Our Staff

Meet Our Professionals

Stephanie Dowling: When I was 5, I saw a gymnastics demonstration at the mall. Kids were running, jumping, flipping, walking on their hands - to this day, I’ve never asked my mother for something so desperately. “PLEASE, mommy, PLEASE can I go?” That was the beginning.

I trained at Kennett School of Gymnastics in Goshen, NY until I was sixteen years old. Choosing a social life over the rigors of becoming a seriously competitive gymnast, I needed a job so I could buy cool clothes and go to the movies with my friends.

So I did what I knew how to do - I taught gymnastics. My coach and my mom pointed out to me that I had a gift for teaching right from the start. I guess that was because I loved it so much. No matter where I was in my life, or in the country, I taught gymnastics to support myself.

Ten years later, I landed at Chelsea Piers. I loved that place. I came to appreciate the intense value of teaching the sport to babies and wanted more responsibility and more say in the process of creating a curriculum for them.

That’s when the Eastern Athletic Club in Brooklyn tracked me down and asked me to come and direct their gymnastics program. I was thrilled, and again, learned very valuable lessons about the value of quality care and instruction for very young children.

I opened Gym Kids in November of 1999. We started out at The Soundings, in Battery Park City.  After a brief hiatus from 2003 - 2005 (found my husband, made a baby :) we re-opened and soon added our second location in the West Village, NYC. Once we were able to find a home for our school in West Chester, PA, we gleefully changed our name to "ABC Gym Kids".

This is my heart and soul work. I have always thrown my whole self in. I have always gotten more in return from the looks on children’s faces when they have accomplished something they didn’t think they could do. What I set out to do in every class, with every child, is to see that look.

 

Joanna Galvin: At the glorious age of 4, my mother sent me to ballet classes. It soon became clear that my rambunctious spirit required more bouncing, so she enrolled me in gymnastics classes.

I quickly fell in love with the sport. When it became time to take my interest in the sport to a competitive level, I joined the team at Polly's Gymnastics in Stratford, Connecticut. It was there that I learned how to practice the sport safely and with heart.

Throughout the years, my life was consumed with gymnastics. I was either practicing at the gym, pretending to be a gymnastics coach with friends to invisible students, or watching my favorite gymnasts on the television.

After graduating college it took a year for me to get the light bulb that teaching gymnastics was what I wanted to do. I wanted a career that would bring out my best talents and allow me to share my joy. So, I went back to my first love - gymnastics.

Taking that leap of faith has been one of my best decisions. Since then I've loved every moment of my work. Seeing children develop emotionally and physically
will forever amaze me. The intelligence of these little balls of energy is unparalleled and I am honored that they trust me to help guide them.

I am so excited to be apart of Gym Kids! Stephanie truly walks the talk when it comes to providing a positive space for children to thrive and grow. I have already learned so much from her and am proud to be apart of this program.

Now let's tumble!!

 

Angie Blocher: I remember being in my backyard in suburban Maryland when my mom first taught me how to do a cartwheel. I was amazed watching her legs spin through the air over her head.  I think at that young age of about 6, I knew that I was going to not only learn how to master that cartwheel, but I was then going to teach my younger siblings and the rest of the kids in my neighborhood how to do that cartwheel!

I began taking classes at Harford Gymnastics in Bel Air, MD throughout elementary school and into middle school.  My favorite memories are of attending the summer gymnastics camp with my sister, where we spend ALL day doing gymnastics and we even got to perform a show for our parents.  It wasn’t long before my dad was installing a make shift balance beam in our basement and I had 4 or 5 girls over to create a gymnastics spectacular!

Although I chose not to compete professionally in the gymnastics world, it has always stayed in my life in one was or another.  I chose to major in Music Theatre in College, and I became the gymnastics go-to girl.  Back-walk-overs across the stage during the  Music Man, Cartwheels during Anything Goes, gymnastics really helped me find my niche in my life as an actress as well.

I have always enjoyed teaching and have found myself drawn back to working with children again and again.  I am so excited to have this opportunity to teach at Gym Kids, where I can combine my skills for teaching with the love that I have for gymnastics.

Gym Kids is truly an amazing opportunity for young children to not only develop mentally and physically but to also learn Real Gymnastics.  I am honored to be a part of the team.

 

EMILY BURGESS SUBSTITUTE INSTRUCTOR Safety Certified by USA Gymnastics

ALISSA CHICKELES SUBSTITUTE INSTRUCTOR Safety Certified by USA Gymnastics

 

 

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