Coachable Coaches: Why Coach Education Matters at Liberty

At Liberty, we ask our athletes to be coachable—curious, consistent, and ready to grow. But that same standard applies to us as coaches, too. That’s why we make a deliberate investment in coach education every single season across Gymnastics and All-Star Cheerleading. When our coaches keep learning, your athletes keep progressing.

Recently, several members of our staff traveled to Austin to attend the annual Gymnastics Association of Texas (GAT) Convention—a gathering of over 700 professionals dedicated to advancing gymnastics, cheer, tumbling, and acro. It’s one of the longest-running educational congresses in the nation, now in its 58th year, with a legacy of honoring leaders since 1967.

GAT's history runs deep. It's Life Member roster reads like a who's who of Texas Gymnastics - names such as Tammy Biggs and Kevin Mazeika, among many others. It's a living record of coaches, judges, and program builders who have shaped our sport for decades.

What is GAT - and Why does it matter?

The GAT Convention isn’t just about new drills or skills. It’s about raising the standard for the entire sport. With live demos, hands-on training, and collaborative sessions with experts, GAT equips coaches with sharper tools to bring back to the gym floor.

Our Role at GAT

Liberty doesn't just attend - we serve. Coach Jen serves on the GAT Board (Parliamentarian & Xcel ITP Director/Course Author) and helps build the Women's Xcel, and Judges education tracks. Coach Jen helps plan the convention and has also been a staple speaker for many years. This year she also presented 5 sessions, including "Judging Xcel - Time to Raise the Bar" and "The Vault Score Isn't a Mystery."

Who we sent and Why

This year, Liberty sent both Gymnastics and All-Star Cheer coaches—including Coach Jordon, Coach Chloe, Coach Tessa, Coach LaShara and Coach Zia—because tumbling, injury prevention, communication skills, and mental training principles cross seamlessly between the two sports.

Coaches’ Favorite Sessions → What Athletes Will See Next

Yuka Sugiura - Level Up Neuro

Who she is: Neuro-performance coach using a brain-based approach to build flexibility, stability, strength, and injury-resistance for gymnasts and dancers. Works in person and virtually.

What we’re applying: Neurology-driven warm-ups, breathing + reflex integration, and “smarter stretch” progressions so mobility transfers to skills (not just splits on the floor). Chloe has already used Yuka’s techniques with our flyers and is building an internal mini-training for staff.

Dr. Alison “Doc Ali” Arnold - HeadGames (headgamesworld.com)

Who she is: A pioneer in gymnastics sports psychology; 25+ years working with NCAA champions and Olympians; PhD in Clinical Psychology; certificate in Neuroscience & Leadership from MIT. Head Games WorldHead Games U

What we’re applying: Simple reset tools (breath + cue words), practice “tone-setting,” and athlete-specific coaching approaches when kids are stuck. Our staff also reviewed basics of neurochemistry that influence focus, motivation, and calm—useful for coaches and athletes alike.

Tom Meadows - Men’s Olympic Coach

Who he is: Longtime elite coach; assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team (London 2012 and Rio 2016). Recently made the change to coach Women’s Optional gymnastics.

What we’re applying: Front-tumbling progressions with clear shaping checkpoints and landing rules. Jordon & Shara already built these drills into team and class stations.

Eddie Umphrey - Coach, Clinician, Former NCAA National Vault Champion

Who he is: Owner/coach at Grace Gymnastics (Katy, TX); Olympic coach for Cayman Islands

gymnast Raegan Rutty (Tokyo 2020). Frequent GAT presenter on vault/tumbling.

What we’re applying: Updated Yurchenko and twisting progressions, safer run-up rhythm, and tighter shapes off the table - already visible in our vault/tumbling blocks.

Mary Wright — USAG Hall of Fame, Olympic Coach & Choreographer

Who she is: Internationally renowned coach (New Zealand → USA), USAG Hall of Fame; produced numerous national team members and Olympians; widely respected for dance/beam artistry.

What we’re applying: Beam dance mechanics (arms/legs patterns, posture, presentation) and leaps/jumps progressions with video-modeled technique for every level. Jen & Shara ALWAYS get something to bring home from attending one of Mary’s sessions.

Ali Stoffels — Rec Gym Pros (Recreational Coaching)

Who she is: Founder of Rec Gym Pros, educator/community-builder for rec leaders; GAT

business/rec-track presenter; co-host of The Joy in Gymming podcast.

What we’re applying: Class-management frameworks, gamified stations, and quick-win

progress markers Zia has already rolled into rec lesson plans.

Traditions & Tomorrow

GAT isn’t just a weekend of sessions. It’s part of the living legacy of Texas gymnastics—passing forward knowledge from the leaders who built the sport to the next generation of coaches. That is our aim at Liberty: develop athletes and the next generation of coaches.

And learning doesn’t stop there. Earlier this month, Coach Jen also attended the USA Gymnastics National Congress in New Orleans, bringing home even more strategies to build confident, capable athletes. Coach Chloe also trained our All-Star Cheer coaches on both The United Scoresheet and The Open Scoresheet.

What Parents Will Notice Now

Because we invest in coach education, your athlete will see:

    •    Tighter structure – Timed blocks & clear station goals for focused reps.

    •    Smarter flexibility – Mobility sequences that actually translate to skills.

    •    Mental reset tools – Cues that help athletes refocus quickly after mistakes.

    •    Cheer + gym alignment – Shared language & consistent progressions across both programs.

    •    Safety-first progressions – Defined checkpoints before advancing.

    •    Consistency across coaches – Athletes hearing the same message from every staff member.

When we train our coaches, your athletes thrive. Purposeful practices, safer progressions, sharper skills—week after week. Being coachable starts with us, and your kids will feel the difference at LIBERTY CHEER & GYMNASTICS!