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Head Gymnastics Staff
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| Chery Bessette - Owner and Director, has directed and taught gymnastics since 1982. Has experienced nine years of the sport (4 years of competing). Is a professional member and is safety certified by the U.S. Gymnastics Federation since 1990 and has been certified in CPR and First Aid for many years and was previously an emergency medical technician. Was program director for a gym club in Louisiana for 3 years. She was head coach of the Kenston High School Gymnastics Team for 4 years. Was director/ coordinator from 1986-2001 for Auburn/ Bainbridge Recreation gymnastics program. Was head coach for the Geauga Y.M.C.A. Gymnastics Team from 1989-2006, producing many individual champions in levels 5, 6, 7, and 8 also Northeast Ohio Y.M.C.A. District Team Champions in 2003 and 2006. Was program director at a successful local gym center for the last 19 years. Has been a volunteer naturalist for the Geauga Park District since 2005 and a storyteller of Native American Folklore. Also managed the Nature Center at the Centerville Mills Park from 2002-2005. |
| Katie Clark - Will be teaching Summer Camps and has a B.S. in Dance Education, has 10 years of gymnastics training and has been teaching gymnastics and creative dance since 1991 in the area and at Gilmore Elementary since 2005. She was Dance Program Director in North Carolina for three years, and is certified in CPR. |
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Emilee Clark - Has been involved in gymnastics for 16 years. She competed for 10 years ending in level 8 and received varsity letter for West Geauga High School for all four years. She was also named to the Chagrin Valley Times, Sun Press, and News Herald teams. Emilee has taught gymnastics and cheerleading since 2003. She was also a varsity cheerleader for West Geauga for three years and helped coach Lions Club cheerleading for 5 years. Emilee is now pursuing her degree in Early Childhood Development at Lakeland Community College. |
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Carlene Klarich-Exline - has an Associates Degree of Arts, and is certified in recreational Therapy. She has been teaching since 1996, preschool through competitive gymnastics for both boys and girls. She is certified in gymnastics safety plus First Aid and C.P.R. She has 8 years of gymnastics experience. Gymnastics has also been a big part of her life supporting and assisting her daughter’s training, who is a level 9 gymnast. Carlene has owned and operated A Garden’s Way Art Studio in Burton since 1999. She is currently teaching art classes for all ages, and directing the MC 2 Preschool Smarts Program. |
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Dave Malkus - is currently studying at John Carroll University, majoring in Early Childhood Education. He is also coaching Varsity Wrestling for Berkshire High School. Dave has been an assistant wrestling coach since 2011. He wrestled for John Carroll from 2009-2010. Dave is certified in First Aid and CPR. Some of his other experience including umpiring little league baseball since 2008 along with camp counseling. Dave was a counselor at Hiram House Camp from 2011-2012, where he worked with groups of young children. |
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Gymnastics & Cheerleading Jessica has 10 years gymnastics experience (1992-2001) with 4 years on the YMCA competitive team and 3 years on the Kenston High School team. She taught youth gymnastics through Kenston Community Education from 1999-2001. Jessica also has 5 years of cheerleading experience (1996-2001) and has one-on-one cheerleading skills with young girls. |
Special Programs Staff |
| Merlynne Hancock She has a Bachelors of Arts degree in French and Communication and Theatre Arts. She holds an Ohio State teaching license in secondary education in Integrated Language Arts and French. She has worked in Youth and Children’s theatre for over 25 years. She has choreographed Benedictine High School musicals since 1984, and served as drama director at both Ledgemont and Berkshire High Schools. For several years, she was an actor with Theatre To Go, a children’s touring repertory troupe. She has directed, choreographed and performed in shows at community theatres such as Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Geauga Lyric Theater Guild, and Aurora Community Theatre. In addition, she has written several plays for various schools, including The Geauga County History Tales (with Bari Stith, Geauga County Archivist), and two medieval dinner festivals for Junior Achievement projects. Merlynne was an instructor at Farmount Center from 1989 to 2006, working at Summer Camps, Youth Theatre Choreographer, and Kreative Kids classes. She studied dance for 11 years under Ben Fried, Noreen Londregan, and Ernst Hillenbran. |
| Art Instructors Lynn Grove - Has B.A. in Literature & Minor/ Int Elementary Education. Has taught disability awareness to school age children since 2001. In 2002 she began giving art lessons specializing in developmentally appropriate art and related science. As an artist in the private sector, Lynn currently focuses on sculpture, costuming, handmade crafts, and sanctuary art. She is CPR certified. |
| NEW Martial Arts Instructors Master James W. Ziots - Certified Sr. master (5th degree black belt) in Chon Sul Kwan while being a 1st Degree Black belt in Hapkido and 3rd Degree black belt, in Kenpo Jujitzu. Master James has been instructing different forms of martial arts since 1998. He is the Vice President of the International Tactical Hapkido Alliance overseeing 30+ Martial Arts Academies and developed the Chon Sul Kwan Combative Services System for Military Forces that is used by West Point Military Academy and USMC Marine Expeditionary Forces auxiliary training program out of Camp Lejeune NC. Alexandra Duloisy Mateo - Has a long history of martial arts experience and provides a unique women's view of the art of self-defense training. Alex is certified in Do Jo Day Care (pre martial arts). She started her martial arts training under the tutelage of her father who is a Judo Master, and has studied in Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo Jiu Jitsu. She is working toward her 1st Degree Black Belt in Chon Sul Kwan as well as being a Brown Belt in Judo and has a dedicated love of boxing. Alexandra is also a native of France and has been teaching French for over 10 years. She will share her experiences with her students. These two team up as instructors for our Women and Girls Self defense classes. They will provide you something not seen in other schools that you can take advantage of, a balanced training atmosphere. |
| Dance / Cheerleading Jaime Igoe - Hasbeen teaching cheer/dance since 2002. She has over 7 years of experience in the sport, 4 formal years and had developed an interest for the sport at a very young age. She had conducted at mini camps for young cheerleaders while in High School. Jamie has been coaching and teaching Cheer classes for us at Chery’s Gym since 2007. |
| Yoga Victoria Salvini - She is a mother of three girls, Gabriela, Daniela, and Sofia. She is a certified yoga instructor from the Ursuline Sophia Center Try For Life in 2001. She has been teaching in various centers in the area since 2002. Victoria is also certified in First Aid and CPR. |
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Chery's Gymnastics and Beyond
9943 E. Washington St., Auburn Township, Ohio 44023
(Next to “The Pond” Ice Skating Rink)
For more information or to register call: 440-708-0588
info@cherysgymnasticsandbeyond.com
