Meet R-Staff
Dedication to the sport and intense training are part of each R Athletics’ Coaches resume. New coaches spend weeks shadowing classes and in skill development training. All coaches continue with monthly skill and child development instruction.
R-Coaches are Safety-Certified in first-aid and CPR and have a background check on file.
They will greet your child as they line up, encourage and praise them throughout the class and meet with you occasionally with updates and progress reports.
R-Coaches LOVE to watch your child shine!
Rachel Rydbeck
Owner | Head Coach
Rachel was a competitive gymnast and a State All-Around champion in her youth and has a deep love of the sport. It brings her great joy to coach athletes who participate in gymnastics. It was her dream to be able to share her gifts and talents. In 2010 her dream was fulfilled when R Athletics opened. Rachel strives to offer excellence in all areas. Her coaching staff is exemplary and the level of coaching is top-notch. Every child is taught the proper skill progressions while having fun! Details are important to Rachel: individual attention, monthly themes, special events, and coach-parent communication are all vital components to the success each child will experience.
John Rydbeck
Owner | Finance, Building, Operations, Maintenance Manager
Married to Rachel Rydbeck for 16 years, John is responsible for all of the financial and operational decisions that keep R Athletics a top-notch facility. A graduate of Hope College with a Chemistry degree, he works at Infrastructural Alternatives, an environmental engineering firm, during the day and spends his evenings and weekends keeping R Athletics running smoothly.
Karen
Birthday Party Director | Pro-Shop Manager | Front Desk
Karen is a mother of 6 grown children and grandmother of 18. She has a teaching degree in elementary education and has taught 2nd grade. She also has been the infant and early childhood director in a large church. Karen was a part of the planning and launching of R-Athletics and is currently the director of birthday parties, manager of the Pro Shop and staff at the front desk. Karen’s talents also extend to creating all of the embroidered apparel and accessory items in the Pro Shop.
Rachel
Developmental Team Director | Team Coach | Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Rachel was one of Rachel Rydbeck’s former gymnasts, competing all the way up to Level 10. During her career, she was a Level 9 National All-Around Champion and also received a full-ride gymnastics scholarship to Northern Illinois University. Rachel competed at college gymnastics for four years while earning a degree in nutrition and dietetics. She loves coaching gymnastics because she loves seeing the joy it brings the athletes when they learn new skills.
Claire
Team Coach | Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Claire has been involved in the sport of gymnastics for 27 years. She was a nationally competitive gymnast for twelve years. Claire has coached through all levels of the sport from Recreational through Elite. Claire has studied at both Universities of Pittsburgh and Grand Valley with a Child Psychology emphasis and is currently pursuing a Sports Science degree through the United States Sports Academy online. She loves to help children grow as athletes and individuals through her efforts.
Brittini
Team Coach | Rec. Director | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach | Rec. Coach
Brittini competed in gymnastics for most of her life and earned a full-ride scholarship to Michigan State as the capstone of her career. She has a B.A. in Psychology and 4 years experience coaching Gymnastics. Although no longer competing, her passion for the sport is satisfied by helping her athletes experience the same thrill that she did in the gym.
Anna
Cheer Coach | Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Allison
Cheer Coach | Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Sideline Cheerleading made Allison a natural fit to coach gymnastics and Ninja Zone. She loves kids and wants to pursue a future career working with children. Her passion for the sport will inspire her students to excel!
Bronwen
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Coach
At three years of age, Bronwen started gymnastics and by 8 years was competing for R-Athletics. She was a Level 8 State Champion in 2021. She now competes for Forest Hills Gymnastics team and does Crossfit in her spare time. Her favorite thing about coaching is creating relationships with the kids and making sure they are having fun!
Mia (Amelia)
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Caitlin
Team Coach
Caitlin competed gymnastics for 8 years. After having a very positive experience with the sport, she wanted to share it with others. She has since then coached for 21 years from pre-team to high-level Optionals and was lucky enough to attend Nationals with one of her athletes. Her full-time job is pediatric occupational therapy. She specializes in feeding and swallowing.
Mayari (Maj)
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Maddie
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Maddie began gymnastics when she was 6 and moved on to dance five years later. She is now cheering both Varsity Sideline Cheer and Competitive Cheer for Caledonia High School, as well as Lacrosse in the spring. She is looking to go into fashion merchandising and design for her future career. She loves teaching and coaching, especially in Cheer and Gymnastics.
Sami
Cheer Coach | Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Gabby
Rec. & Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Addison
Team Coach | Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Addison has been involved in gymnastics since the age of 8. She competed four years on teams at R-Athletics and has 4 years experience in dance. Addison loves kids. Her favorite part of coaching is being able to be an encourager and positive role model while helping kids achieve their goals in the sport of gymnastics.
