Coaches / Staff

	Yelena Urusova - Head Coach Gymnastics has been a part of Yelena's life since she was 9 years old. She started as a gymnast in the famous "Dynamo" club of Ukraine where she competed as an elite level gymnast and received the title "Master of Sport". Yelena took over leadership of Monarchs in 1994. During this time, Monarchs produced Sectional, State, Regional and National Champions. Yelena believes in a strong foundation in the basic skills of gymnastics and that hard work and dedication are the keys to a successful gymnastics career.

	Connie Thornbury Connie brings nearly 30 years of gymnastics experience to Monarchs Gymnastics! With Connie comes not only her USA Gymnastics Safety certification, but also a Fitness and Nutrition certificate from Roswell College and a USA Gymnastics Kinder Accreditation for Teachers (K.A.T.) certificate. She has been here at Monarchs specializing in Kinder Gym since 1995. Connie stays involved in the sport outside Monarchs by attending clinics to keep her teaching techniques updated and coaching for the Special Olympics. Connie loves seeing second generation students come to her classes and seeing how much of an impact she has had on families throughout the years. “Gymnastics gives children a great start in anything they do in life.” In her spare time Connie loves riding horses and can be found coordinating gymnastics for TV shows such as “Life Goes On” and “Denise Richards: It’s Complicated.” Just like many of the ladies here at Monarchs, Connie enjoys shopping at the mall. Wait, did you know that she was involved in the 1984 Olympics?

	Christopher Kelly Chris, Head Coach at Agoura Hills, has been coaching gymnastics for over 18 years; he has coached numerous State, Regional, and National Champions in addition to his Elite Level coaching experience. He is a former Southern California TOPS Director for USAG, 2 time Coach of the Year in Washington State, and Region I & II clinician. Chris takes great pride in his gymnasts, always encouraging them to try their best and maximize their potential for success in addition to learning respect, goal setting, assertiveness, and teamwork. He believes coaches play a vital role in the development of young gymnasts and therefore strives to help them learn new skills through proper progressions and a positive attitude. In his spare time Chris likes to spend time with his wife and two sons.

	Toni Taubman Toni grew up in West Los Angeles. She received a B.A. from UCLA and a Master’s Degree from Loyola Marymount University in Psychology. Initially, she was a behavior specialist for Developmentally Disabled children. Now, she enjoys managing the office at Monarchs. She is heavily involved in musical theater, loves seeing movies and is a huge fan of the Coffee Bean. Her two wonderful girls, Tiffany, a UCLA graduate and Whitney, currently at UC, Irvine, both started as toddlers with Coach Connie and were competitive gymnasts at Monarchs for many years as well!

	Phil Gonzales Phil Gonzales, whose extensive cheerleading career has included teaching gymnastics, tumbling and cheerleading to Hillcrest Christian School, Newbury Park High School, Moorpark Packer Competition Cheer Team and Moorpark High School. Now he has come full circle and is calling Monarchs Competition Cheer home once again, Phil was one of the original staff members at Monarchs when we opened in 1977.

	Sarah Berson Sarah Berson who was born and raised in Woodland Hills, CA, has been a part of the Monarchs Family since the age of 10 and a student of Yelena Urusova since the age of seven. Sarah was a level 10 gymnast and a level 8 regional floor champion. She has been coaching since 2002 and is currently the assistant head coach at Newbury Park, coaching kinder, recreational, developmental / pre-team and team. Sarah loves gymnastics and enjoys passing down her passion and knowledge of the sport to younger generations, she is a great role model and loves to see her kids succeed. She is Safety Certified and a Professional Member of the USAG. Sarah enjoys going to the beach, wakeboarding, jet skiing, working out, playing with her dog Cooper and shopping at Nordstrom.

	Sergei Batov Sergei was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, where he attended the prestigious Sports Training Academy and was a part of the Men’s National Gymnastics Youth Team. After his move to the United States in the mid-nineties Sergei began working as a gymnastics coach at a gym in New York. In 2008, his move to the West Coast allowed him the opportunity to join Monarchs as the Head Coach of our Boys Team while simultaneously working with our Girls Team. On those rare days off, Sergei enjoys spending time with his wife, either listening to jazz or going to the theater. Did you know that Sergei was in the circus? It’s true, he was!

