We Are Gulf Coast Elite

Coach Michael Harris is currently the Program Director at Gulf Coast Elite Gymnastics. He is one of the few International Elite Coaches in the US and coached multiple athletes on the USA International Team, including Ashley Miles, Britney Koncak, Kassandra Kanalas and Alicia Zhou. He was honored to be a Team USA Elite Coach at the Jr. Pan Am Games and World Championships. Coach Harris has over 35 years of coaching experience in the Junior Olympic, TOPS and Elite developmental programs and was the USA Elite Chairman for Region 3 in Texas. He has opened multiple gyms over the years that led to many awards, including the 2005 African American Business Award in San Antonio, Tx. He trained as a college gymnast under coaches Abraham Grossfield and Peter Korman. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education.

I began gymnastics classes at the age of seven at Sokol Slavsky Gymnastic Club in Berwyn, Illinois,
where I competed as a Men’s Artistic Gymnast for five years. After leaving the sport to pursue other
interests, I briefly returned to compete as a power tumbler for Tri-Star Gymnastics in Forest Park, Illinois..
In the fall of 1998, I took a part-time coaching position at Steele Gymnastics, a fledgling club in Phoenix, Arizona. I continued working as a coach while earning my bachelor's degree in Recreation Management
at Arizona State University. I quickly transitioned into the role of women’s team coach or clubs like the future Scottsdale Gymnastics and All American Stars, where I ascended to the position of head coach.
In 2003, I officially opened American Elite Gymnastics, with the goal of producing top level athletes with an emphasis on coaching with kindness and compassion. Over the next five years, I meticulously guided my coaching staff and team to success, inevitably developing some of Arizona's best compulsory and optional level gymnasts, making American Elite Gymnastics one of the most revered clubs in the state. After the 2007 financial collapse and subsequent closing of American Elite, I continued to coach in the Phoenix area, first at Flames Gymnastics, then at Arizona Prestige Gymnastics as the women’s program director. In 2013, I was invited to join the renowned staff at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Plano, Texas. I was partnered with Cecile Canqueteau-Landi and tasked with coaching a team of compulsory and optional level athletes. We were later assigned an additional team of developmental age athletes. I assumed the auxiliary role of spotting many of WOGA’s top optional team members during our team director, Laurent Landi’s periods of absence while on international coaching assignments. In 2017, I began coaching at Kurt Thomas Gymnastics alongside a very talented and positive staff. While
there, our teams enjoyed continued competitive success, winning numerous State Championship team
titles, having several undefeated seasons at multiple levels simultaneously, and being recognized as Texas USAG Compulsory Program of the Year five times. In 2020, I led the team program at The International Gymnastics Academy of the Rockies, or T.I.G.A.R. in Denver, Colorado before moving to Quality Gymnastics in Bermuda as their program director. I currently hold a USAG safety certification as well as a professional membership in good standing. I have also been a member of the United States Elite Coaches Association. I have furthered my education in the sport by attending state, regional and national coaching clinics, conferences, and conventions hosted by some of the country's most respected collegiate and national team coaches. I have also been invited as a guest speaker on the topic of coaching Vault and Uneven Bars at the Gymnastics Association of Texas (GAT) Convention, and a clinician for athletes at the Region III High-Performance Clinic, and TOPs and Developmental Invitational Camps at the National Team Training Center, as well as at many individual clubs and gymnastics camps both nationally and internationally. Now, I am excited to share all my
knowledge with you.
My coaching efforts over the past twenty-five years have yielded countless state, regional and national individual event and all- around champions, team champions, nation qualifiers for the TOPs, Hopes, and Developmental programs and NCAA scholarship recipients.

Coming Soon

Coach Nick is the GCE Boys Team Director and Boys Recreational Director. He was a competitive gymnast and was the Boys Program Director in Panama. City from 2010-2018 before moving to our area. He lives here with his girlfriend and her two children.

Coach Patty has been coaching gymnastics since 1998, and has experience with Pre-School, Recreational, TOPS, and both DP and Xcel competitive teams. She was part of the coaching staff of the first Xcel program in the country, and is proud to have seen Xcel grow from just an idea to keep a handful of girls in the gym to a national program that has thousands of athletes competing annually. She has her BS and MS degrees in Exercise Physiology, a Minor in Dance, and is also a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Powerlifting Trainer and a Certified Pilates Instructor. Patty's main goals in coaching are to help girls develop strong gymnastics in a safe and fun environment, while also developing character and life skills. Patty lives in Pensacola with her husband Martin and their two chocolate labs, Reese and Moose.

Coach Skylyr is our Recreational Girls Director at our OB location. She has 2 boys ages 5 & 6, one of whom is currently in our boys rec program! She has many years of gymnastics and cheer under her belt, with several years of coaching experience. She coaches preschool kids all the way up to advanced gymnastics kids.

Coach Rob is a Marine Corps veteran. He’s been coaching: men’s and women’s competitive and rec.gymnastics, rec, high school middle school and All Star cheerleading since 2000. He is also a sports and medical massage therapist, rehab, specialist, human movement specialist,and personal trainer who focuses on bio mechanics of his sports.