Meet Our Staff

Mimi became involved in the sport of gymnastics at the age of 5 years old in 1972 as a gymnast, then started competitive gymnastics at the age of 8 until the age of 22. She competed up to the Class 1 Level, then through college (earning 10 All-American Awards). Mimi started her coaching career at Clovis Academy while she trained there around the age of 16 in the summer time. She coached mostly in the boys program until she moved to go to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo in 1986. While coaching at various local clubs, she began her dream of opening an amazing gymnastic training facility that would connect Southern and Northern California gymnastic communities. In 1991, Mimi opened a very small gymnastics program (1,000 sq. feet) with about 10 students in the beginning and built it to what has now grown upwards of 800+ students in the building her and her husband Andy bought in 2004. Along with the most amazing staff, they have created a fantastic gymnastics sports training center of 16,000 sq. feet fitness & fun in San Luis Obispo, California. It has been a wonderful journey, one I wouldn’t change one second of. Mimi is currently directing the Preschool Program with Assistant Preschool Director Casey Hoover. We are both enjoying our passion and expressing our creativity working with the Preschool Program!

Mimi and her wonderful husband Andy, have been happily married since June 22, 1996, and they have a beautiful daughter, Maddie who was born in April 2006! Come on down to CCG, we would love to meet you. My favorite colors are blue & green. I love to eat fresh fish, grow my own veggies, and share them with everyone. I absolutely love to garden, fish, and scuba dive. Collect treasures from the beach and be in the gym every second I can. I love our beautiful area, the air and warm sun. I am definitely very fortunate to live and breath on the Central Coast…………with my wonderful family at home and at CCG!

Hi! My name is Danielle and I am graduated Cal Poly in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, where I was a member of the Cal Poly Stunt Team. I grew up in Sonoma County and was a gymnast and then a competitive cheerleader for about 10 years. I started teaching gymnastics when I was 17 years old and I absolutely love to teach! I enjoy being in a job that allows me the opportunity to teach children daily and then dive into my position of Operations Manager as of January 2019. Our high-traffic Gymnastics Facilities to bring excellent time management skills and a proven track record of setting and meeting ambitious goals for CCG . I am looking forward to creating an environment at CCG with material resources that help us efficiently communicate with our customers on a daily basis and to coordinate with other departments on time-sensitive projects and budget planning and implementing. I also enjoy mentoring our staff in to leaders and creating an environment where they can develop and grow. Let’s book a FUNtastic birthday party for your child, sign your child up for one of our amazing camps, or join our Kids Night Out monthly Parties at CCG! I am here to help!

Hello, I’m Shannon Merritt and I am the Payroll Specialist here at Central Coast Gymnastics Sports Center. My love for gymnastics started when I saw Nadia Comaneci win the All Around Gold Medal in the 1976 Olympics. I was 10 years old then and began taking gymnastics classes. I competed for my Jr. High and High School in Clovis, CA. At age 16 I began coaching at Clovis and I began judging at age 18. I attended Cal Poly and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education with a concentration in teaching. I worked as the head coach of Atascadero Gymnastics for six years while I attended college. I had my first two children here in SLO and then my husband joined the Air Force after college. We moved to New Mexico where I worked as a head coach for a local gym. I obtained my Masters Degree in Public Administration and I became a level 10 judge. Our family was transferred to the island of Guam where I opened my own recreational gymnastics program, continued to judge gymnastics, and got a great tan! Our next adventure was a 3-year stay in England. I worked as a coach and a choreographer for an optional team there and passed my International Gymnastics Judging Exam. I had the wonderful opportunity to judge at the international level. Our military adventure ended in 2003 and we came back to the beautiful SLO. I started working at CCG in July of 2003 as the gym manager and girl’s optional coach. After more than 20 years of coaching and seeing many different gymnastics programs, I am thrilled to be working in the positive and fun environment at CCG. My hope for each of our gymnasts is that they will gain self confidence and responsibility, learn to work hard and enjoy physical activity, and take pride in themselves for their effort and achievement in the challenging sport of gymnastics, acrobatic gymnastics, cheer, dance, and all the other programs CCG offers. I really enjoy the payroll aspect and taking care of the many wonderful employee’s at CCG!