	Tracy Hite Tracy, originally from Gilbert, AZ and a level 10 gymnast moved to San Jose, CA to attend SJSU as a Psychology major on a gymnastics scholarship. Soon after, she began coaching all levels and disciplines of gymnastics, from kinder to recreational as well as team and choreography. Tracy is a wonderful asset to both our team coaching staff and recreational program. Her ability to develop relationships with kids, watching them grow stronger and achieve new skills is a key factor in what makes her a great coach. She is Safety Certified. In her spare time Tracy enjoys running, yoga, working out, water sports and shopping at Sports Chalet. If you catch her at the gym ask her about her dancing and stunting skills – she’s performed at the Hollywood Bowl, Disney Concert Hall and Half Time Super Bowl!!!

	Coach Nadia Coach Nadia originally from the Ukraine loves teaching gymnastics to students of all ages and skill levels. She can be found coaching gymnasts as young as kinder, ranging from ages 18 months to 5 years, or as advanced as our green skill level. When not coaching, Nadia loves the ballet, decorating her apartment, going to movies, and reading books. Besides gymnastics, Nadia is an avid swimmer and used to do track and field. Her favorite shopping spot is the Monarchs gym shop where she is known for scooping up the latest in Monarchs apparel for women.

	Drew Fouarge Drew also a native of Oxnard, CA is competitive cheerleader and tumbler for California All Stars, a sport he fell into his junior year of high school. At Monarchs since 2006, Drew who is USAG Safety Certified, coaches all levels of tumbling from Basic to Velocity as well as Boys classes and Parkour/ Free Running. Drew says he loves “the friendship bond that I make with my students and others at the gym and seeing them improve.” You can find him at Monarchs on most Friday nights during our Parents Night Out program where his energy and enthusiasm is sure to make all the kids have a time they will never forget. When not coaching or competing he practices Parkour, writes and plays music, and hangs out with his friends. You might not have known that Drew went to the Jr. Olympics in Rollerhockey and on a world ranked cheer team! WOW!

	Jesse La Flair Jesse grew up in New York City, where he received is BFA in sculpture at SUNY New Paltz. Going on to have international art shows He then came out to California to pursue his work in Stunting and Parkour. He began doing Parkour 6 years ago and has since begun coaching and competing. Jesse enjoys watching his students surprise themselves by the progress they make. When he is not coaching, you can find Jesse working as a stuntman and working to perfect his art.

	Sergei Dmitriev Sergei Dmitriev, originally from Minsk Belarus, studied at the University of Minnesota and majored in Biology, Society and Environment. He began gymnastics in Moscow at the age of 8 and went on to compete at the University of Minnesota, Big Ten Championship, and VISA Championship, he is also a four time NCAA competitor. His coaching career began in 2003 where his love of interacting with kids and watching them grow into gymnasts has brought him here to Monarchs. He enjoys spending time with family and friends and was also the recipient of the good citizen’s award!

	Beckie McDougall Beckie, the always cheerful co-office manager at Newbury Park, was born in Blythe, CA, and attended Vanguard University with an emphasis in Medical, Nursing, and Education. She is CPR and First Aid Certified. Her daughter Amber, a member of the Monarchs Team, is the reason Beckie joined the Monarchs family. Beckie enjoys being around and interacting with children and meeting so many new and interesting people that come into our gym. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with family and friends. Although she doesn’t like to shop, she won’t turn down a gift of M&M’s. In case you didn’t know, Beckie was a Ballet Dancer, on point, for 13 years, and she ran the LA Marathon! Go Beckie!

	Darcy Gale Darcy grew up in Thousand Oaks, and got her gymnastics start right here at Monarchs when she was six years old. She was also a competitive gymnast for the original Monarchs Team before turning her attention to coaching gymnastics. Darcy graduated from CSU Northridge with a degree in Accounting and today runs her own business in addition to coaching recreational classes as well as Level 4 at Monarchs Newbury Park. She loves “helping kids develop potential and confidence they did not they had.” Darcy is Safety Certified and a Professional Member of the USAG. In her free time, Darcy enjoys cooking, working out, and watching her two daughters Alyssa and Corinne, both Elite Level gymnasts at Monarchs, compete.

