Strength in Spirit, Grace in Motion
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Meet Our Coaches
Gym Team Coach
Michelle Gardner
Michelle Gardner has been involved in the sport of gymnastics for over three decades. She was a competitive gymnast and trampoline & tumbling athlete in the Chicagoland area from the age of 4 through 18, building a strong foundation and a lifelong passion for the sport. Michelle has served as a NAWG judge and has taught all levels of gymnastics for a combined total of 30 years. She has been with Mattoon Academy for the past 16 years, where she has worn many hats and played an integral role in the growth and success of our programs. Michelle has developed comprehensive recreational curricula for both recreational and competitive programs and is known for her supportive, athlete-focused approach to coaching and development. In addition to her role as Gymnastics Team Director, Michelle has served as our Dance Company Director for the past six years. In this role, she oversees program development, team structure, and performance preparation. Michelle loves teaching gymnastics and finds her greatest joy in helping kids grow into strong competitors who are supportive teammates, push themselves to get better every day, and learn to work hard and persevere through all obstacles—both inside and outside of the gym.
Gym Team Coach
Klair Fagot
Klair is a valued member of the team at Mattoon Academy. She is passionate about working with students and helping create a fun, positive, and encouraging environment for everyone who walks through our doors. Her dedication, energy, and commitment to our academy family make them an important part of our program, and we are so excited to have her on our staff.
Gym Team & Tumble Team Coach
Rhemee Garrett
Rhemee Garrett has been a part of the Mattoon Academy family since she was 5 years old. She competed with the gymnastics team here at Mattoon Academy for 6 years, and became a coach at 14, starting with our Teddy Tumble Bear program. Now, with close to 10 years of experience as a tumbling and gymnastics coach, Rhemee can confidently say her favorite part of coaching is getting to watch her athletes grow and excel not just in skill, but in character as well.
Gym Team & Tumble Team Coach
Peyton Walker
Peyton is a competitive gymnastics and tumble team coach. She spent 16 years competing and has been coaching for 4 years. She is passionate about helping athletes grow in skill, confidence and discipline. Peyton is proud to lead a tumble team that has qualified for nationals every year and a gymnastics team that consistently reaches regionals.
Tumble Team Coach
Kyndall Larson
With 10 years of experience as a competitive tumbler and 9 years of coaching the competitive tumbling team at Mattoon Academy, Kyndall brings both passion and firsthand knowledge to every practice. She loves helping athletes build confidence, master new skills, and push past what they thought was impossible. Her favorite part of coaching is seeing that moment when everything clicks—when hard work turns into success and athletes realize just how strong and capable they truly are.
Tumble Team Coach
Heather Kirkeng
Heather's time at Mattoon Academy started as an athlete competing on the gymnastics team for 9 years. After some time Heather returned to the Academy to coach. She has been coaching for 16 years and has coached everything from parent & tot to our competitive gymnastics and tumbling programs. Heather has enjoyed many things about coaching but her favorites is watching a child work hard to achieve a skill no matter the age or level. Their drive, determination, and pride once the child has succeeded will always be her favorite.
Tumble Team Coach
Adi Porter
Adilyn Porter is a tumble team coach at MAG. Adi tumbled at Mattoon Academy from 18 months old until she was 14! Adi was on tumble team and competed on the Elite National Team. Her favorite event to compete and coach is double mini. Adi's favorite part of coaching is seeing her kiddos smiles on their faces when they get a new skill or a great score at a competition. I look forward to coaching your kiddo!
D-Team Coach
Olivia Spour
Olivia has had a passion for gymnastics from a young age, starting tumbling classes at just four years old, she quickly joined tumble team and trained for several years, while also briefly trying cheer before deciding to try gymnastics. After switching gyms early on, She found her home at Mattoon Academy, where she has been on the gymnastics team for the past 10–11 years. She also spent all four years of high school involved in dance.
Olivia began coaching three years ago, working with recreational gymnastics and tumbling before moving into her current role as the D-Team coach. She also enjoys stepping in to help wherever needed. Her favorite part of coaching is watching athletes grow skills and confidence while building a strong, positive team environment.