Hi! I’m Sophie and I’m the Office Manager & HR Director here at CCG! I started here in February of 2014 and absolutely love it! I enjoy working with the fun, upbeat, and outgoing crew here at CCG and couldn’t ask for a better team! I was originally born in Oregon, then my family moved to Austin, Texas, but came back and I was mainly raised here in California up in Modesto. I moved to SLO to attend Cal Poly, eventually graduating in 2005 with my Bachelor of Science in Food & Nutrition, with a concentration in Nutrition Science. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, BBQing & cooking, trying and learning about new foods, and teaching my cat tricks! Some fun facts about me are that I speak Laotian fluently, I was the first in my immediate family to be born in the U.S., and I have trained my cat to walk on a leash, sit, kiss, shake, stay, and use the human toilet.

I am Coach Aly, the director of CCE. I have been coaching at CCG since 2006 and have been coaching Cheer and gymnastics since 2003. I graduated from Cal Poly with my teaching credential in 2009.

Currently, I do not directly use my teaching credential but feel as though I use it every day teaching our athletes in this awesome environment. I love working with children and sharing my passion for cheer with them. This sport has given me so much over the years and I am so grateful that I am still involved in it. Every day I learn and grow from this amazing sport and all our athletes. My goal is to help every athlete in our program be a better athlete, cheerleader, and person once they step out our door.

Valentino started his sports career in judo at the age of 13. Even though he was advancing very fast in judo he was fascinated from the acrobatics he could observe through the window of the gym located just next door. One summer, after overcoming most of his older judo team members, he decided to try the sports acrobatics program. Valentino advanced in several years to the master level and defended the title of “Master of Sports of Acrobatics.” He competed through college in competitive sports acrobatics, producing several top level national team members and masters of acrobatics athletes as their competitive partner. Valentino graduated a 4-year mechanical engineering school, receiving a diploma for mechanics, draftsman, fitter and turner. Valentino continued his education and attended the National Sports Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria where he graduated with a dual Masters degree and diploma in Sports Acrobatic Training and Physical Education teaching.

Valentino immigrated to South Africa in 1996, where he and his friend were the first acrobatic coaches from Bulgaria. There he coached sports acrobatics, tumbling and double mini trampoline, claiming several national and international titles with his athletes. Around 70% of the South African Acrobatics National Team at that time were coached by Valentino in Johannesburg and Pretoria. For his contribution to the international popularity and mastery of Sport Acrobatics, Valentino was awarded the title “Honorable Coach” from the Bulgarian Acrobatics Federation. Valentino’s next stops were Australia and California, USA. Valentino lived and coached most of his stay in the US in California, having the unique opportunity to work and learn to coach Girls Artistic Gymnastics from some of the best clubs and coaches in the industry. Valentino enjoys working with all levels of gymnastics. He has numerous State and Regional titles with his athletes in Girls Artistic Gymnastics and T&T. Some of his athletes he coached were Bulgarian, South African National team members, claiming medals at European and World Championships in Acro.

In the US, Valentino assistant coached Elite gymnasts Tabitha Yim, Alyse Ishino, and Ashley Jenkins, all National Team members. Alyse Ishino was 2004 Olympics alternate. Many of the athletes he coached attended highly ranked universities on a scholarship. Valentino is happily married to his wife Sioux and has two daughters, Nina, born 6/6/06, and Luna, born 5/23/13.

Hi, I’m Coach Rion!

I moved to SLO from Lancaster, CA after graduating High School.

I have been coaching here at CCG since 2012.

Since starting here at CCG, I have coached many classes and events but now can be found coaching the Acro team or working in the office. I became the Head Coach and Director of our Acrobatics Team in 2015 and used to compete here at CCG as an Elite Mixed Pair Acrobat!

