Staff

 

Melanie Cuozzo

  • Owner APEX Gymnastics,  Inc. – 1997 – present
  • Full athletic scholarship to Indiana University of Pennsylvania
  • NCAA 3 time All American
  • NCAA Academic All American
  • 35 years coaching experience
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education
  • Masters Degree in Reading & Literacy
  • Former LCPS teacher
  • Member Virginia State Board of Gymnastics
  • CPR and First Aid Certified
  • USA Gymmnastics Professional Member: Junior Olympic Team Coach, Business Executive Member
  • USA Safety Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • Fun Fact : Comes from a family of teachers!

Luda Shamenko  

  • Joined APEX in Fall 2000
  • General Manager
  • 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist
  • Unified National Team Member
  • Ukranian National Team Member
  • Ukranian School of Olympic Reserve
  • Degree from Ukranian State University of Phys. Ed. in Sport
  • USA Gymnastics Safety Certified
  • USA Gymnastics Professional Member, Safe Sport Certified
  • CPR & First Aid Certified
  • Fun Fact:  Loves cats & enjoys feeding wild animals!

Mark Mohr  

  • Hired, Fall 2011
  • Assistant Manager
  • Competitive Team Coach- Girls level 4 – 10
  • Warrior Fitness coach
  • Former Level 10 National Champion, Former competitive diver
  • 17 years gymnastics experience
  • Safety Certified,  U100 Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • USA Gymnastics Professional Member – Junior Olympic Team Coach, Business Director
  • CPR & First Aid Certified
  • Fun Fact :  Enjoys going to country music concerts!

Vladimir Shamenko  

  • Joined APEX in Fall 2000
  • Facilities Manager
  • 1996 Olympic Bronze Medalist
  • Ukranian National Team Member
  • Ukranian School of Olympic Reserve
  • Degree from Ukranian State University of Phys. Ed. and Sport
  • USA Gymnastics Safety Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • USA Gymnastics Professional Member
  • CPR & First Aid Certified
  • Fun Fact: Is a fan of James Bond movies & loves the Minion Movie!

Zerell Welch  

  • Hired Summer, 2012
  • Competitive Team Coach
  • 20 years coaching experience
  • Coached Maryland & Virginia State Championship team
  • USA Gymnastics Professional Member
  • Professional Member USA Gymnastics, Safe Sport Certified
  • Safety Certified, CPR & First Aid Certified
  • Fun fact: Coach Zerell is a lawyer by day!

Brandon Jordan  

  • Hired Summer, 2012
  • Competitive Team Coach Level 3 Girls, Xcel Team & Developmental Team Coach
  • Former competitive gymnast
  • Coached in Minnesota & Virginia Beach previously
  • USA Gymnastics Professional Member
  • Professional Member USA Gymnastics
  • Safety Certified, CPR & First Aid Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • Fun Fact: Coach Brandon is building a race car!

Richard Yoder  

  • Joined APEX in Spring, 2011
  • Team Coach, Recreational & Tumbling Coach
  • Boys Team Program Director
  • Former competitive elite gymnast, JO National Qualifier
  • Former gymnast Arizona State
  • Former career as a culinary chef!
  • USA Gymnastics Professional member & Safety Certified
  • CPR & First Aid Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • Fun Fact: I am an International man of mystery!

Ashlie Clark 

  • Hired, Summer 2021
  • Recreational Coach
  • Former APEX Team gymnast
  • Former Elementary school teacher
  • BS Education Virginia Tech, Masters Education Radford University
  • Fun Fact: Was one of the first APEX gymnasts and she HATES ketchup!

Danielle Bonnamy

  • Hired, Winter 2022, Xcel Team Coach
  • Competed for Fairland Gymnastics in Laurel, MD, Level 10
  •  2 time Level 10 National Team member
  • Full Athletic Gymnastics Scholarship to University of Rhode Island
  • Bachelor Degree – Psychology and Anthropology from University of Rhode Island
  •  Master’s Degree – Physician Assistant from Stony Brook University, New York
  • Certified Physician Assistant
  • Fun fact: I lived in Saudi Arabia when I was a child

Rae Ammerman

  • Hired, Spring 2022
  • Recreational, Developmental, Xcel & TT Team coach
  • Former competitive gymnast
  • USA Gymnastics Safety Certified,  Safe Sport Certified, CPR/First Aid Certified
  • Mother of 3, including a competitive gymnast
  • Fun Fact:  I grew up in Alaska!

