Meet The Team
Julia Karis
Program Director / Head Coach
Prospect Gymnastics’ team of coaches is led by our Program Director, Julia Karis. Originally from San Diego, California, she has lived in New York for the past fifteen years. She moved to New York to study Acting at Wagner College when she was 17 years old. After graduation she pursued a career in performance and did many shows in the New York Area but she always continued coaching gymnastics which is her other passion. Julia was a competitive gymnast throughout her childhood all the way through her senior year of high school and has been coaching kids for over a decade. When she moved to New York she began coaching the competitive team at the 92Y and eventually became the head coach of their Xcel Program. Julia has been with PG for the past three years and helped design and open the Bed-Stuy location. She loves coaching all levels from parent-tot to our competitive team and is so thrilled to be a part of the Prospect Gymnastics community!
Tami Rygus
Program Coordinator
Tami is originally from the west coast and moved to New York 15 years ago. She’s the mother of 3 small kids and has been working in administrative roles for most of her career. She loves being part of the Prospect Gymnastics team!
Mina Marsow
Owner
Mina Marsow is a Brooklyn-based entrepreneur. She founded Prospect Gymnastics in 2014, growing it into a beloved community hub. Mina is passionate about building confidence and resilience through movement. She also volunteers with the Hebrew Free Loan Society to support community growth. In addition to her work in gymnastics, Mina writes about identity, culture, and transformation, with pieces published in Tablet and Mount Hope magazines.
BreLynn Mellen
Cheer & Media Coordinator
Brelynn brings 10 years of coaching experience and 13 years of competitive cheerleading—shoutout to her time with the World Champion team, Woodlands Elite BlackOps! She is all about building confidence and keeping the fun alive. Whether it's nailing a new skill or just shaking off a rough day, she'll always be your child’s biggest cheerleader.
Mads Nguyen
Pre-Team & Facility Coordinator
Hi everyone! I’m Coach Mads, and I’m thrilled to be starting another year at PG as the Pre-Team and Facility Coordinator. With 8 years of coaching experience, including 6 years in USAG's Junior Olympic and Xcel Programs, I am dedicated to creating a positive environment where children build confidence, teamwork, and resilience. I also hold a Master of Arts from NYU and am currently working towards a doctorate in Occupational Therapy. I am so excited to share my love for gymnastics and help each athlete reach their personal goals. I can’t wait to see all the incredible things we’ll achieve together.
Darcy Guariglia
Gymnastics/ Parkour Coach
Darcy grew up in a small town in New Jersey. She started taking dance and gymnastics classes around the time she started walking and she continued both of them throughout her childhood. She then went on to attend the Boston Conservatory where she graduated cum laude with a B.F.A in dance. After graduation Darcy moved to New York where she has danced professionally and taught young kids dance and gymnastics. Darcy is super excited to be part of the Prospect Gymnastics team!
Nic Brown
Gymnastics Coach
Coach Nic is a multi-hyphenate artist from Winston-Salem, NC, and a graduate of the UNCSA Drama program. After graduation, he moved to BK to pursue acting, but his love for gymnastics led him to continue training and coaching. Nic competed in Men’s Gymnastics up to level 10 and has been coaching for a decade. He started with recreational and pre-team boys, then moved on to compulsory and optional levels. Currently, Nic is the head coach of the Girls Artistic Team at the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation, and he’s thrilled to also be joining the Prospect Gymnastics team. He can’t wait to share the joy of gymnastics with the community!
Jackie Carlson
Gymnastics/ Parkour Coach
Jackie Carlson has been dancing and doing gymnastics her whole life. A competitive dancer turned professional ballerina turned punk-rock pro-acrobat! Jackie went from dancing in Detroit, and also training at the Michigan Academy of Gymnastics to scholarships with Milwaukee Ballet Company, then made the move to NY to join Dance Theatre of Harlem’s ballet company. She then joined the STREB Extreme Action Dance Company, and after 16 slamming years is now a Senior Extreme Action Hero! Jackie’s been spreading her love of dance and acrobatics by teaching kids, teens and adults since she was a teenager and is excited to bring her coaching expertise to the Prospect Gymnastics team of coaches!