Random Facts:

• I’ve had my turtle, Tina, for 17 years!
• I have two screws in my left leg from an ACL surgery
• Sign Language is my first language!
• I have run 7 Half marathons and 1 full marathon

My name is Renato, I am 26 years old, born and raised in Lima, Peru. I started doing gymnastics when I was 6, and fell in love with the sport right away. Lots of years of hard training gave me the opportunity to represent my country in several international competitions(in between 2007 and 2014), in junior and senior categories, and allowed me to bring back to my country the first South American championship medals in a very long time at a very young age.

I knew my passion for this sport was not going to end with my athlete career, so I decided to start coaching at age 18. Even though I went to school and got a bachelor’s degree on Audio Visual Production, I knew gymnastics was going to be my main gig for good.

Later on I decided to move to the US pursuing my dream of being an elite coach. Pushing kids in a way that affects not only their competitive performance but also helping them grow as humans, the same way my coaches and the sport helped me growing up.

I could have not found a better opportunity to pursue my dream and accomplish my goals, than taking this opportunity that CCG has offered me. I am sure will try my best to lead this program, with the support of all the families and coworkers, to make this team their best version possible.

Hi my name is Nick and I am the T&T Head Coach at CCG.

I have been involved in the sport of gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling for over 15 years! I started a recreational tumbling class at the age of 9 and competed in mens gymnastics all the way through high school reaching level 10. I’ve been coaching since the age of 16 and have coached everything from rec and team girls, boys and T&T to cheerleading and circus classes as well. T&T and boys team are what I enjoy the most!

On a personal note, I have a twin brother, I have a wonderful wife Amanda, and two very energetic boys Ian and Theo.

I have been teaching gymnastics at Central Coast Gymnastics for 2 years but have been coaching for 6. I am from Boulder, Colorado and was born in Kansas City, Missouri. I was a competitive gymnast for 10 years. I am currently a 3rd year Kinesiology major at Cal Poly. My hobbies include hiking, backpacking, and eating good food! Working with kids brings joy to my life and I LOVE working at CCG!

Coach Aaron was born in Delaware in 1994 and moved to SLO in late 2017.

Aaron has been Tricking for 11 years. Tricking is a new up and coming trending sport that is now being sponsored by Red Bull! Tricking is a fusion of Gymnastics, Break dancing, and Martial Arts! Primarily seen in the choreography of classic movies like Spiderman, Black Panther and Captain America! (CCG now offers the only Tricking Course on the entire Central Coast!)

Aaron has been coaching since he was 14 years old.

He has coached under the World Taekwondo Federation for 5 years specializing in Demonstration teams. He’s participated in numerous demonstration tournaments winning 1st place including the National Kukkiwon Tournament in New York City in 2014.

During competition practice Aaron injured his spine and he was forced to quit teaching and competing entirely for a year to recover. After that year, Aaron decided to dedicate himself fully to his passion and move to China to live with Taoist martial monks for an entire year. China was a great experience and Aaron even appeared on Chinese National Television twice to demonstrate his skills! Ask him about it! He’s got plenty of fun stories!

After returning from China, Aaron received a job offer to fly out to California to teach gymnastics in Paso Robles and that lasted for a year and half until Aaron found himself here at CCG!

Coach Aaron’s dream is to motivate and inspire his students to reach greatness within themselves here at CCG so that they can find success in their own lives here AND outside of the gym!

Hey there, I’m Coach Morgan. I’m The Preschool Director here at CCG! I have a passion for working kids of all ages! I love coaching gymnastics because it teaches the kids self-confidence, leadership skills and so so so much more, plus it’s super fun! I grew up in Thousand Oaks, CA as a gymnast, dancer, snowboarder, outdoor adventurer and horseback rider. I competed up to level 8 in gymnastics and competed on my high school dance team. I graduated from Cal Poly in 2003 with my BS in Recreation Administration. Professionally I’ve run all types of recreation sports, camps, Sunday school youth groups and after school programs as well as coached gymnastics for many years.