	Crystal Riggs Crystal grew up in Newbury Park, CA and is currently attending Pierce College for American Sign Language. She began cheerleading at the age of four and is still a competitive cheerleader with West Coast All Stars. Crystal began coaching cheer at 15 and currently coaches kinder, recreational, cheer, and tumbling classes at Monarchs. She says that she loves “watching the improvement of my students and knowing that I helped them to achieve their goals.” She spends her free time with family and friends and loves going to the beach in the summer. Crystal is part Osage Native American and has gone to Pow Wow and even competed in fancy shawl dancing. Her favorite shopping spots include Nordstrom’s Rack, Forever 21, and Metropark.

	Britton Bickle Britton, a native of Oxnard, CA, graduated from California Lutheran University in 2007 with a B.S. in Exercise Science Sports Medicine. She started gymnastics at the age of seven, and was a competitive gymnast for World Stars and Blakes Gymnastics. Britton started coaching at the age of 15 and currently coaches kinder, recreational, and tumbling classes. She is USASF Tumbling Certified as well as First Aid and CPR Certified (Infant- Adult). Her favorite part about being a coach is that it is a very rewarding job, and she likes teaching children to learn new skills as well as respect, trust, and discipline. In her spare time she cheers competitively for PACE Phoenix All-Stars, and loves going to the beach. In 2008 she was on the World Champion girl’s team. Britton’s favorite places to shop are Target, The Oaks, and JambaJuice.

	Mary Clayton Mary Clayton, a Grand Junction, CO native, started gymnastics at the age of five. Her coaching career began in 2006, and she is currently pursuing an International Studies and Multemedia Design degree at Pepperdine University. Last year, she studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina! She currently coaches kinder and recreational classes here at Monarchs. Her favorite part of coaching is watching gymnasts grow and experience the excitement of learning new skills. In her spare time, Mary enjoys doing art and photography, going to the beach, shopping at Maurices, and gazing at the stars.

	Colin Irwin Colin likes to keep close to home; he was raised in Northridge, CA and is currently going to CSUN, studying aerospace engineering. Colin enhances his gymnastics background by being a competitive diver. He started coaching gymnastics at Monarchs in 2008 where he coaches boys and extreme sports classes. His favorite part about being a coach is seeing students have fun and develop new skills. In Colin’s spare time he enjoys going to the beach, diving, tumbling, and hanging out with friends. He has played water polo in High School and loves to shop at Pac Sun.

	Carson Bickel Coach Carson grew up in Oxnard California and graduated from Rio Mesa High School. She started in gymnastics and made the transition to competitive cheer and dance. She started coaching in 2010 and currently coaches kinder, recreational and tumbling classes. Her favorite part about coaching is seeing the kids grow and learn. Carson is certified in CA Child Care First Aid, Standard First Aid, CPR, and Mass Care Overview. An interesting fact about Carson is she was in Girl Scouts for ten years and loves the outdoors. Carson’s love of books is what takes her to Barnes & Noble on many shopping expeditions.

	Andy Smith Andy comes from Bakersfield, but can be traced back to his competitive days at Gold Coast in Ventura, starting at 8 years old. He began coaching in 2007 and is now our Recreational Program Director. Why does he coach? “Cause its fun…. Do I need a better reason?” Currently attending Ventura College and majoring in dance, he spends all of his time training, choreographing and just enjoying all styles of dance. Any spare time he gets he spends in the air practicing silk trapeze, with dreams of one day being an artistic director for Cirque du Soleil.

	Amanda Spencer Amanda Spencer was born and raised in Oak Park, CA. A Monarchs National Gymnastics Training Center Level 9 Competitive Gymnast and student of Yelena Urusova for many years, she began her gymnastics training at the tender age of five. She began coaching at Monarchs in 2001 working with Kinder, Tumbling, and Recreational Classes. Amanda loves working with kids and enjoys passing on her passion and knowledge of gymnastics onto them. She is USAG certified and knowledgeable in pre-school developmental ages. Amanda’s passion for health and fitness has parlayed into her own personal training business. She enjoys hiking on the beach and shopping in Santa Barbara.

