Interview With Jazmyn Estrella

What made you want to coach gymnastics?

I’ve always had so much passion for the sport of Gymnastics. I started when I was four and never looked back. I think Gymnastics is a sport where coaching truly matters, the people in your corner matter and how supported and safe you feel matters. I wanted to make sure that I could contribute to creating healthy and safe spaces for athletes to be successful.

Were you a gymnast yourself growing up before you started coaching the sport?

Yes, I was a gymnast at Parkettes from the age of four until I graduated high school. I then did two years at Utah state and then two years at Temple University.

How did you help your athletes overcome mental blocks?

I think visualization is one of the best tools for this. Being able to see the skill and understand the skill to its fullest helps athletes not be so nervous about it. I also feel like just being patient with each athlete because each situation is so different. Just allowing them the space to work it out and ask the questions they need.

Who was your mentor/or a coach you looked up to when you started?

While I have had a lot of great technical coaches who I look up to for how to coach the actual gymnastics, I think the coach that I have gained the most from is Josh, who was my head coach at temple. He was one of the few coaches who saw me as more than just a gymnast and gave me the space to truly be successful. I always say that he saved my life because he gave me a chance to be in the gym without it feeling so heavy and that’s something I try to create for my athletes now.

Were you a college or club gymnastics coach? If you were a college coach how did you become one? If you were a club coach, did you coach rec classes or the team and how did you move up the rankings?

I was a club coach at a few different places. I did rec classes at Parkettes and then I coached lower level team at a gym in Philadelphia. I also volunteer Coached at temple and then coached at University of New Hampshire and this past year was just that Iowa Iowa State University. As far as club coaching goes, I genuinely stepped back into that space just to get back into the gym. I was unsure if I wanted to Coach, so that was a good starting place. From there, I just reached out to people I knew about getting into college coaching. That’s how I got the temple volunteer job and then from there I’ve just been building experience and connections.

I have always had the goal of coaching on a college or club team someday. What steps did you take to becoming a high level coach like that?

The biggest steps that I took was learning from the people who have already done it. Asking the hard questions and finding what was truly my passion. I think every Coach brings something different to the table so finding what sets you apart is one of the best things you can do. I also make sure to keep learning. Every single situation is a learning opportunity. Whether it’s positive or negative you can always take something from it and apply it into how you coach moving forward. I think that’s been one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned.

How did you fall in love with coaching gymnastics?

My first year as a college coach, I really fell in love with it by just immersing myself into the experience. Watching all the athletes put in so much work and then seeing it pay off was something that I truly enjoyed. Working hard with them day in and day out, and finding things that brought them joy, brought me a lot of joy!

Advice you may give to coaches coaching the sport or gymnasts still competing?

I would say continue to find the little WINS. Not every day is going to be perfect, not every practice is going to be perfect, every meet will not be perfect, but at the end of the day, there are always positives to be taken. Someone told me once to “count my pennies” , they aren’t huge amounts but after a while they start to add up. And you can look back and see how far you’ve come. That’s something that I would encourage a lot of people to do! Even if you aren’t where you want to be yet, you have to look back and count all the little wins to see how far you’ve actually come.

What is your favorite thing about coaching the sport of gymnastics?

My favorite thing is watching all the little details come to life! I think Gymnastics is one of the hardest sports because you have to be so intentional every turn, and I think that makes it so fun to Coach. I also think every athlete has different strengths and obviously different skills so I think it’s super cool to see the variety in the gym. Every day can look so different and that’s super exciting.

Anything else you think athletes or coaches should know about coaching in a sport like gymnastics?

It’s hard but super rewarding! I think Gymnastics isn’t given the same amount of love as maybe other sports are but I think that makes it even more special. When things do go right and when things do work in our favor, It’s monumental. The sport is growing and I think we need people who are willing to do the dirty work in this space. It’s not always easy but again it’s always worth it.