Our Coaches

As a child, Amanda was akin to Forrest Gump, she ran everywhere.  At the age of 5 she started gymnastics and took to it like a monkey on steroids. At the age of 10, she began losing interest in gymnastics. Turns out she got assigned a very bad coach full of criticism with a demeaning attitude. She was always told “practice hard and focus with intent”, but above all have fun (after all you’re a kid). The rule at home was, “potatoes are grown on a farm not on a couch”. So, she discovered tennis, or I should say tennis discovered her. Her back hand was once described by Andy Roddick as a swan swinging a tennis racket. But sadly, that sport delivered a devastating blow to a 12-year-old athlete. The style of coaching taught her one bad habit that injured her knees and ended her ability to be competitive in the sport of tennis. Not to be defeated, she found ice skating. While skating during a home school class, she saw a coach teaching a young girl. I could see the light coming on in her eyes. I heard her ask the coach how long it took to do what she saw the young girl do. The coach replied, the girl was level 4, and it took 3 to 4 years to get to that level. Long story short, Amanda reached that level in less than two years. On her first level 4 competition, Amanda blew away her competition and the judges as she performed three events with a perfect score of 10 in all three. PRACTICE HARD AND FOCUS WITH INTENT! Now, strike three is about to happen as a move to the mountains of North Carolina where you would think ice skating would be the sport, not so. The nearest ice rink was an hour and half away.

But all is not lost. Amanda was blessed with three daughters now ages 18 months to 6 years; now, she is really a full-time coach. Taking her athletic skills combining them with mom skills is a natural fit and becoming a USAG certified Competition Team Coach is as natural as a monkey swinging from gymnastic bars. Her coaching skills and philosophy didn’t come from a book or as a spectator; they came from life experiences in a competitive athletic world exposed to good and bad coaches along with their good and bad coaching skills and philosophies. She is a mom first and a coach second, your child couldn’t be in better care; of course, as her father, I might be a little bias.

Dani started gymnastics when she was only 2 years old and began competitive gymnastics at the age of 6. She stuck with gymnastics and reached level 8, which is the furthest level she reached before retiring due to a back injury. During her career, she accomplished many goals such as winning multiple state meets and representing the state of Louisiana at the regional meet. Although she is no longer able to compete, she still finds enjoyment by coaching team and pre-team girls. Alongside working in the gymnastics field,Dani attends Nicholls State University where she is working towards a degree in biology/pre-med to follow her dreams of becoming a forensic pathologist. Dani hopes she is an inspiration for the girls she coaches, and wants to show that hard work and dedication can get you anywhere you want in life.

Grace started gymnastics when she was 5 years old and later became a competitive cheerleader. She is a junior in high school and spends her free time playing soccer and cheering. Grace helps coach our recreational gymnasts and enjoys getting to know all of her students. At an early age, Grace fell in love with the idea of inspiring young athletes and teaching them to flip as much as she has.

Kailin grew up around the sport of competitive dancing. As she approached junior high, she took an interest in cheerleading and cheered throughout junior high and high school. She is currently continuing her education at Nicholls State University, majoring in nursing.  What she enjoys most about coaching, is seeing the kids progress and grow!

Michelle has loved the sport of gymnastics since she was a little girl.  After watching the 1984 Olympics, she decided she wanted to be just like Mary Lou Retton.  She participated in both Recreational and Competition Gymnastics throughout childhood.  Even after leaving the sport, gymnastics still held a special place in her heart, and Michelle was thrilled when her daughter Emma wanted to give it a try.  Emma is currently on Team at Punch Gymnastics, which led to Michelle becoming a part of the coaching team.  Coach Michelle has found that coaching fills her with a joy and pride in her students that she didn’t even realize she was missing out on!  She enjoys getting to know each of her students.  Being able to see their confidence grow and skills improve through positive reinforcement makes coaching one of the most rewarding things Michelle has been involved in.  Michelle is so grateful to be a part of the Punch Gymnastics program – a program that not only builds an athlete, but also the character of each child enrolled.