All staff at Sterling Academy of Gymnastics are checked against CORI & SORI prior to employment, for your safety. Staff members are also professional members of USA Gymnastics, through which a national background check is performed regularly. In addition, Sterling Gym maintains Safety Certifications and staff members receive annual training in American Red Cross First Aid and CPR. |
Gymnastics Staff Dance Staff Martial Arts Staff Customer Service Staff |
John and Nancy Carbone, Owners On November 16, 1992, Sterling Academy of Gymnastics opened its doors with one set of bars, one beam, and 100 students enrolled. John and Nancy, business owners and managers of a small construction company for 25 years, began Sterling Academy with high hopes and dreams. Nancy has been involved in gymnastics since 1978 when her children took up the sport. Her son Matthew competed at a local club and at Sterling Gymnastics and finally at Syracuse University until 1997. During this time, Nancy had been part of the parent's organization for gymnastics. John and Nancy's role as owners is not the typical one. John, licensed in construction for 25 years, takes on any project handed to him. You will find him plowing the parking lot, working the counter, or building a 12,000 sq ft addition. John is the silent partner, the Jack of all Trades, and the one who works his butt off to get things done. Nancy's role as owner, bookkeeper, business manager and class instructor is a tough one to balance. But like John, Nancy also does the dirty work. She wouldn't think twice about cleaning the bathroom, emptying the trash or cleaning up what other people have left behind. Today, Sterling Academy has expanded to Dance, Martial Arts, Rock Climbing, Cheering, Fitness, Summer Camp, Cartwheels Cafe, and so much more. The gym has grown by 12,000 feet including a new Pre-school gym. To say the least, Nancy and John put everything they have into Sterling Academy. You can usually find them at the gym in the morning, noon, and night, not to mention weekends and special events. They have made the gym, not only bigger and better, but because of their skills and perseverance, they have given thousands of children the opportunity to become stronger, more confident and hopefully fulfill their dreams too. Nancy: 1. USA Gymnastics Safety Certified 2. First Aid and CPR Certified 3. USA Gymnastics Meet Director Certified 4. USA Gymnastics Professional Member |
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Bob Donahue Boys' Team Director | Class Instructor | Pre-school Instructor Bob has been with Sterling Academy of Gymnastics since 1993 and currently runs our Boy's Team Program and served as the USA Gymnastics State Director from 1990 to 2000. Bob competed for the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and graduated with a degree in Physical Education in 1981. Bob worked at the United States Gymnastics Training Center here in New England until 1992 and also served as the Boy's Program Director. Bob is an avid athlete and continues to instill the importance of perseverance and hard work in his students. 1. B.S. in Physical Education 2. USA Gymnastics Boys Program, State Director (1990-2000) 3. USA Gymnastics Safety Certified 4. First Aid and CPR Certified 5. USA Gymnastics Professional Member |
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Michelle Carbone Girls' Compulsory Team Director | Class Instructor | Uniform Coordinator Michelle has been coaching gymnastics since 1993 and joined the Sterling Gym team in 2007. She also joined the Carbone family in 2007 upon marrying Matt! Michelle has a passion for gymnastics that is difficult to match. She constantly works to improve her knowledge of the sport, and strives to bring the best instruction to all her students. Michelle provides solid foundations for gymnasts to grow upon year after year. 1. CPR & First Aid Certified 2. USA Gymnastics Professional Member 3. USA Gymnastics Safety Certified |
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Jay Lewenczuk Recreational Program & Summer Camp Director | Class Instructor Pre-school Instructor | Facilities Manager Every kid's favorite coach - Jay is very popular at Sterling Gym. He also wears many hats with us, including Summer Camp Director, Recreational Program Director, Class and Swimming Instructor. In addition, you may have seen him wearing a bright green blazer at our Let's Make A Deal gymnastics meet! Jay is a graduate from Springfield College, with a B.S. in Business Management. He also did graduate work towards a Masters degree in Education. After graduating from college Jay was the Head Coach for the Men's Gymnastics team at Springfield College and Assistant Coach at James Madison University. 1. B.S. in Business Management 2. Certified Swimming Instructor and Lifeguard 3. CPR & First Aid Certified |