David Aytes                    

  • Hired, Spring 2021
  • 17 years coaching experience, girls & boys
  • Former competitive gymnast
  • Developmental & Competitive Team Coach
  • Professional Member USA Gymnastics
  • Safety Certified, CPR & First Aid Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • Fun Fact: I love cats!
 

Olga Khalimova                                                   

  • Hired, Summer 2022
  • GymKids & Recreational Coach
  • Degree from Ukranian State University of Phys. Ed. in Sport
  • Fitness & Yoga Instructor
  • Fun Fact: I enjoy skiing and yoga!

Tim Ratliff

  • Hired, Summer 2021
  • Recreational coach
  •  IT Project Manager
  • Master’s degree from Georgetown in Applied Linguistics 
  • Competed at James Madison University 
  • VA state collegiate champion on high bar and pbars in 1984 and 1985
  • Fun Fact: Currently competing as an NAIGC gymnast

     

Pedro Sanchez      

  • Hired, Spring 2019
  • Boys Team & Developmental Team Coach
  • Recreational & GymKids coach
  • BS Education
  • 17 years coaching experience – all levels and ages
  • Member technical commission for Federation of Venezuela
  • USA Gymnastics member
  • Safety Certified, U100 Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • Fun fact: I taught elementary, middle and high school in Venezuela

Adriana Gomez Romero                                                  

  • Hired, Summer 2019
  • Girls Recreational, Developmental & Xcel Team Coach
  • BS Education
  • 18 years coaching experience – Venezuela & United States
  • Member technical commission for Federation of Venezuela
  • USA Gymnastics member
  • Safety Certified, U100 Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • Fun fact: Enjoys listening to music and dancing!

Elaine Little                                                  

  • Hired, Winter 2024
  • Former gymnast
  • 10 years coaching experience in Maryland & Pennsylvania
  • Recreational coach, Xcel & Developmental  Team Coach
  • Attended University of the Arts, Acting major

Kristine Dulay                                              

  • Hired, Spring 2021
  • Graduate VCU,  Health Sciences Major
  • former APEX intern
  • Gymkids & recreational coach
  • Fun fact: I love to bake!

Ethan Harris                                             

  • Hired, Fall 2022
  • University of Washington
  • Former gymnast
  • Developmental, Xcel and TT Team Coach, Recreational coach
  • USA Gymnastics member
  • Safety Certified, U100 Certified, Safe Sport Certified
  • Fun fact:  I have a collection of crazy socks!

 Rebecca Schieke

  • Hired, Winter 2022
  • Recreational & Xcel Team coach
  • 7 years experience coaching both JO and Xcel Teams, plus Developmental teams and recreational
  • USA Gymnastics certified
  • Safe sport certified
  • Fundamentals of Gymnastics Instructor trained
  • Fun fact : I love to do crafts!

Cristian Fuentes     

  • Hired Summer 2023
  • Xcel, Recreational & JO Team Coach
  • Venezuelan National Team gymast
  • Fun fact : Has a daughter that does gymnastics

Taty Morris

  • Hired Fall  2023
  • Former high school cheerleader
  • Parent of a competitive gymnast and lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan
  • Fun fact : I am bilingual

 

Don Chudzik     

  • Hired Fall 2023
  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Academy
  • Former NCAA Division 1 gymnast
  • Former Naval Officer
  • Fun fact : I was once an extra in a Hollywood movie!

Andreea Lampert       

  • Member of Romanian National Gymnastics Team, 1997 -1999
  • Graduate Robert H. McKinney School of Law
  • Has experience coaching JO, Xcel, Developmental teams & recreational classes in USA and Iceland since 2003
  • Fun fact: I speak 5 languages

Jennifer Bolton       

  • Hired Fall, 2023
  • GymKids coach
  • BA in English, Kindergarten Assistant teacher LCPS
  • Fun fact: My daughter started at APEX when she was 3 and graduated high school as a level 9. Coach Vladimir was her first coach

Junior Staff      

  •  Adriana Perodin, Abby Perez, Andreas Alexandrou, Kaitlin Rath, Lydia Vuljanic, Sariah Elliott
  • Maddie Downer, Tory Klein, Lucy Edmonds, Kate Stone, Haylee Stromberg
  • Not pictured: Bree Scanlon,  Samantha DeBolt, Grace Semler, Abigail Nicholson