Q: What year did you join World Cup and what was your position on staff?
A: I joined World Cup in May of 1995 as an assistant coach to Karl Schrader, and I also helped out with pre-school and recreational classes as well.
Q: What gymnastics experience did you have prior to being here?
A: I started gymnastics at age 7, in 1984 and 1987 I was a Junior National Champion. I received a full gymnastics scholarship to Syracuse, where I became the 1992 NCAA Vault National Champion.
Q: What was your favorite event to compete versus your favorite event to coach?
A: I actually used to love competing on the Floor to show off my own individual style, but now I would say I love to coach high bar because of all of the high flying and daring skills performed.
Q: Tell us something random that most of us don't know about World Cup.
A: We used to have an above ground trampoline in the gym, where the parallel bars are now. It always made us so nervous. We were so relieved when we got rid of it and just stuck with the in-ground trampoline we have today.
Q: Tell us about the first time you saw John Orozco; what made him stand out?
A: The first time I saw John, he was about 7 years old. He came into the gym and did a round off followed by three back handsprings and it was by far, the most powerful tumbling in the gym ... even better than our senior gymnasts.
Q: Do you think coaching an Olympian changed World Cup?
A: I don't think that coaching John really changed us. If anything it helped with marketing and exposure. We started out focused on bringing out the best in all our athletes and that remains today.
Q: Outside of coaching John, what has been a career high point for you?
A: I would definitely say coaching my former gymnast Ron Ayello. For a large part of his career, Ron struggled, and finally in his senior season I coached him all the way to qualify for Nationals his last year of high school. It's personally one of my biggest accomplishments because it's easy to coach a talented gymnast. It's much harder to coach one without innate natural talent.
Q: And what would you say was a coaching low point?
A: One hundred percent, it was at my last meet coaching John. We were at US Championships, John was in 3rd Place and on his last event, the vault.
I coached John to 3 national championships prior to this and he was finally about to qualify for the Senior National Team for the first time. He did his vault and tore his achilles, and it was just absolutely devastating.
Q: What is a message that you like to spread at World Cup?
A: I want everyone to take pride in what we do. What we do is more than just a job, we're role models for young children and young adults and we help them see how they can be successful and show them how to feel good about themselves. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I like to believe that when you love what you do, it's not really working. For me, this is so much more than just a job.
school? Come on over to World Cup Gymnastics for a full or half-day of Gymnastics and Play!