Anna M.
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Elisabeth
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Hannah B
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach | Team Coach
R-Athletics
Meredith
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Cheer Coach | Ninja Zone
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Millie
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Elijah
Ninja Zone Coach | Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach |
R-Athletics
Mia S.
Cheer Coach | Rec. & Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-AthleticsAddison
Team Coach | Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Addison has been involved in gymnastics since the age of 8. She competed four years on teams at R-Athletics and has 4 years experience in dance. Addison loves kids. Her favorite part of coaching is being able to be an encourager and positive role model while helping kids achieve their goals in the sport of gymnastics.
Rachael
Rec. Coach | Birthday Party Coach
R-Athletics
Rachel B
Rec|Rollin’|Cheer|Ninja Zone
R-Athletics
Betsy
Administration/Operations Manager | Front Desk
As a mother of 5 children and a grandmother of 3 beautiful little girls, Betsy has spent the last 30 plus years working with children and volunteering in their schools and as an organizer of their sports teams. She is a graduate of Aquinas College with a degree in Business Management and is responsible for running the front desk at R Athletics.
Michelle
Front Desk | Birthday Hostess | Team Coach
Michelle was one of Rachel Rydbeck’s former gymnasts and always placed high in All Around Gymnastic competitions. In high school, she broke the school record for bars and balance beam, and was the regional bars champion and 2nd in the State on the balance beam. She was on the All Conference and All State team and named MVP. Michelle loves coaching gymnastics because she gets to be a part of every child reaching his or her goals.
Leslie
Front Desk | Birthday Parties
R-Athletics
K.C.
Front Desk | Birthday Hostess
Coming from the Traverse City area, K.C. attended college at Grand Valley University and then worked for the federal government in the DC area. After moving to Grand Rapids, K.C. enrolled her two daughters at R-Athletics and then chose to join R team. She has been married for ten years and recently adopted a Cavapoo dog named George.
Jen
Front Desk | Birthday Parties
R-Athletics
Jontae
Birthday Party Coach
As a well-rounded athlete specializing in tennis, bowling and golf, Ethan is a natural coach. He also excels at school where he is in the top 10 of his class and wants to study Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Tech. His energy and commitment to the sport ensures a fun and challenging class for his students.
Marissa
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Marissa has been practicing gymnastics for 13 years and competing for the last 9 years as a Junior Olympian teammate and a high school athlete. She attends Lowell High School and plans on studying Sports Psychology at University of Florida. Coaching is a way of sharing her gifts with others so that they too will grow to love the sport of gymnastics.
Ethan
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
As a well-rounded athlete specializing in tennis, bowling and golf, Ethan is a natural coach. He also excels at school where he is in the top 10 of his class and wants to study Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Tech. His energy and commitment to the sport ensures a fun and challenging class for his students.
Anna Sophia
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach | Team Coach
Anna Sophia has been involved in gymnastics since she was two years old and has been at R Athletics for 6 years, including two years of competition. She is currently attending Michigan State with plans to study Kinesiology/Exercise Science in college and then pursue her degree in Physical Therapy. She loves the sport of gymnastics, so coaching comes naturally. Sharing her passion with her athletes is a wonderful adventure
Mackenzie
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach | Team Coach
Along with her sister Avery, Mackenzie was a one of the original athletes when R-Athletics opened its doors. She practiced the sport for 15 years and competed for 12 as a Junior Olympian. She currently attends Michigan State University on a Rowing scholarship and is back to coach during the summer months. "I love R-Athletics and the way they love the sport and and encourage the kids. I just can’t stay away"!
Payton
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Payton was one of the original members of the R-Athletics Junior Olympic team when we opened R doors. She has participated in gymnastics since she was 3 years old. Currently she is a student at Forest Hills Central where she competes in Diving and Gymnastics. The sport is in her blood and now she loves coaching with the girls she used to compete with.
Avery
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach | Team Coach
Avery has been involved in gymnastics for 14 years. She was an original member of the R-Athletics Junior Olympics’ competitive team. She attends Michigan State University on a Rowing scholarship. Being a mentor to the younger girls both at practice and during competitions is very satisfying to her. She enjoys passing on her knowledge of the sport to her students.
Brooke
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
Brooke has participated in multiple sports, including gymnastics. She is attending Central Michigan University to study Child Psychology. She loves the sport and coaching the sport and is convinced gymnastics will be a great foundation for any other athletic pursuit.
Marie
Rec. Coach | Rollin’ Coach | Ninja Zone Coach
R-Athletics
Nicole
Front Desk| Birthday Hostess
A natural athlete herself, Nicole joined the R-Athletic team as a parent of a Junior Olympian team girl. She loves to run and is busy running the front desk. You can also see her as a birthday hostess at R parties.
