Bogi Michovsky is the Head Coach at Gymnastics Zone (Mastery of Sports) in Napa, California. Gymnastics has always been a part of Bogi's life and he is passionate about the sport. He believes it has multiple benefits for children of all ages and levels. Bogi and his wife, Mimi have two daughters, Yonni and Titi. Under the direction of their parents both girls are accomplished gymnasts, as well as wonderful young ladies. Yonni competed for the Aggies and recently graduated from U.C. Davis, and Titi, who just graduated from high school, will be following in her sister's footsteps this fall at U.C. Davis. In this interview, Bogi tells us how strongly he feels gymnastics impacted not only his own life, but all the gymnasts he's coached throughout the years at all different levels. Bogi speaks from his heart and personal experiences and shares his coaching wisdom and perspective. Sit back and enjoy this great interview!

Greta Leach has been involved in the sport of gymnastics since she was 3 years old. She was a competitive gymnast for 15 years and is currently coaching the girls competitive team on uneven bars and vault at Redwood Empire Gymnast in Petaluma. In this interview Greta shares a bit of her personal gymnastics history and the benefits she feels she personally received from the sport. She also talks about how she got involved with coaching, her coaching style, the message she ultimately wants her girls to walk away with, and much more. So sit back and enjoy this great interview!

Deidre Baumgarten has had years of experience from many different perspectives in the world of gymnastics. She is a former competitive gymnast, a coach, a judge, and now the mother of a young competitive gymnast. She was also the office manager at a large gym. In this interview, she shares her personal gymnastics history, her approach on coaching, judging, and what it’s like for her to now watch and even sometimes have to judge her daughter at her gymnastics meets. I invite you to get to know this warm, intelligent, and amazing lady!

At the tender age of 18, Amber Myers opened her gym, Cal Star Gymnastics, in Novato, California. As well as being a mother of two children, Amber has provided a safe and happy place for hundreds of children for 20 years. I invite you to get to know this fabulous woman and read about her passion for gymnastics, her personal gymnastics story, and how her vision for Cal Star has evolved over the years.

Sarah Greenlief is a former competitive gymnast and a much loved recreational coach at Redwood Empire Gymnastics, in Petaluma. She’s also a mother of three children, ten-year-old twins, Jake and Jasmine, and six-year-old, Violet. Her two daughters currently do gymnastics, so she now has a unique perspective from the parenting side of gymnastics. In this interview, I invite you to get to know Sarah. Among other things, she shares with us the value that gymnastics has had in her life, and what she feels her young students and her daughters can learn from the sport. 

Janeen Belsardi was the head Rhythmic Gymnastics coach at Redwood Empire Gymnastics for 23 years. I recently sat down with her and was lucky enough to get this great interview. I hope you enjoy it!

For 31 years, Steve Klotz, former owner of Redwood Empire Gymnastics, provided a safe, supportive, and fun place for gymnastics students of all ages and skill levels to come learn and grow. He created a culture where the mission statement was “Quality, Success, Confidence,” for both students and staff members, which Steve explains in further detail in this interview. I was one of the fortunate people to work for Steve Klotz, and was blessed to be able to sit down with him recently to have this inspiring chat. I hope you enjoy it! 

While I was coaching at Redwood Empire Gymnastics, I had the privilege of working with Mary Jambon. I learned so much from her. Her passion for teaching gymnastics inspired me. Mary owns her own gym now in Sonoma (Sonoma Gymnastics Academy). In this interview Mary talks about how she became involved with gymnastics, how it affected her personal development, what inspired her to open her own gym, and much more.  Enjoy getting to know this dynamic and fabulous woman!

"You have to love what you’re doing. Here I am, in my late 50’s. What keeps me going? Why do I still love coaching? It’s because I enjoy that feeling of seeing kids accomplish things, and of seeing kids feel better about themselves."

"You have to have a vision of where you’re headed and then create a step that will get them closer to that. Sometimes, when you’re first learning about progressions, or when you’re first a coach, you try to take giant steps, then you find that the kids are missing a few pieces so you have to build smaller steps in between."

Many of you worked with Steve Sassone, as I did, for many years at REG. Some of you were coached by Steve or had children who were. Steve was my mentor. I was very happy when he agreed to an interview and am excited to share his wisdom, experience, and knowledge with all of you. This will be part one of a three part series. I know you'll enjoy it!

Wendy and I coached together a few years back at Redwood Empire Gymnastics in Petaluma, California. She agreed to model for me and therefore is the “real Coach Wendy” in my children’s book, Gymnastics Day with Silly Sammy. Being a competitive gymnast for 13 years and a coach since she was 16, and now the mother of a child attending gymnastics classes, Wendy has a lot of valuable insights, experiences, and wisdom to share with us from the different viewpoints of being involved with gymnastics.

Parents today have many choices for all kinds of sports activities for their children. I believe that all sports can enhance and enrich a child’s life. So what’s unique about gymnastics, then? Great question!