I’ve called the Central Coast home since January 2000 and CCG my home away from home since May 2017. When I’m not here at CCG I’ll be at my massage studio just down the street. I love what I do! I get to work with kids, raising up little leaders AND bless people with massage AND live here on the Central Coast! Life doesn’t get better then that! When I’m not working I’m spending time with my nephews & step daughter or hiking or hanging out at the beach or with friend. I love Jesus, the great outdoors, my family and my friends.

As the Preschool Program Director you’ll catching me out on the floor most mornings and the occasional afternoon. I love to have fun, be silly and loud.

Fun Fact: I love Mochas, steak, pizza & pasta…OK OK I love food!

Hello, my name is Brooke! I was born in Alberta, Canada. When I was 3, we moved to California and I started doing gymnastics here at Central Coast Gymnastics. I was on the first ever Level 4 team. I competed with CCG for 7 years. During my lat year of competing, I was a Level 8, and won all around and balance beam at Regionals. I loved competing, being able to travel to cool places, meet new people, and just the whole experience and memories. While I did gymnastics, I had some great opportunities. I did one year of Jumpstart and went to a camp in Alabama. I also did T&T for a year but only competed in tumbling. I had the privilege to go to the Bela Karolyi camp in Texas at the National Training Center. I also went to All Olympia Gymnastics Center AOGC camp in LA. Through competing I’ve traveled to Oklahoma, Alabama, Virginia Beach, Texas, Florida, and all over California. I’ve always been passionate about the sport. I love working with kids and teaching them gymnastics. Some other activities I enjoy are horseback riding on the beach, skiing, hiking, and just about anything outdoors. I am currently a senior at Morro Bay High School, and I’d like to go on to Cal Poly and major in kinesiology. I started diving for Morro Bay my sophomore year and have been on the varsity team and have gone to CIF the last two years.

Hi! My name is Christine Wright! I am from Modesto, CA. I moved to San Luis Obispo and started working at Central Coast Gymnastics in August, 2014. I did competitive gymnastics until I was 16 years old, and when I quit, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay out of the gym, so I immediately applied for a position at a gym in my hometown. I also judge competitive gymnastics and accredited through Level 8. Gymnastics has taught me many life skills and has been a huge part of developing me into who I am today. I enjoy being outdoors, and swimming in all bodies of water, from lakes to rivers to oceans.

I was born in Orange County, CA on January 17, 1983. At the age of three my mother signed my up for gymnastics lessons and I’ve been flipping every since. I was a competitive gymnast for 10 years, eventually reaching the level of Junior Elite Class (now called Level 10). I was lucky enough to have top notch coaching, including Chinese Olympian and World Champion Li Xiaoping. Gymnastics was always a great challenge for me. I am very proud of what I have been able to achieve in this sport. I consider qualifying to the Junior National Championships the single greatest achievement of my life.

I loved competing, but even as a kid I always wanted to be a coach. I have been a boy’s gymnastics coach at Central Coach Gymnastics since October 2001. I have taught all levels from Class A to competitive team. As as athlete I have learned so much about what it takes to make dreams into reality. My dream is to inspire and pass on my knowledge to young people so they can grow and become happy, successful adults. My goal is to build a competitive team and recreational gymnastics program to rival any in the state. I am proud to see the great strides we have made toward this goal.

Meanwhile, I am pursuing a Computer Engineering degree at Cal Poly. Whatever the future holds for me, one thing is certain, gymnastics is in my blood and will always be a part of my life.

My name is Izzy Burns and I coach preschool and girls rec at CCG. I am also one of our event leads for all the fun events we have here at the gym.

I am originally from Pacifica, California, where we have Taco Bell on the beach and San Francisco is a short 15-minute drive away! I now go to Cal Poly as an Environmental Management and Protection major with a minor in Biology. I have been at CCG since September of 2017 and I coached at Gymtowne Gymnastics in Moss Beach for two years prior to that.

A fun fact about me: I can identify over 300 plants that are native to California! I hope to one day fuse my passions for education and the environment by teaching outdoor education.

I have met so many wonderful students and parents at CCG and I can’t wait to continue to teach all the little gymnasts of San Luis Obispo!