Tamika Charles-Sims
Gymnastics Coach
Tamika has instructed and coached gymnastics for over 30 years in Brooklyn & Manhattan. She has taught and coached competitive and recreational gymnastics at many places, such as 92nd St Y, Jodi’s Gym, NYC Elite, Chelsea Piers Brooklyn, non-profit Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation and Brooklyn Arts Exchange. Gymnastics has long been her passion and she enjoys teaching gymnastics to all ages – 10 months to adult. Along with teaching artistic gymnastics, which includes vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, she has taught many apparatus in rhythmic gymnastics as well as trampoline and tumbling. She studied and has a strong background in various types of dance-ballet, modern, jazz, tap and African. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics Education and minored in music. Over the years, Tamika has developed a teaching philosophy that anyone can learn gymnastics as long as they believe they can and are willing to work hard. She is very happy to be a part of Prospect Gymnastics!
Star Aiken
Gymnastics Coach
Hello I am Coach Star, and I’m very excited to be a part of the Prospect Gymnastics team! I am currently in college doing my Bachelors in Architecture. When I am not studying you can find me outside in the sun or exploring new places. Kids are a constant joy in my life and I love working with them! I am very excited to spread my positivity and good energy throughout prospect gymnastics!
Elliana Lynch-Daniels
Gymnastics Coach
Elliana Lynch-Daniels is a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for high school and holds a BFA in Dance from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Elliana is very excited to join the Prospect Gymnastics Team and strives to create a welcoming, safe, and fun environment for her students to grow and develop new skills.
Terrence Williams
Gymnastics Coach
Bio coming soon
Tori Wheeler
Gymnastics Coach
Coach Tori is an actor, dancer, and singer originally from Chicago, Illinois and she is thrilled to be joining the Prospect Gymnastics team! Since graduating from the University of Minnesota BFA Actor training program, Tori has been in many musicals and performs regularly with her improv team in Brooklyn. She also teaches ballet at the Tutu School in Jersey City. Tori strives to cultivate an accepting and positive class environment where all students can grow!
Jo George
Gymnastics Coach
Hello! My name is Josie, but my friends and family call me Jo. I grew up in the city of Syracuse, before moving to the Bronx and starting school at Fordham College Rose Hill. Although I was originally going to school for my masters in Social Work, I have since transferred to CUNY Hunter College to pursue my creative writing degree. I have been writing from a young age, anything from poetry to short stories to essays to songs. I enjoy playing the guitar, making music, reading and crafting in my free time, as well as hanging out with my best friend (my orange tabby cat Luffy). I began gymnastics at age 8, and moved to competitive cheerleading from 6th grade to my senior year of high school. I enjoy working with kids because my large family assigned me to babysitting duty, so I became very used to their curiosity and figuring out how to communicate uniquely according to each child’s individual needs. I currently live in Brooklyn and am so grateful to be working with Prospect Gymnastics.
Bridget Conlon
Gymnastics Coach
Bridget is a former competitive gymnast who has been coaching gymnastics for over 20 years. She has coached all ages, from infants to college gymnasts to adults and everything in between! She specializes in developing strong gymnastics basics in a safe and fun environment. Her favorite part of coaching is watching kids gain confidence and overcome their fears as they try new things and get new skills! She can't wait to show you why gymnastics is her favorite sport in the world. See you out on the floor!
Felix Hess
Parkour Coach
Felix has studied and practiced multiple disciplines of movement ranging from parkour, dance, acrobatics, stunts, circus, and Pop Action. With over 10 years of teaching and performing experience both nationally and internationally, he is comfortable working with all ages and skill levels to help anyone achieve their goals. In addition to introducing the BigCat Parkour program at Prospect Gymnastics, Felix also holds the title as Lead Parkour Coach at 92NY in Manhattan. He is very grateful to be a part of the Prospect Gymnastics community and share the opportunities movement can create to his students.
Rebecca Caplan
Gymnastics Coach
Rebecca Caplan is a Brooklyn-based gymnastics coach, judge, and performing artist. A former Level 10 and NCAA Division I gymnast, Rebecca began coaching at just 14 years old and has since worked with athletes at every level—from preschool beginners to international elites. Over the years, Rebecca has coached numerous state, regional, and national champions and was proud to lead Team Canada to a bronze medal at the 2017 Maccabi Games. In addition to coaching, she currently serves as a gymnastics judge and Head Official for collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling. Rebecca also teaches handstand workshops at CrossFit gyms and yoga studios around the country, and has courses with the Gymnastics Source on Udemy sharing her deep technical knowledge with adult athletes and movement enthusiasts of all backgrounds.
