Buckeye Staff

Taylor is a former Buckeye gymnast who won floor at L9 Easterns, as well as competing for Eastern Michigan from 2013 until 2015. Taylor graduated from Eastern Michigan in 2017 with a BA in Communications and a minor is psychology. Taylor coached Buckeye’s Level 1 and Level 2’s prior to leaving for college and has expanded her coaching experience by coaching pre-team through Level 7 at Champion Gymnastics in Ann Arbor for the last two years.

Jen has been cheering for most of her life. As a high school student at Somerset Area High School in Somerset, PA, Jen cheered for four years with her school and also cheered for an all-star team that placed at UCA Nationals and at Worlds. She then went on to cheer at Slippery Rock University. Jen has worked for several years as an instructor for UCA (Universal Cheerleaders Association) at various summer camps and competitions.

Jim, commonly referred to as, “Mr. Gym” or “Mr. Gymnastics”, has been at Buckeye Gymnastics since 2001.  Jim participated in gymnastics at the YMCA and the Columbus Recreation and Parks, Sports Aerobatics and Spring Board Diving RPAC.  He was also an instructor under Jim Sweeney and Peter Kormann, the  US Olympic Teach Coach.

Lauren was a student and competitive gymnast at Buckeye from the time she was in Kindergarten until 12 years old. She competed for Buckeye through Level 8 and then did gymnastics at Thomas Worthington High School. Lauren went on to get a degree in Early Childhood Development from CSCC. After getting her degree she worked as a preschool teacher for a number of years before returning to Buckeye to coach.

Julia grew up in Rocky River, Ohio where she trained and competed for Great Lakes Gymnastics. Julia went on to cheer for Rocky River High School while teaching gymnastics at Great Lakes. Julia is now at Ohio State.

Jennifer has been teaching and coaching gymnastics since 2011. Jen coached at Top Flight Gymnastics in Crestview Hills, KY and she was the Gymnastics Coordinator for the Ross County YMCA where she managed the entire program, taught gymnastics at all ages and abilities and coached the competitive team. Jennifer is the Buckeye Preschool Director at Powell.

Vicki was a gymnast at Buckeye for many years before returning to us to teach and coach. Vicki brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the gym where she is a popular teacher in the Gym Stars programs. Vicki was the lead tumbling coach for the Buckeye Flyers TNT team for many years where she developed many state, regional and national champions.

Laura competed in gymnastics for six years and has coached gymnastics at Buckeye for over a decade. She is a graduate of Capital University, graduating with a degree in Biology and Psychology. Laura attended a six-week internship at Rushmore Gymnastics in London, England, where she shared with our British sister club the details of running an American style gymnastics school.

Hannah learned her gymnastics at Buckeye Gymnastics spending five years competing on the Scarlet and Gray Team and reaching the Xcel Platinum Level. Hannah likes to challenge herself to go outside her comfort zone and to be the best she can be and she hopes to instill those values in her students.

Viktoria is a graduate from Westerville Central high school. She took classes at buckeye from age 7 until she was about 16. She was on her high school gymnastics team and never lost her love for the sport. She’s currently pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy Assisting at Marion Technical. She also holds a position at Riverside Methodist hospital which makes her certified in first aide and CPR. Her love for the sport is what keeps her so involved with coaching kids to become the best they can be!

Kristen grew up doing gymnastics and cheerleading is Fishers, Indiana. Bars was her favorite event in gymnastics while stunting was her favorite in cheer. In the end Kristen stuck with cheerleading and she competed in multiple National Championships and her team won Level UCA Large Senior 4 Nationals in 2010. My philosophy is that “Its not just about being the best athlete, its all about being the best person.”

Anastasia graduated from Otterbein University with a degree in Theatre & Dance and she has been dancing for over 25 years. She was also a competition dancer for 10 years and was able to travel and learn from a variety of well-known teachers. She has also been a popular and accomplished teacher in her own right and she brings her talent, energy, and experience to Buckeye.

Chelsea started gymnastics when she was 2 years old and spent 11 years at Buckeye with many enjoyable years competing on the team. During that time, Chelsea also cheered for Genoa middle school and later for Westerville Central High School. After leaving Buckeye, Chelsea also competed and was a flyer on the Midwest Magic Competitive Cheer Team. Chelsea has been teaching at Buckeye for several years and is a popular teacher at all levels.

Nate learned gymnastics at Olympic Academy in Newark, Ohio and he learned to teach and coach over the past 13 years at gyms throughout central Ohio. Along the way John developed experience and skill in teaching preschool gymnastics, girls and boys gymnastics, competitive girls gymnastics, special needs, and Trampoline and Tumbling. John has a great way with kids and he provides his students with a fun, effective , and positive approach to learning.

Angela is a graduate of Big Walnut High School and she has been teaching preschool for almost nine years including three years at the YMCA. She is certified in CPR, First Aid, Communicable Disease, and Child Abuse by the State of Ohio. Angie has been teaching at Buckeye for a decade.

Charity all but grew up at Buckeye Gymnastics. She competed for us for many years and traveled all over the USA with her favorite competitions held in Florida, Texas, Chicago and Philadelphia. Charity was good on every event but she absolutely rocked on vaulting and was a many time State Champion on that event. Charity now coaches the sport that she loves and is a popular teacher at Buckeye.

Ariane was a gymnast for 11 years and was a level 9 State Champion gymnast at Olympic Academy in Newark. Ariane has a degree in Women’s Studies from Ohio State University, and is a licensed Esthetician. She has taught gymnastics for four years in Central Ohio and coached to level 4. She loves her cats and dogs, music, Colorado, and the smiles on kids’ faces while coaching.

Jolene, or Coach Jo, as she is known, has been teaching and coaching gymnastics for 18 years. Coach Jo has been a Preschool Gymnastics Program Director and a Head Team Coach for Levels 2-6 during her coaching career. She has developed many Individual State Champions and State Champion Teams. Coach Jo has always had a passion for working with kids thru sports teams and church. She is now our Tumble Bears Preschool Director at Buckeye Gymnastics in our Westerville location.

Ray attended Desmet Jesuit High School in the St Louis area where he wrestled and tumbled before heading to Ohio State. Ray is going to head up the Buckeye Warriors program and that tumbling and wrestling experience will be put to good use. One of Ray’s favorite quotes comes from Dumbledore, ‘Happiness can be found even in the darkest times if one only remembers to turn on the light.’

Rachel began her initial training as a ballerina with Dayton Ballet School in Dayton, Ohio. She received additional training at San Francisco Ballet, Marin Ballet, Palo Alto Ballet, Jacksonville Ballet and Wright State University and became a professional ballet dancer in 1992 joining Dayton Ballet.  Rachel has teaching experience of 20 years in all types of movement.  She was Director of Dayton Ballet Junior Company, Dayton Ballet Outreach Program and has staged multiple works for choreographers she worked with while she was a professional dancer. After taking a short break to start a family, Rachel started working for Momentum where she is now Residency Program Manager and Senior Teacher.  Momentum is a non-profit organization that teaches students the life skills of self-discipline, teamwork and striving for excellence. She joined Buckeye Gymnastics first as a parent following both of her daughter’s dreams and now as a teacher that loves working with children.

Bri competed with Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy, and later tumbled at Midwest Cheer Elite. While attending the Ohio State University, Bri joined the recreational gymnastics team and trampoline and tumbling team, and received a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Bri has coached at a few gyms in Columbus and San Francisco for a total of four years. She has been with Buckeye since Autumn of 2016, where she is a Director in Training, teaches rec classes, and coaches the Scarlet and Grey team.