Meet The Team

Julia Karis

Program Director/ Head Coach

Prospect Gymnastics team of coaches is led by Julia Karis. Originally from San Diego, California, she has lived in New York for the past twelve 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 to coach 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 is so excited to join the Prospect Gymnastics team and looks forward to bringing her gymnastics expertise and love of the sport to this community!

Tami Rygus

Program Coordinator

Hello everyone! My name is Tami Rygus, I’m originally from the west coast but moved to New York about 12 years ago. I’m the mother of 3 small kids and have been working in administrative roles for most of my career. I’m so excited to be a part of the Prospect Gymnastics team!

Mina Marsow

Owner

Mina is a dedicated advocate for education, wellness, and community. In 2014, she founded Prospect Gymnastics, a recreational community-based program. Prospect Gymnastics focuses on developing healthy bodies and minds with the motto "Build Skills. Gain Confidence. Have Fun." In addition to her work with Prospect Gymnastics, Mina is an emerging writer with published work in Tablet magazine. She is involved in community service, as a local business improvement district member and by volunteering for HFLS, a non-profit interest-free loan program supporting local businesses and individuals in need. Mina is passionate about empowering others and creating a positive impact in her community.

Noelle Stone

Assistant Head Coach

Noelle grew up in Florida and began gymnastics at 4 years old. Noelle transitioned to cheerleading at 9 years old and continued through college where she ultimately competed in NCA Nationals with FGCU Competitive Cheer Club.
After college Noelle moved to New York to attend Brooklyn Law School where she graduated in 2021. Noelle loves combining her love of gymnastics and cheerleading into her life by coaching at Prospect Gymnastics.

BreLynn Mellon

Gymnastics Instructor

Coach BreLynn, or Coach Bree is excited to be part of Prospect Gymnastics. When not at the gym, you can find Coach Bree ordering coffee or taking a class at NYU. She is currently studying drama at NYU and is apart of the NYU cheer team. BreLynn has been a competitive cheerleader for 12+ years. She has taught tumbling and dance for over 3 years where she is from in Houston, Texas and is passionate about working with children. BreLynn believes it is just as important for children to feel safe and happy in her class as it is to develop strong bodies.

Darcy Guariglia

Gymnastics Instructor

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!

Jackie Carlson

Gymnastics Instructor

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!

Mads Nguyen

Gymnastics Instructor

Mads is initially from Denver, Colorado but moved to New York to start graduate school at NYU. They were a competitive gymnast for five years and then switched to dance, where they continued Ballet in college. Mads has been coaching gymnastics for over six years in both competitive and recreational environments. They are super excited to join Prospect Gymnastics and are thrilled to work with the Brooklyn community!

Nic Brown

Gymnastics Instructor

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!

Star Aiken

Gymnastics Instructor

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!

Tori Wheeler

Gymnastics Instructor

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!

Elliana Lynch-Daniels

Gymnastics Instructor

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.

Sean Benton

Gymnastics Instructor

Coach Sean Benton, originally from Bronx, New York has taught gymnastics to students/athletes for going on 17+ years now. Sean coaches recreational gymnastics, competitive team as well as tumbling & trampoline. He is passionate about developing his students as people and growing their social, emotional, and cognitive skills through their gymnastics experience. Sean himself has been coached by several national level coaches including Coach Green and Coach Roger Walker at Flip City NJ, national athlete Tony Florez, and choreographer and world competitor Soomi Kim. Outside of coaching, Sean leads spotting workshop, tumbling clinics and safe sport lectures to coaches at various gyms.

Marjorie Heard

Gymnastics Instructor

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!

Skai Aiken

Gymnastics Instructor

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!

Ally Riddle

Parkour Instructor

Coach Ally is so excited to join the Prospect Gymnastics team! She is originally from South Dakota and played many sports growing up and absolutely loves the outdoors. She recently moved to New York to pursue her Masters at NYU. When she’s not studying or coaching she loves to go rock climbing and ride her skateboard.

Bridget Conlon

Gymnastics Instructor

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 Instructor

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.

Andrew Queen

Gymnastics Instructor

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!