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Teomi Cole Pre-school Director Teomi has been with Sterling Academy of Gymnastics since 1994 and is one of our primary Pre-School Instructors. She has trained at Becker College for Developmental Child Psychology as well as completing the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting or S.T.E.P. Program levels 1 and 2. Teomi also completed the USA Gymnastics Kinder Accreditation Program in 1997, which is a National Training Program set up to train Pre-School gymnastics instructors. 1. USA Gymnastics Safety Certified 2. First Aid and CPR Certified 3. USA Gymnastics Professional Developmental Program - Level 1 4. USA Gymnastics Kinder Accreditation Program (Pre-School) 5. USA Gymnastics Professional Member |
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Janice Staruk PREP Team Director | Class Instructor Janice has been in the world of gymnastics for over 20 years now, having done everything from being a USGF competitor to a USAG Team coach. She holds a B.S. in child psychology and is a proud mother of 3 little ones. Janice's most recent experience has been with the USA PREP Opt Team program in Massachusetts, and is very excited to now be a part of Sterling's Team program. 1. B.S. in Child Behavioral Psychology 2. USA Professional Member 3. First Aid and CPR Certified 4. USAG Safety Certified |
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Liz Gonzalez Boys' Team Coach | Class Instructor Liz has been a part of the Sterling Gym family since 1993, and has worn many hats over the years. She attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, graduating with a B.S. in Physical Education, before going on to teach at the United States Gymnastics Training Center until 1992. Liz is a great asset to our gymnastics program. 1. B.S. in Physical Education 2. USA Professional Member 3. First Aid and CPR Certified 4. USA Gymnastics Safety Certified 5. USA Gymnastics Professional Development Program - Level 1 6. USA Gymnastics Skill Evaluator 7. USA Gymnastics Kinder Accreditation Certified (Pre-school) |
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Kelly Tonole Class Instructor | Silks Instructor Kelly is married with 3 children, Sam, Jessica, and Lily. She is a former competitive gymnast and diver and currently runs the Dolphin Divers program. Kelly has coached divers to the national level and worked as a volunteer in the 1995 World Cup and 1996 Olympic Games. 1. BS from Salem State College in Sports/Fitness/Leisure with a concentration in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine and a minor in Biology. 2. Appointed "Program Coordinator" by Ron O'Brien, National Technical Director of diving in 1996 for the U.S.D. Future Champions Program - a Talent Identification program for potential elite divers. |
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Laura Wisler Girls' Compulsory Team Director | Class Instructor | Pre-School Instructor Laura joined Sterling Gym in 2008 with a powerful background in gymnastics and dance. She graduated from Springfield College in 2003 with a double major in Movement and Sports Studies and Dance. She has been coaching and teaching dance of all ages and levels for over 10 years. In addition to coaching, Laura enjoys music, yoga, walking and spending time with family and friends. Laura currently coaches the advanced training girls and Level 1&2 pre-team groups. In addition, she develops the dance program for our girls' gymnastics teams, and assists with compulsory choreography. Laura is a great all around coach and is loved by all her students. 1. USAG Safety Certification 2. USA Gymnastics Professional Member 3. Red Cross First Aid and CPR Certified |
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Tim Lauring Boys' Team Coach Tim joined Sterling Gym in 2008 as one of our Boys' Team coaches. Tim grew up in a gym training almost everyday, and ultimately competed for the University of Michigan. His enthusiasm for the sport is evident in his approach to training our JO Boys' Team. Tim is also an avid volleyball player! "Hey Tim, are you really doing that iron cross?" |
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Matt Carbone Girls' Team Coach | Class Instructor | IT Manager Matt has been involved in gymnastics nearly his entire life. Starting at a young age, he competed through high school, and ultimately competed for Syracuse University on the Pommel Horse. Upon graduating, he started a 14 year international adventure where he worked in communications, product development, systems research, and DoD work. Now back to his roots in gymnastics, Matt is the girls' team coach for levels 6-10, as well as the webmaster for this site and IT manager. He also maintains a "night job" working in product manufacturing, sign carving and photography. If you look around the gym, you might notice some of his work hanging on the walls. 1. Bachelors of Industrial Design from Syracuse University 2. USA Gymnastics Safety Certification 3. USA Gymnastics Professional Member 4. US Elite Coaches Association Member 5. Red Cross First Aid and CPR Certified |