	Anat Phil-Golan Anat was born in Jerusalem, Israel and attended University in Tel-Aviv. She embarked on her gymnastics career at the ripe old age of 4yrs and has continued to be a part of this great sport ever since. At Monarchs she can be found coaching Kinder Gymnastics and watching the little ones grow and develop as young athletes. She is a certified Paramedic and Black Smith – how cool? She enjoys Deep Sea Fishing, Riding Horses, and Bicycling. Being a parent, her favorite place to shop is Costco!

	Jordan Paladino Coach Jordan is a senior at Newbury Park High School with an interest in Biology, while he was not a competitive gymnast growing up; he has been a member of Monarchs since he was two. He coaches tumbling and boys classes and his favorite part of coaching is being able to watch his kids improve and learn new skills. Along with gymnastics Jordan loves sports and is on his high school's golf team. When not coaching gymnastics or partaking in his other favorite sports - you can find Jordan at Urban Outfitters.

	Dawn Jordan Dawn was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and began gymnastics at age 9 at Desert Heat Gymnastics and the UCSB Spirals. She began coaching gymnastics in High School and can be found coaching our kinder gymnasts as well as our more advanced Purple, Pink, Blue skill level gymnasts. She says that she doesn’t have a favorite part of coaching because she loves it all! In her spare time, Dawn enjoys singing, songwriting, dance, playing the guitar, working out, going to the beach and playing sports. When you see her in the gym ask her to sing you a song as she is currently in a girl group which is recording their first album. Her favorite places to shop are Target and Forever 21.

	Erica Dodd Erica Dodd, formerly a Moorpark High School Cheerleader and 3 year Team Captain. Erica’s excellence in performance and her passion for the sport earned her the title of MVP and Cheerleader of the Year. Her dedication and hard work lead her to be recruited by both JAMZ and UCA. Erica has been a competitive cheer coach for the past 7 years, most notably with Moorpark Packer Competition Cheer Team and the Moorpark High School Cheer Team, with her extensive knowledge of dance and choreography she has helped her teams produce several National Titles.

	Sarah Lopez-Krieger Sarah, a native of Camarillo, attends Pierce College and is majoring in Psychology. She began gymnastics as a tot and started coaching in January of 2007. Her athletic background includes Baton and Soccer. At Monarchs, she coaches Kinder and beginning recreational classes as well as working in the office. She loves “interacting and helping children achieve their goals.” When she is not at school or working, Sarah enjoys wakeboarding and spending time with friends and family. She can be found shopping at Nordstrom and Target.

	Whitney Hillis Whitney Hillis a Tacoma, Washington native and a current Cal Lutheran University, Accounting Major; Whiney began her gymnastics career at Five years old and coaching in 2005. She is formerly a member of an acrobatics touring troop that took her to three different countries on a unicycle. She takes great pride and joy in sharing her love of living a healthy lifestyle and enjoys the gifts that fitness brings to her life and yours. She is C.P.R and First Aid Certified. Whitney enjoys working out and watching sports and shopping at the Nike outlet. She is currently instructing the Monarchs Fitness Program.

	Maggie Lane Maggie grew up in Columbus, Ohio but came out here to attend Pepperdine University to major in Music and Spanish. She has been doing gymnastics since she was 6, competing for Buckeye gymnastics in Ohio and has spent the last few years coaching diving. Although her favorite classes are kinder, she coaches up to our girls level Green. When asked why she coaches she responds “I love inspiring the kids and watching them understand, learn and grow”. In her spare time she enjoys singing opera and doing yoga (she’s even working on her yoga instructor certification).

	Jen Basch Jen, who is currently attending University of Arizona, began coaching at Monarchs last summer. She will be coaching our Summer Camp, Pink and Kinder classes. She loves spending her time with the kids and seeing them have a good time.

	Tori Morris Tori came to us from Redlands to attend Cal Lutheran University for Film production. Being a gymnast since she was 3, it was only a matter of time before she became a coach. She loves coaching kinder and wants to be able to share her love of gymnastics with every child she comes into contact with. Her time outside of the gym is spent either cheering for CLU, at the beach, or shopping at her favorite store Forever 21.

