Meet our Staff
Nancy Ballard
Gym Owner
Nancy has been involved in competitive gymnastics since the age of 7 when she became a part of the first club gymnastics team in Kalamazoo and competed until the age of 16. Nancy took a break from coaching for several years after the birth of her two daughters Kerrie and Tracey. During her 30 years working full-time at Upjohn/Pfizer, Nancy's passion for gymnastics continued and she began coaching part-time through a community program in Richland. When Kerrie was chosen for the competitive gymnastics team at GKWG, Nancy accepted a coaching position at GKWG. In 2002 she was asked to join the amazing coaching staff at Kids Gym, KGI. In 2014, Nancy continued to follow her passion for gymnastics and in addition to coaching at Kids Gym she became the General Manager. Nancy is not only working her dream job, she has the opportunity to share her love of gymnastics with her daughter, Kerrie, who is the Team Director for KGI. In January, 2019 Nancy became the owner of Kids Gym.
Jodi Hoag
TumbleKids Director
General Manager
Jodi is our TumbleKids Director and Gym/Office Manager. She grew up in Connecticut where she got her undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Development and her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education at Sacred Heart. She has taught elementary school in several states, moving with her husband who was in the Army. Jodi has been at Kids Gym for 15 years and began working when her daughters started to show interest in the sport. Both girls went on to become competitive gymnasts here at KGI and now work beside Jodi as teachers, as well. Anyone who watches Jodi teach can see she has a clear love for children.
Small Title
Kerrie Visscher
VP KG AquisitionsTeam Director
Kerrie brings a lot of experience to Kids Gym and our KGI Team. She was a competitive gymnast, competitive dancer and competitive cheerleader in both high school and College. She began working at Kids Gym when she was 14 and has taught in our Tumble Kids, Recreational and Team programs. After graduating from Portage Central High School Kerrie went on to receive her degree in Kinesiology from Michigan State University. After graduating in 2008 she accepted the position of director of the KGI Team. Kerrie is also a dedicated mom to her son, Easton.
Team Operations Director
Christina Brown
Prior to joining our Kids Gym staff, Christina was a member of our KGI Competitive team!! Christina graduated from Loy Norrix high school where she also excelled in Varsity Volleyball. She began teaching in our Recreational Program and in no time her dedication, knowledge and love for the sport presented her with the opportunity to become Director of our Recreational program. She then took on the additional responsibility of Team Coach and is an integral part of the coaching staff. She has been a major contributor to the incredible growth and success of both of these programs!!
Noelle Ruegg
Recreational Director
Noelle Ruegg is from all over the states with a variety of work and life experiences including some basic gymnastics at a young age, karate, rock climbing, theatre, and living in many different communities. A life of traveling and trying new careers eventually led her to the world of coaching gymnastics. As a professional, Noelle aspires to continue to learn and grow more as a coach, educator, and mentor. For Noelle, there is a continuous goal, to always be reaching for more involvement in the community, more impact on young lives, and more love and joy spread to the families who need it the most.
Hunter James
Developmental Program Head Coach
TumbleKids & Recreational
Teacher
Hunter James in a Western Michigan University student studying Elementary Education. She has been at Kids Gym for 7 years and enjoys working with children. She is Team Developmental Head Coach but can be seen in teaching in both the Tumblekids and Recreational programs as well.
Team Coach
Abbey Voight
Abbey Voight is a recent graudate from Western Michigan University with a Master's Degree in Ocupational Therapy. She started gymnastics when she was 3 years old and later became a competitive gymnast for 9 years. She stared coaching when was 15 and has been in love with it since. She's been at Kids Gym for 5 years and coaches level 3-6 and Xcel Gold & Platinum.
TumbleKids & Recreational
Teacher
Tessa Quick
Tessa is going on her 7th year working at Kids Gym and currently teaches in the Tumble Kids and Recreational programs. She grew up here in Portage, where her mom ran an in-home day care, instilling in her a love and understanding for children at a young age. Tessa started gymnastics when she was 4 years old in our very own little gym! She later went on to compete with the KGI team for 7 years. Tessa attended Portage Central high school, and there enjoyed performing in musicals and singing in the choir. She is currently working towards her business degree at KVCC.
