and other top international competitions where his gymnasts have won gold, silver, and bronze medals. Phillip was a top international competitor himself winning a silver medal at the World Championships in Sports Acrobatics with his twin brother Mathew. Phillip has coached at Buckeye since 1990 and has become a U.S. citizen.

Karu Cai

Keru is a former member of the Tianjin Outstanding Athlete Training Center, China and competed in regional, national and international meets. She is a National Gymnastic judge in China and a China Master Sportsman. Keru holds a M.S. in Physical Education from the Bejing Physical Education University. She has coached for close to three decades in both China and the USA. In China one of her athletes competed for China in the 1999 Tianjin Artistic Gymnastic World Championships. While coaching in Virginia and Mass. over the past decade Keru’s gymnasts have won both state and regional championships and have qualified to JO Nationals at Level 10.

Michelle Kensik

Michelle has been teaching and coaching gymnastics, cheer, and tumbling since 2002 and for the past five years she has been the Head Coach for teams at level 3-9 at Lakeshore Gymnastics and Ten Point 0 Gymnastics, both in northern Ohio. Prior to acting as the head team coach Michelle was the head compulsory coach for two years at Elite Gymnastics and taught gymnastics at the Sandusky YMCA for six years. Michelle holds a BS in Biological Science from Bowling Green State University and is currently working to obtain bother her CSCS Certification (strength training and conditioning certification) and her gymnastics judging certification.

Christian Gallardo

Christian grew up in El Paso, Texas where he competed as a Level 10 gymnast and for his high school. He coached both girls and boys at Gymnastics Elite Youth Sports and The American Dream in El Paso and girls through Level 10 at Diamondback Gymnastics in Mesa, Arizona. Christian is working toward a degree in Business Management. Christian’s personal philosophy as a gymnast and as a coach can be summed up as follows: “Never quit and forever learn.”

Debbie Carlisle

Debbie trained under Danny Warbutton, the legendary coach and owner of Gym Dandies Gymnastics, In Washington, PA. She trained to a high level with the Gym Dandies until a back condition forced her early retirement. Debbie continued her love for gymnastics with teaching and coaching. Debbie coached the Newark YWCA girls team before making the decision to bring her daughter to Buckeye Gymnastics for team training. She now continues her love of coaching with our level 2′s, 3′s, and 4′s.