Erika started gymnastics when she was six after falling in love with the sport while watching it on TV. Her passion for the sport quickly grew and she began competing when she was 9. Erika retired as a level 8 when she graduated from high school, but she has never been able to leave the sport! When she was 14 her coach asked her to help teach pre-team classes, and she has been coaching ever since.

Erika taught recreational, developmental and compulsory level competitive gymnastics in Northern California until she was 23, when she moved to San Diego to finish school. There, she earned a BS in Foods & Nutrition, as well as an MS in both Nutritional Sciences and Exercise Physiology from San Diego State University; while coaching girls’ competitive gymnastics at the local YMCA. 

In 2014, Erika moved to Los Angeles to complete a dietetic internship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and that is when she found JAG! Today, she serves as our Team Director and coaches many of our athletes throughout the week. She loves spending time inside the gym and her favorite part of gymnastics is seeing a child’s face when they’ve learned something new. 

“I have a passion for kids, education, and seeing people live healthy lives! Never have I felt more fulfilled in a job than when I recognize these passions colliding inside the sport of gymnastics."  

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