Buckeye Staff

Steve is originally from Massachusetts and has been coaching for 22 years with the last several years within Region 5.  He brings a wealth of experience and talent as he has coached Level 2 through Elite. Steve is a positive, energetic, and motivating coach as evidenced by his numerous State, Regional and National Champions as well as Elite National Team Members.  In his spare time, Steve enjoys playing golf and traveling.

In the 30+ years that Kittia has been coaching at Buckeye her gymnasts have won over 1,000 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 in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana to serve on the Region 5 Board for USA Gymnastics. As Head Coach at Buckeye Kittia coached Gabby Douglas to the 2016 Olympic Team (Team USA Gold) and 2015 World Championships Team (Team Gold, Silver AA) and she has developed both Nia Dennis and Shania Adams both USA National Team members. Buckeye was named the Region 5 Elite Gym of the Year in 2016.

Meredith is a former standout Buckeye Gymnastics level 10 gymnast who competed nationally for our team.  She has coached gymnastics here at Buckeye and in the central Ohio area for many years and we are excited to have her rejoin our girls team staff.  In addition to her passion for gymnastics she also has had much success as a personal trainer and fitness competitor.

Becky was already something of a legend in the sport of gymnastics in Ohio before she stepped into the gym as a coach at Buckeye. Becky was the 2012 Horizon Coach of the Year for Region 5 (OH, MI, IL, IN, KY), 2011 Ohio Judge of the Year, and the 2013 Spirit of Team Ohio award winner. She has been coaching some of the best gymnasts in the city, state and region as coach at Universal Gymnasts for over a decade and she was an accomplished gymnast in her own right at Lima Gymnastics. Becky brings over 30 years of gymnastics experience to Buckeye through her competing, judging and coaching and we welcome her to the coaching staff.

Jill grew up in Westerville and competed for Buckeye from Level 5 (which was the first competitive level back then) through Level 9.  She has won individual State Championships on Vault and Floor at multiple levels, was a top 10 finisher at Level 9 Regionals on Vault and was a part of several State Championship teams at multiple levels.  Jill also competed for the Westerville North High School gymnastics team and was a member of the Ohio State Club Gymnastics Team before “retiring”.

Gabby grew up at Buckeye Gymnastics starting at age 7 and “graduating” as a high school senior. She competed for Buckeye for 6 years through Level 8. She is currently studying to become a Physical Therapist and discovered that she has the gift of teaching after rejoining us as a gymnastics teacher and coach.

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 and attended WVU on a full athletic scholarship in gymnastics while 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, regional and national champions. She was part of the Buckeye coaching team that was voted Optional Coaching Staff of the Year in Ohio in 2016.

Michelle grew up in a gym in Indiana before starting her coaching and judging passions. Michelle has been married 32 years. She has two adult children who are married and one grand baby on the way! During her free time Michelle enjoys golfing, ice hockey, bowling, curling, volleyball, dancing, and staying active!

Kadyn has been a gymnast since she was 2 years old and is a current Buckeye Level 9 gymnast and the 2022 Level 9 Easterns Nationals Uneven Bars Champion.  She joined our coaching staff in 2022.  We are excited to have Kadyn as a coach and mentor for our youngest team gymnasts! Kadyn enjoys spending time in the gym and making lifelong friends in gymnastics. She enjoys the challenges and the rewards of sport, and her goal is to compete in college.

Chelsea is a former Tumble Bear Director in Powell who has returned to central Ohio and Buckeye after she all but grew up at Buckeye Gymnastics. She started taking classes when she was in elementary school and stayed with us almost ten years. Chelsea competed for Buckeye reaching Level 8. She then competed for Dublin Scioto High School.

Kate started gymnastics at an early age and is a former optional Buckeye gymnast.  She has coached gymnastics in the central Ohio area for several years and we are excited for her to join our girls team staff.  Kate loves gymnastics and her goal is “to make sure all kiddos learn skills properly so they can enjoy the sport for as long as they want!”  Kate has a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Ohio University.  In addition to her passion for gymnastics she is also a registered yoga teacher and a CrossFit level 1.  She has two daughters who will also be joining Buckeye’s competitive girls team.

Sasha is a former Champion of the USSR and a Master of Sport. He was also 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. Sasha has been coaching the Girls Team at Buckeye for over 20 years and he was part of the Buckeye coaching team that was voted Optional Coaching Staff of the Year in Ohio in 2016.

Savannah started gymnastics when she was 4 years old and continued until she was 18. She competed for a local YMCA team and her high school team in Napoleon, Ohio. She started to coach gymnastics while in college and coached until she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders, and is in her third year of teaching as a multiple disabilities intervention specialist at an intermediate school. Savannah returned to coaching this year because she wanted to get back into gymnastics and continue coaching the sport she has loved for so many years.

Mia is a current Buckeye Level 9 gymnast and student at Olentangy Berlin High School. During her free time Mia volunteers with Special Olympics Gymnastics. Mia loves coaching and mentoring our youngest team gymnasts and has been a wonderful addition to our Buckeye coaching staff.

Natalie is also a former Buckeye competitive gymnast who competed optional levels before switching to Xcel and competing for her high school gymnastics team.   Her love for gymnastics and for working with children has brought her back to the gym.  In addition to coaching part-time for our girls team, Natalie is a Kindergarten teacher.