Hi! My name is Emma and I’m on coaching staff for CCE. I’m from Camarillo, CA (in Ventura County) and I’m a student at Cal Poly. I have been a member of competitive cheer teams, as well as high school, and currently am on the cheer and STUNT team at school. I am lucky to spend this season with J2 Bombsquad and Senior Stealth. I’m very excited to have the chance to continue in the competitive cheer world and work with the amazing athletes at CCE. I’m a History major and intend on becoming a teacher after I graduate. I love line dancing with my best friends and enjoy hiking whenever I have free time. Some of my favorite things are reading, coffee, and my two golden doodle dogs back home.

Meghan Reilly was born in San Luis Obispo, California on October 2, 2003. She has lived on the Central Coast her whole life. Some of Meghan’s interests include shopping, surfing, traveling, and hanging out with friends. Meghan started gymnastics at the age of 4 and began competitive gymnastics at the age of 9. She trained at CCG her whole career and finished competing level 6 while training level 7. She stopped gymnastics in June of 2018. Meghan volunteered over the summer and was offered a job at CCG. She thoroughly enjoys coaching and learning from other coaches. One part she especially enjoys is still being able to see her former teammates train, compete, and grow into young adults. She wants to work her way up and eventually coach competitive levels. She hopes to develop lifetime relationships with some of her students. Meghan is excited to see what else coaching at CCG has in store for her.

Seth enjoys being outdoors more than anything, whether it is hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, snowboarding or skydiving. He loves to share his adventures with people by volunteering his time to take people on guided hikes, cleaning up trash on the beach and taking his “little” brother out on adventures. He has 2 amazing dogs which he loves to run on the beach and trails with.

He was asked to be on American Ninja Warrior two years ago and was a tester on the course last year. He has been teaching for 3 years and enjoys making awesome courses for kids to run through. Catch him on the trails or any one of his 5 jobs, as he is always on the go.

I have lived on the central coast my whole life. I have been training theater for five years and training dance for the past two.

I started coaching at CCG in 2019 and I currently coach boys gymnastics.

Fun Facts:

• I do photography in my spare time
• I am the youngest of five kids
• I started gymnastics at CCG when I was three

I grew up in San Luis Obispo and started doing gymnastics at age 3 in a small gym that used to be located right up the street from Central Coast Gymnastics, on Higuera Street. I quickly fell in love with the sport and progressed quickly.

I started competing as a compulsory gymnast at 6 years old and reached the optional levels at age 10. During this time, advanced gymnastics equipment and experienced coaching was not readily available in this area.

At age 12 after completing my first Level 8 competitive season, my love and commitment to the sport would be taken a step further.

At the advice of my then current coach, I made the difficult decision to move away from home to Santa Barbara where a more progressive gym was located so I could continue developing as a gymnast. This ultimately 3-year move allowed me to progress to a Level 10 gymnast. I completed 2 seasons of Level 10 and at the age of 15, made the difficult decision to retire from the sport I adored for so long.

Although my love for gymnastics never left me, it was not until my own daughter expressed interest in the sport that gymnastics re-entered my life. This time around from a whole new point of view. My daughter is now entering her Level 6 competitive season at Central Coast Gymnastics.

I believe my experience as a former high-level competitive athlete, as well as an involved parent and educator, I can be a huge asset to the development and encouragement of present and future gymnastics team members of Central Coast Gymnastics.

I was born in Sacramento, grew up in Chico, and lived in Fresno for about 12 years. I was a gymnast for 10 years, finishing my career as a level 9 at Athletic Horizons. I moved to SLO to work for CCG! I started coaching when I was 26 teaching cheerleaders to tumble. Over the years I progressed and began coaching rec, pre-team, JO, and then eventually became the Director and Head Coach of a competitive team with almost 30 girls, 5 of which were optionals.

I currently coach the girls pre-team, Xcel and JO teams.

I'm an avid photographer, programmer, and my biggest accomplisments include being the Regional Champion at Level 8, becoming an Eagle Scout, and climbing the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. My favorite color is green, favorite food is sushi, and favorite movie is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.