My Coaching Journey: From the Floor To Coaching the Sport

For eleven years, I was a dedicated and passionate gymnast. Gymnastics wasn’t just a sport; you know me, I spent my life doing gymnastics and spent many hours in the gym. During the school year, I lived for those nine hours a week in the gym, but in the summers, the gym became my entire world—25 to 30 hours of hardwork, dedication, and overcoming mental blocks.

From my early days at IK and Dreams to the years at Wilmette, I didn’t just train; I lived and breathed this sport. When it finally came time to hang up my grips, I was left with a silence I didn't know how to fill. I felt lost in a world that no longer revolved around a beam or a bar.

I didn't realize it then, but I wasn't leaving gymnastics—I was simply finding a new home on the other side of the mat.

I love caoching this sport! It feels like something I can do in my sleep now and I love seeing the athletes progress.

When I started at Wilmette in 2022, I finally understood why: I wasn't losing my identity; I was just changing my role.

It took a long time, difficult process of silencing my "athlete brain" to realize that my purpose had shifted. It was no longer about my own flips or my own scores; it was about witnessing someone else find their passion of the sport . There is an amazing feeling in watching a gymnast finally land a skill they’ve been battling for months.

In those moments, I’m not just seeing a gymnast success, i’m seeing my own journey mirrored in their eyes. It’s a full-circle healing that I never saw coming.

Joining the coaching staff at UWW’s GymHawks in May 2026 was a massive milestone for me. I’ve had my heart set on coaching there since the moment I stepped onto campus back in 2024, so finally getting that opportunity felt like a dream come true. I’ve always known that to reach my goal of becoming a college coach, I needed to keep growing and refining my skills while I’m still here at school.

I am looked up to many caoches Janelle McDonald, KJ Kindler, Laurent and Cecile, Valorie Kondos Fields, my club coaches, and many more.

When I look at the kids in my rec classes, the Xcel team, or the Pre-Team, I don't just see athletes; I see the future of the sport I adore. Every day on the floor—at GymHawks and at Wilmette—is a brick in the foundation of my greatest dream: to stand on a collegiate floor as a coach.

Gymnastics gave me my confidence, my discipline, and my resilience; it gave me everything I am. And because of that, I know I am not done. I am taking every lesson, every heartbreak, and every triumph from my eleven years as an athlete and pouring them into the coach I am becoming. My heart is anchored in this sport, and it always will be. One day, I will be a college coach. I am ready, I am capable, and I am exactly where I am meant to be.