	Anthony Valentino Anthony was raised in Oak Park, CA and is currently a junior at Oak Park High School. He became involved with gymnastics in 2007 and has recently begun coaching boy’s recreational classes, open gym and Parents Night Out. His goal as a coach is to “help kids build character and learn discipline”. Outside of the gym, Anthony enjoys riding bikes, hanging out with friends and participating in the increasingly popular sport of Parkour. Anthony’s favorite shopping spots are Rocket Fizz and Zumiez.

	Meredith Long Meredith was born in Merced, California and attends Cal State University of Northridge as a business management major. Meredith is a wonderful part of our office staff and started gymnastics at the age of five. Her favorite part about working in the office is getting to know all of the awesome parents and kids that are a part of the Monarchs family. When not in the office you can find Meredith at the beach, hanging out with friends and family, or at her favorite store, forever 21.

	Jennifer Gilbert Jenni Gilbert was born and raised in San Diego, CA. She graduated from San Diego State University where she received a degree in Television, Film and News Media. She started gymnastics at age six and shortly after began competing with Aztec Gymnastics. She enjoyed the sport so much she decided to start coaching at age 16. Jenni’s favorite part of coaching is “seeing the smiles on children’s faces when they achieve a new skill that they have worked hard at.” When she is not coaching you can find her shopping at Macys or catching waves at the beach!

	Lisa Lugo Lisa Lugo is from Ventura, CA. She currently attends Ventura College and is majoring in Abnormal Psychology and Journalism. She started gymnastics at age 11 and began assistant coaching two years later. She loves working with kids and is one of our skilled instructors. She enjoys hiking, playing video games, shopping at target, and being around her friends. One very interesting thing about Lisa is she has a pet possum named Rascal (how cool!).

	Sara Veliz Sara started gymnastics at age 4 and began coaching here at Monarchs at 16 years old. She is currently attending UC Berkely and coaches our camps during holiday seasons. Whether she is playing sports, hiking, or traveling, Sara loves being outdoors.

	Kairtly Levesque Kaitlyn who is from Newbury Park, will be coaching camp with us this Summer. She is excited to “work with the kids and watch them try new things.” She enjoys being active and going to the beach with her friends. Kaitlyn will begin college at the University of Pennsylvania next fall!

	Sarah McDougall Sarah has been with the Monarchs family since 2005. She is looking forward to “having fun with the kids and playing games with them this summer.” Sarah enjoys hanging out with her friends, playing with her dog, and shopping!

	Annalee Mueller Annalee started gymnastics at Monarchs when she was just 2 years old! She grew to be a Level 8 gymnast and is now coaching our Summer Camps. Annalee says she “loves coaching and sharing the love of gymnastics with younger kids who are just starting the sport.” When she is not coaching, you can find her at the movies or shopping at her favorite store, Forever 21.

	Mark Thomas McCullick Mark, from Atwater, CA, is one of our few coaches that did not start out as a gymnast, but was involved in many a sport while growing up including Soccer, Football, Basketball, and Swimming. He is an excellent addition to our office staff and can be found coaching some of our incredible programs such as Camp, Parents Night Out and Xtreme classes. Mark is CPR and first aid certified. He loves coaching because “the interaction with the kids, getting to see their character being built from a very young age is pretty incredible”. In the little spare time he gets he mostly relaxes, plays sports, or shops at PacSun and Armani Exchange. Oh and guess what?! He received his Jump Wing through the USAF!

	Kyra Williams Kyra was born in Thousand Oaks and started gymnastics at the young age of 3 and went on to be a competitive gymnast here at Monarchs. She just recently re-joined our family, this time, to be a part of our fabulous Summer Camp staff. The thing that Kyra enjoys most about working in camp is “being with the kids and helping them with gymnastics”. In her spare time, Kyra loves to go to the beach, hang out with friends, and work out. You can find her at the Outlet Malls scooping up all the latest trends.

	Alexis Crippen Alexis, born in Thousand Oaks, got her gymnastics start at age 7. She has continued to use her gymnastics background for the past eight years as a cheerleader. When not cheering for Agoura High School or coaching at Monarchs, Alexis can be found hanging out with family and friends or shopping at the Thousand Oaks Mall.