Dance Team & Recreational Dance Coach
Amanda Baima
Amanda Baima lives in Charleston with her husband, Dominic, and their two daughters, Bindi and Tilli. She has been dancing for 30 years and teaching various styles of dance for the last 11 years. Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, and Contemporary are among her favorite styles of dance. Some memorable moments in her dance career would have to be when she was able to perform with The Moscow Ballet (The Nutcracker) as well as auditioning for season 16 of So You Think You Can Dance. Amanda teaches our company technique classes and also does private ballet lessons.
Dance Team Coach
Ashlynn Bennett
Ashlyn has been dancing since she was 3 years old and joined Mattoon Academy Dance Company at 9 years old and has been competing ever since. Ashlyn graduated from Illinois State University in May of 2024 with a Bachelors in Dance Performance and a Business Administration minor. While attending ISU she was a 4 year member of Illinois State University Competitive Dance Team. The team competed at NDA Nationals every year in Daytona, Florida. Her senior year she was captain and president of the team. She ended her time on the team with 3rd and 7th in Division I. Through high school Ashlyn assisted in recreation classrooms for MADC and also assisted in team classes throughout college. She is now in her first year of coaching the team. She has already learned so much from these dancers and wants to continue to help them grow!
Dance Team & Adult Tap Coach
Kat Engelke
Kat is from Belleville, IL but now lives full time in Charleston with her husband, Codie and their two year old son, Abel. She danced competitively for studios in St. Louis for 14 years and was on the Pink Panthers at EIU for 4 years. Kat has been teaching at Charleston High School for the past 5 years. Her favorite styles of dance are tap and hip hop. Kat has been a company instructor with Mattoon Academy for 9 years. Kat’s favorite thing about teaching at the Academy is that it feels like a second home. She loves getting to teach and inspire the dancers to be the best they can be.
Dance Team Coach
Ava Gardner
Ava is from Charleston, IL . Ava started at Mattoon Academy as a gymnast when she was 8 years old. Ava competed on Mattoon Academy’s Gymnastic team and has earned many titles in her career as a gymnast. One of her proudest moments was when she earned the award as the National judges’ cup champion. When she was 11 years old, she was asked by Dawn Paulson to join the dance team. Ava competed on both teams until the age of 13 when she decided to end her career as a gymnast and dedicate herself full time to dance. Ava has been teaching and choreographing for our company team for the past 4 years. Ava’s choreography has acquired numerous regional and national titles. Ava continues her dance education by attending conventions and classes to help her better herself and her students. In 2022 Ava was selected as an ambassador for “The Intensive” and was also employed with VIP dance competition. Ava currently works for ID DANCE and travels with them during the competition season. Ava’s favorite genres of dance are contemporary, hip hop and modern. Ava graduated in 2022 from Lakeland college with a nursing degree and has worked for Sarah Bush and is currently a nurse in the Mattoon School District. Ava loves to be able to create dances that can inspire her dancers in an environment where they can learn & grow. She encourages all of the dancers to become the best they can be in and out of the studio.
Recreational Class Coach
Hadlee Barr
Hadlee Barr is 17 years old. She started her tumbling career right here at Mattoon Academy at age 4 on the mini stars. Hadlee grew her skills and ended her career as an Elite Tumbler for USAG and USTA traveling across the USA. Hadlee has worked at the academy for almost a year and her favorite part about coaching is watching her students achieve new skills and reach their goals.
Recreational Class Coach
Rene Beltran
Renee has cheered for 12 years. She began cheering in 4th grade for the local JFL team and then began competitive Cheer when she was in 6th grade. Renee cheered for two years in middle school and cheered all four years of high school on varsity and was cheer captain. She ended her career cheering for EIU in 2025. Renee has coached at Mattoon Academy for 5 years. Her favorite part of coaching is seeing her students create friendships and grow into great teammates.
