Meet our Staff
Nancy Ballard
Gym owner/Team Coach
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 Haog
TumbleKids Director
Jodi is our TumbleKids Director and Staff 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 12 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.
Kerrie Visscher
Team 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 six year old son, Easton.
Christina Brown
Recreational Director
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!!
Ellie Smith
TumbleKids/Recreational Associate Director
Ellie graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor's degree in Child and Family Development. She was a gymnast for 10 years and then became a teacher for 11+ years. Her passion for teaching children shows through in her contagious upbeat and fun personality. In 2014 Ellie went to Tacloban, Philippines where she assisted in an orphanage. That experience solidified her passion for working with children. We are excited to have Ellie as our Tumblekids/Recreational Associate Director and a member of our Team coaching staff!