Andrew Queen
Gymnastics Coach
Andrew originally grew up in Calgary, Canada, and moved to New York 5 years ago. As a kid, he began taking classes in dance and acrobatics, which led him to study dance at NYU. Post graduation Andrew has been dancing professionally, teaching, and working in tech. He is so excited to join the Prospect Gymnastics team!
Lovelyn Hollon
Gymnastics Coach
Hello PG families, I am Lovelyn! I’m one of the new staff at Prospect Gymnastics! I recently moved to NYC in August of this year from San Diego! I was a former gymnast from ages 4 to 18 and competed at high levels in power team gymnastics for 6 of those years. I also was a cheerleader in high school and enjoyed being a flyer! When I turned 16, I started coaching gymnastics at my home gym and fell in love with the coaching side of the sport. There, I specialized in working one-on-one with kids who had different developmental needs, ranging from Down syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and Autism. It was so special getting to connect with each and every one of those kids. I got to create a space for them to play and build their balance and motor skills! I am so grateful to the PG family for welcoming me into their community and offering me the amazing opportunity to build and foster new relationships here in the city. I look forward to meeting your kiddos soon!
Skai Aiken
Gymnastics Coach
I’m Skai and I’m so excited to be part of the prospect gymnastics team! I love working with kids and seeing them grow through learning opportunities. I currently attend pace high school as an 12th grader. I’ve been dancing for about 3 years now and hope to have fun and share some insights with the little ones!
Marjorie Heard
Gymnastics Coach
Hey! My name is Marjorie, and I’ve been coaching at Prospect Gymnastics for 3 years. I go to NYC Museum School in Chelsea. I’ve lived in Brooklyn my whole life and I love teaching gymnasts new skills and helping them crush their goals!
Siobhan Leahy
Assistant Gymnastics Coach
Siobhan is currently in her senior year at Edward R. Murrow High School, and is preparing to be a psychology major in college. She used to be a student at Prospect Gymnastics, so it’s a very special place to her. Siobhan loves coaching and seeing her students succeed and the bonds she forms with them. When she’s not coaching, Siobhan is most likely reading mysteries or crafting.
Rose Jose
Assistant Gymnastics Coach
Hello! I'm Rose, I'm currently in my junior year of Edward R. Murrow High School and I love performing in musicals. I used to be a student at Prospect Gymnastics and learned a lot that I use when I am dancing in a musical at my school! Apart from coaching and theater I enjoy experimenting with art and baking different desserts. I am so excited to see students just as happy as I was and to see them apply what they learn in gymnastics in different aspects of their lives!
Assata Hargett
Assistant Gymnastics Coach
Assata is a Brooklyn girl, born and raised! She’s currently a high school senior and started gymnastics at Aviator when she was 8, competing in meets all over New York until she was 12. Before that, she was busy doing ballet and swim, so being active has always been her thing. Now she loves being on the other side as an assistant coach, helping kids feel confident and proud of themselves. She’s so excited to be a part of the Prospect Gymnastics team— the kind of place that makes learning fun and feel like a second home!
Eliza Jaentschke
Assistant Gymnastics Coach
Bio coming soon
Mya Jones
Assistant Gymnastics Coach
Hi! My name is Mya, and I am so proud to be working with you and your kids on the Prospect Gymnastics team! I was born and raised in New York City, and I am currently a senior in Brooklyn finishing my high school years to become a neonatologist. My passion has always been with kids, as I grew up the oldest of 6. My goal is to make every kid feel supported and encouraged as they grow and learn, and I am grateful that your kids get to experience this with me. Whether it is a bad day, a sad day, or a perfect one, I am here for everyone!
Taylor Andrews, MT-BC
Music Teacher
Taylor is a board-certified music therapist, musician, and advocate for accessibility and inclusion. She works with Neuromotif Music Therapy located in Park Slope, where they work primarily with Neurodivergent kiddos and partner with community organizations (like Prospect Gymnastics!) to lead music groups. Taylor cares deeply about fostering positive relationships with kiddos and their families in order to create a healthy, inclusive space for learning, growth, and fun!
Want to work with us?
If you are interested in working with us please email your resume to Julia@prospectgymnastics.com