Recreational Class Coach
Sydney Bilyeu
Sydney Bilyeu, is a sophomore at EIU for elementary education, and has been a coach here at Mattoon Academy for about 2 months! Sydney cheered for the entirety of her time in high school, with experience in both sideline and all-star cheer. Her favorite part about coaching has been watching the kids learn new skills! It’s always such a joy to see them be excited about trying something new!
Recreational Class Coach
Becca Caldwell
Becca and has been involved in either tumbling, gymnastics or cheer since she was 3 years old. She was a member of pre-team at Mattoon Academy when she was 9/10 years old and part of the athletes who moved from the old building to our current location! Becca was a cheerleader from elementary school through college, competing in both high school and college. Once she was no longer the athlete, she was the head coach for MAG competitive cheer program until she moved away. Becca then coached recreational tumbling classes at a gym in St Louis for 2 years. All together, with a few breaks, she has coached at Mattoon Academy for over 10 years. Her favorite aspects of coaching are that she is able to share her love for the sport with children and also watching their confidence grow as they learn and master new skills. Becca always want their time in the gym to be fun, hardworking, and rewarding.
Recreational Class Coach
Jade Carr
Jade is a valued member of the team at Mattoon Academy. She is passionate about working with students and helping create a fun, positive, and encouraging environment for everyone who walks through our doors. Her dedication, energy, and commitment to our academy family make them an important part of our program, and we are so excited to have her on our staff.
Recreational Class Coach
Izzy Compton
Izzy Compton is currently a junior at Mattoon High School. She started at the academy at 1 ½ years old in the Parent and Tot classes and later joined the Mini-Stars tumble team and competed for 6 years. Izzy took her first dance class at 3 years old and participated in recreational classes until she was 8 when she joined the dance team. Izzy is still competing with the Mattoon Artistic Dance Company today. She is also a member of the MHS Wavettes Dance Team. Izzy has been working at Mattoon Academy since 2024. One of her favorite things about coaching at the academy is getting to celebrate the successes each child makes along the way!
Recreational Class Coach
Kimberly Drum
Kimberly has spent many years doing cheerleading and tumbling, including competitive cheer, She loves helping athletes grow and achieve new skills. Her favorite part of coaching is watching their progress and confidence shine!
Recreational Class Coach
Khloe Frederick
Khloe Frederick is sixteen, and has been coaching at Mattoon Academy since January 2026! She done cheer since she was eleven, both competitive and sideline, and has also tumbled at the Academy when she was younger! Through both of those experiences the biggest impact on Khloe was the coaches, and she knew being that support for younger athletes was the perfect fit for her! Her favorite part about coaching is seeing the biggest smile on their faces after getting a new skill!
Recreational Class Coach
Izzy Hilligoss
Izzy started at the academy as a tumbler and trained there for most of her childhood. She also cheered for a year, which helped her grow even more and try something new. Now, Izzy has been coaching for the past three years.
Her favorite part of coaching is getting to know the kids and building those connections with them. She loves seeing how excited they get when they learn new skills and watching their confidence grow over time. Being a part of that is what makes it so special!
Recreational Class Coach
Harmony Letner
Harmony Letner was on the tumble team for six years and has been working at Mattoon Academy for two years. Her favorite part about working at Mattoon Academy is getting to help teach the students how to be a gymnast in a safe and fun way! She loves watching the kids grow and become stronger and more confident in themselves and their abilities!
Recreational Class Coach
Shelby Schumacher
Shelby has a strong background in cheerleading and tumbling, with eight years of experience in cheer and several years of tumbling training from ages five to ten. Through these experiences, she has developed not only technical skills but also discipline, teamwork, and a passion for helping others grow.
Her time at the academy has allowed her to share that passion by working with athletes of all skill levels. She truly enjoys creating a positive and encouraging environment where athletes feel confident to challenge themselves and improve.
Shelby's favorite part about coaching is watching athletes build confidence and achieve skills they once thought were out of reach. Being able to support their progress and celebrate their successes is incredibly rewarding and is what motivates her to continue coaching.
