Click on the button above to learn more about our
on-site Physical Therapist.
Copyright BIG Gymnastics 2008 © All Rights Reserved. / Contact Us / Contact Webmaster
Image
Coming Soon
Ben Hardy, Owner and Head Coach.
Ben has been involved in the sport of gymnastics for more than 25 years as competitor and coach. His love of the sport led him to open Balance Institute of Gymnastics (BIG) back in 2006, working to develop young gymnasts and producing more than 50 Illinois State champions within our girls’ competitive team in the first 3 years. Along the way, he has also developed regional champions and national qualifiers. This reputation, along with the professionalism of BIG’s coaching staff has grown the recreational program to over 700 students, with our girls’ team boasting 80 girls. Ben hopes to share his passion for gymnastics with all of his students and their families.
Let Ben show you why Balance is better!
Dana Poncin, Team Coach & Choreographer.
Dana has been coaching gymnastics for 9 years. She started out as a gymnast herself and competed for 13 years. She was a 3 time Level 10 National Qualifier. She started coaching at BIG in 2006 and coaches both compulsory and optional girls. She is also our in-house choreographer. She has choreographed routines for high school, college, and competitive club gymnasts. Before BIG, she coached Level 8 -10 State and Regional Champions 2002-2006. She attended coaching classes at the Olympic training center and has trained National Team members. Dana is one of our most talented coaches and one of the most talented choreographers around! She has invented two skills that are now in the National Code of Points (Concannon 1 and Concannon 2).
Jessica Lyn Herbick, Team Coach.
Jess brings to our program over 15 years of personal gymnastics experience which includes finishing her career as an accomplished level 10 gymnast. Prior to working at BIG, Jess worked as an instructor/coach for 6 years at Gym-Kinetics Gymnastics, taking over level 4 in their 2nd year of development. Through hard work and innovation she developed an excellent, hard-working team. Her level 4 team won 2nd place as a team at state in 2006, with two 1st place awards on beam, and a 1st place in the all-around. She also helped develop a level 7 1st place state team.
Jess's philosophy on developing level 4, level 5, or level 6 teams is putting together a well-rounded successful compulsory team. To motivate her teams, she promotes hard work, fine dance routines, high self-esteem, teamwork, fun, and love of gymnastics.
Karen Schmidt, Recreational Program Director/ Coach.
Karen has been coaching gymnastics for over 18 years now and loves working with all of her students! She teaches classes starting at Parent/Tot up through Pre-Developmental Team classes. Karen started as the Recreational Director when BIG opened in 2006 and not only trains coaches and does scheduling for classes, but is the go-to person for everyone at the gym! She is certified in CPR and has worked at many other local gyms in the area.
Image
Coming Soon
Matthew Havelka, GIJO and Recreational Coach.
Matthew began his gymnastics career as a freshman in High School, where he began competing on the men’s gymnastics team. Throughout his High School career, he broke many records and decided to begin coaching shortly after graduating. Matthew has 4 years of coaching experience, working with team, GIJO, and recreational classes. At his previous gym, he was a team coach for the competitive boy’s team and led them to 3rd in State in 2008. When Matthew is not at BIG coaching, he enjoys painting and can be found on the set of many movies as an extra!
Carrie Kozak, Team Coach
Carrie was a competitive Level 10 gymnast. She started gymnastics at age four and has been around the sport ever since. She has been coaching for the last 6 years and has joined BIG as an optional beam coach. Carrie has also been an USAG junior Olympic judge for the past 2 years. When she is not at the gym, she is a post graduate student at RUSH where she is getting her Doctorate as a Nurse’s Practitioner.
Image
Coming Soon
Kara Kapernekas, Team Coach.
Kara has been working at BIG since September of 2009, but has been around the sport of gymnastics since the age of five and has a great deal of coaching experience. She competed from the age of seven through 22. She was an elite gymnast for four years at the University of Illinois of Champaign where she received a full athletic scholarship. There she was voted MVP, most consistent beam and she was two-time team captain. She has an unbelievable career history with her best all around score being a 39.375 in 2003. She is a great addition to our coaching staff where she is one of our main optional beam coaches!
Image
Coming Soon
Donna Rufa, Parent-Tot Guru.
“Miss Donna,” as most of the kids call her, is lovingly referred to as “Parent-Tot Guru” because teaching movement education to children is her great passion and love. She believes that to see the faces of her students light up and smile is her biggest reward. Miss Donna’s way of teaching is through games - so the children feel like they are playing a game, not “doing” or “learning” a skill, although they are. She knows that little ones are extremely intelligent, so she doesn’t teach down to them. She chooses to teach in a way that allows her students to comprehend and learn while developing their gross motor skills. She believes that there is nothing more exciting than the sound of laughter, squeals and singing from a large group of toddlers! Miss Donna’s professional accomplishments include, but are not limited to: USA Gymnastics Safety Certification, USA Gymnastics Kinder Accreditation for Teachers (KAT), USA Gymnastics Rookie Coach Certification and CPR/First Aid training, and she comes to BIG with many years of experience in coaching gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and swimming to young children. Miss Donna is a proud Mom to Lindsay and Christopher, and she is also proud to consider her students at BIG a part of her extended family.
Image
Coming Soon
Kara Salin, Team and GIJO Coach.
Kara has been around gymnastics all of her life! She was in gymnastics for 10 years and competed for 6 years. She ended her career as a gymnast as a Level 9. She has now been coaching for 5 years and loves working with children. She currently coaches Pre-developmental Team classes, GIJO, and Compulsory Team. All of her students adore her and love having her as a coach. When Kara is not coaching at BIG, she is a student downtown at University of Illinois- Chicago.
Dave King, Team and Recreational Coach
Dave came to work at BIG in August of 2009. He is an esteemed coach having coached numerous state champions and well regarded summer camps. Dave was in gymnastics himself from the age of three until 12 with Ben as his Coach for many of those years! He has now been coaching for 6 years and we are very excited to have him as part of the BIG family!
Image
Coming Soon
Laurie Reiken, Recreational Coach
Laurie started coaching at BIG in 2007. She teaches preschool classes: 3/4 year olds – 5/6 year olds. She is also one of our main birthday party coaches on the weekends! She loves to incorporate themes and learning into her classes. She is a certified preschool teacher and is also certified in CPR. When she is not coaching classes, you can find her in the office at BIG helping register your kids for their next session!
Image
Coming Soon
Laura Highland, GIJO Coach
Laura has been involved in gymnastics since the age of five and competed until the age of 22! She attended the University of Illinois where she competed as a Level 10 gymnast. She has previous coaching experience teaching camps at U of I. She is a great addition to our coaching staff!
Matt Delk, Team Coach.
Matt’s interest in gymnastics began as a freshman in High School, when he began competing in men’s gymnastics. He competed in all of the events, but his favorite was High Bar. In his third year of competition, he was a State Finalist in the High Bar event. Gymnastics has been a large part of his life ever since. In 2000 he began coaching gymnastics, and eventually took a Head Coach position with Powerhouse Gymnastics in Port Orange, Florida. Summers in 2002 and 2003 were spent coaching for Bela Karolyi in Karolyi’s camp. In 2005, Coach Matt moved back to Illinois, and began working at a local gym. It was there that he met Coach Ben, and in 2008, Matt made the move to join Coach Ben at Balance Institute of Gymnastics. In his spare time, Coach Matt enjoys surfing, skateboarding, and riding motorcycles. Besides being a certified Gymnastics Coach, he is also a certified Personal Trainer through the International Fitness Professionals Association. Coach Matt believes in positive motivation in coaching, and he is happy to be a part of the BIG Gymnastics family.