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Larry Richard Girls' PREP Opt Coach | Class Instructor Larry has been involved in gymnastics since 1999 as a class instructor and since 2001 as a team coach. Larry has been with Sterling Gym since 2008. He is a graduate of Fitchburg State College with a B.S. in Physical Education and a graduate of Newbury College with an Associates Degree as a Physical Therapists Assistant. Larry loves coaching gymnastics, and always has a lot of fun with his classes. 1. USA Gymnastics Professional Member 2. USA Gymnastics Safety Certified 3. First Aid & CPR Certified |
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Allie Lynch Class Instructor | Girls' Team Coach Allie is a junior at Fitchburg State college majoring in Special Education. She has participated in gymnastics since the age of three, competed for seven years and coached for the past six years. Allie is currently helping to build a strong Team program! 1. American Red Cross CPR and First Aid Certified 2. USA Gymnastics Professional Development Program- level 1 |
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Andy Malaby Boys' Team Coach Andy joined the Sterling staff in 2006. Originally from RI, he competed for Ocean State School of Gymnastics and went on to compete for Springfield College, graduating in '06 with a degree in Sports Biology. He currently is doing graduate work in biochemistry at UMass Medical School. His other hobbies include playing piano, reading, and working out. 1. B.S. Sports Biology 2. USAG safety certified 3. USAG Pro member 4. New England and National Gymnastics Judging Associations member |
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Ms. Maria Vazquez Director of Dance Programs Maria has been dancing since the second grade and although she has been trained in many different genres of dance, her passion is for Hip Hop. She will be teaching several classes this year and coordinating all of the extra dance activities and events. She has worked previously at the Worcester County Sheriff's Office, Shriver Job Corps as the leadership coordinator and at the LUK Crisis Center with clients from the ages of 2-20. Her prior work experience has given her the opportunity to develop her people skills, organizational skills, and to sharpen her creativity. While attending Fitchburg State College, where she received two BAs in Criminal Justice and Sociology, she also began teaching dance classes as a member of their dance club and at Tami's Dance Connection. She has been teaching here since 2002 and is a proud mother of a future dancer! She is a ball of energy and excited to be doing what she loves to do. 1. BA in Criminal Justice and Sociology 2. First Aid & CPR Certified |
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Meaghan Garrahan Dance Instructor Meaghan Garrahan is our newest dance instructor and she is very excited to be working at Sterling Academy of Dance. She is a former Boston Celtics dancer and brings great enthusiasm to her classes. Please welcome Meaghan to Sterling! |
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Mr. Danny Guzman Dance Instructor Mr. Danny was introduced to dancing and music from birth. He comes from a family that plays instruments and values these arts as part of their culture. He was introduced to breaking dancing (aka b-boying) since 1998 and has been an enthusiastic dancer and competitor ever since. He has recently won the 1st place title at "The Breaks", New York's biggest and toughest break dancing competition. He has taught several workshops and has helped out with summer programs in Fitchburg and Leominster. Mr. Danny's positive attitude and passion for this specific art of hip-hop dance is clear when you see him perform or teach. We are very excited to welcome Danny to our team and are sure that he will be an wonderful addition to our team. |
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Kremi Ivanov
Kremi came to the United States from Bulgaria in 1996. She has been involved with gymnastics from a young age and when she married Ivan Ivanov, she also married the sport of gymnastics. Kremi graduated in 1995 from an Industrial Chemistry School in Bulgaria. When she first came to the US, she stayed in Oklahoma and spent much her time at Bart Connor's Gymnastics. Kremi came to New England in 1997 and began working at Sterling Academy in 2000. Be sure to say "zdravei" to Kremi next time you see her! (Zdravei is Bulgarian for "hello"!) |