Recreational Class Coach
Kindil Sears
Kindil has been working at Mattoon Academy for 2 years. She danced for 13 years, including 5 years on Mattoon Academy’s dance team. Kindil also spent a year as a cheerleader and has taken classes for gymnastics, dance tumbling, and cheer tumbling at Mattoon Academy. Her favorite part of teaching is building relationships with the kids and watching them grow in both their skills and confidence.
Recreational Dance Coach
Natalie Forsythe
Natalie has been dancing since just before her third birthday. She has been a part of the Mattoon Academy competition team for 10 years. This year she has been awarded the opportunity to travel and be a protégé for REVEL dance conventions. She is a junior at Mattoon high school where she participates on her high school dance team. Natalie’s favorite style of dance is jazz. She is really enjoying teaching dance and cannot wait to see her dancers perform on stage.
Recreational Dance Coach
Norah Gray
Miss Norah started dancing at 4 years old at Encore Dance Academy and has studied ballet, pointe, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, modern, lyrical, tap, and pom. She has earned many lead roles in recitals over the past few years at Encore, including Lucy (from the Narnia storybooks), Tiger Lily, the Grinch, and the Huntsman. Norah has danced competitively in jazz and lyrical and was a part of the Encore Competition Team for two years. She was senior captain of the Canton High School Dance Team and was awarded All-American Dancer at the team’s UDA Spirit Camp, receiving all blue ribbons for her performances. Norah was invited to Universal Studios Florida to attend and perform in the Varsity Spirit Citrus Bowl pregame performance. Since then, Miss Norah has taught all ages at Encore Dance Academy for two years, and this is her first year at Mattoon Academy. Majoring in Accounting at Eastern Illinois University, Norah plans to earn her master’s degree and later obtain her CPA license. Norah is currently a member of the EIU Pink Panthers Dance Team, where she performs at football and basketball games, as well as at occasional appearances throughout the community.
Recreational Dance Coach
Kelci Irons
Kelci started dancing when she was 3 years old. She has been a member of our Dance company for 13 years. Kelci is a Senior at Mattoon High School. Kelci plans to attend Loyola University in Chicago to study psychology. Kelci’s favorite style of dance is contemporary. She is so excited to see her dancers on stage this year! She enjoyed teaching them this year!
Recreational Dance Coach
Emmerson O'Connor
Emmie has 15 years of dance experience and has taught for about 2 years at Mattoon Academy. She is a former Charleston High School Trojet and EIU dancer. She has also choreographed for Charleston Middle School and Charleston High School’s competition teams. When Emmie is not teaching dance, she is a supervisor at HOPE of East Central Illinois where she works with survivors of domestic violence. She is very proud of how hard her dancers have worked this year and is so happy she can continue sharing her passion with others!
Recreational Dance Coach
Emsley White
Emsley has been dancing for 13 years, including 6 years with MADC. This was Emsley's first year teaching dance at the Academy. She is currently a junior at Charleston High School and a member of the National Honor Society. Emsley plans to pursue a degree in early childhood education after graduating high school. Emsley loves working with young children hoping to inspire her passion for dance in them.
Parties & Pizza Fun Night Coach
Charlotte Shultz
Charlotte has been with Mattoon Academy for 9 years. She competed on gymnastics team for 5 years. Currently, Charlotte is working at the academy as our birthday party specialist!
Front Desk & Behind the Scenes
Owner, Front Desk, & Everything Else
Andrea Walker
Andrea Walker is the co-owner of Mattoon Academy alongside her husband and daughters. She and her husband Troy have been married for 27 years and also own Holey Moley Daylight Donuts. Together, they have three children: Kaitlyn, Noah, and Peyton. Andrea served as the office manager at the Academy for 12 years before purchasing the business in June of 2025.
Front Desk
Jill Spour
Jill Spour has been a valued part of the Mattoon Academy family for over 10 years as both a dedicated gym team parent and now our friendly front desk team member. She loves building relationships with our families, helping students feel welcome, and keeping things running smoothly each day. Jill’s passion for the academy and caring personality make her an important part of our community.