TRYumph Coaching Staff
Alina Florea - Head Coach
Alina Florea is a former Romanian gymnast and National level coach (1993-1999). She coached Andreea Raducan, former member of the Romanian National Olympic Team and Olympic Champion in 2000.
Alina has a Bachelor of Physical Education and Sport and a bachelor’s degree in teaching. Certified as a NCCP Level IV WAG coach, she has coached both provincial and national level athletes in Ontario since 2003. Alina built and managed a strong High Performance Program in Ottawa and counts many Provincial, Eastern Canadian, and even a National Champion amongst her athletes. The program developed by Alina ensures continuous development and success for her athletes.
Paul ApSimon - Fencing Head Coach
The TRYumph/Ottawa Fencing Club operates under the direction of Head Coach Paul ApSimon who is a certified level 4 coach (ACD – Advanced Coaching Diploma). Paul was the team leader and foil coach for the 2000, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Canadian Olympic Fencing teams. He helped the women’s foil team to Canada’s first ever Gold medal in Women’s Fencing at the Pan Am Games in Toronto. Most recently, Paul coached Eleanor Harvey to Canada’s best ever result at the Olympic Games: a seventh place finish.
George Codreanu - General Manager
George joined TRYumph Gymnastics Academy team as General Manager starting May 2021. He brings an extensive experience of about 15 years in the HR field. He is passionate about working with people, for people. Listening, understanding customer needs, and providing solutions are his main priorities. Before devoting his full-time to TRYumph Gymnastics Academy he worked for Lidl Romania, an important company in Europe with more than 350000 employees and 11000 stores across Europe and the United States.
Mirela Bica - WAG Manager and Competitive Coach
Born and raised in Romania, in the city of Galati, Mirela was a gymnast for more than 12 years, 9 of those years being a national level gymnast. She graduated from The Science and Letters University in Galati, with a specialty in Gymnastics and Track and Field. She started her coaching career in her birth city. In 1998, she got married to another national coach and went to Sweden for a short period of time, where she coached for a club in Gὂteborg.
In 1999, she moved to Manila (Phillipines) where she was coaching the National teams, juniors and seniors. Both her teams won prestigious competition titles. (SEAGCON). She returned to Romania after a year, worked at the local club in Focsani for a couple of years and then moved to Canada where she ran the Fort Frances Gymnastics Academy programs for 5 years. In 2007, Mirela moved to Saskatoon at an Elite level club (Marian Gymnastics Club) and then at J & N Gymnastics Club until 2010.
She returned to Northwestern Ontario in 2010 at Thunder Bay Gymnastics Association, she worked for 4 years. After that, she used her vast gymnastics experience to help building a brand new club, Ultimate Gymnastics, where she was a Head coach until she was hired in 2016 by a Gymnastics Centre in Ottawa. In 2018 she joined the newly formed club, TRYumph Gymnastics Academy, to coach alongside the very talented, Alina Florea.
Gabrielle
Coach Mentor & Competitive Coach
I am a Level 2 certified artistic gymnastics coach in both women’s and men’s gymnastics. I have been coaching for 10 years, working with gymnasts of all ages and levels. From pre-competitive to provincial level, I love seeing the smile on a gymnast’s face when they get that one skill they have worked so hard on, may it be a cartwheel or their first kip on bars. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and in education, and I also work as a full time teacher for the French school board. Teaching kids is my passion and I am so glad to be part of the TRYumph family to help all of our gymnasts grow!
Avery
Rec Manager & Competitive Coach
Hi, my name is Avery! I have been with TRYumph since day one and I have been able to experience it both as a competitive athlete and as a coach. I did gymnastics for about 15 years and was coached by Alina herself during my most successful years. I competed at national level and traveled to so many cool places throughout my career as a gymnast. I had such an amazing experience that I want to be able to give others the same love I had for gymnastics through coaching in an amazing and safe environment like TRYumph.
Ben Manano
Fencing Coach
Former High-Performance Director at the CFF, he has also served as Provincial, National and Olympic coach.
Julie
Acro Coordinator & Recreational Coach
Hi, my name is Julie! I am 22 years old and I’ve been coaching for 8 years now. I am a graduate student from the University of Ottawa with a double major in arts and theatre. This creativity is what allowed me to become the versatile coach I am today. I teach Competitive Women’s Artistic and Acrobatics Gymnastics, American Ninja Warrior, Trampoline, Tumbling, Dance and more. I have learned so much from my experience as a provincial level 8 competitive athlete thanks to my coaches Mirela, Gabrielle and Alina in gymnastics, and from coaches Paul and Ben, who taught and encouraged me to compete in university-level fencing. I wish to share this knowledge and passion for these sports with the current and future athletes at TRYumph. I can’t wait to teach you soon and don’t forget to check out our new program – Acrobatics Gymnastics!
Erika
Competitive Coach
Hi, my name is Erika! I am 22 years old and have recently graduated from uOttawa with a BSc in Biomedical Science with a Minor in Psychology. I am currently taking my Masters of Human Kinetics degree in applied sports psychology to pursue a career as a mental performance consultant! As a former provincial gymnast and judge, I have been immersed in the sport for many years. Through my career as an athlete, I decided to become a “coach in-training” at 13 y/o and took my first coaching course at 15 y/o. Since then, I have been coaching gymnasts ageing from 6-12 y/o in the pre-competitive and JO program as a trained Comp WAG 1 and level 1 trampoline coach.
My coaching philosophy is to help all athletes strive to achieve their best in whatever capacity they deem that to be! I am happy to be able to execute my goals at a facility like TRYumph!
Hanna
Competitive Coach
Hi, I’m Hanna! I started gymnastics when I was 2 years old and I became a competitive gymnast at the age of 5. I competed for 10 years and reached a national level with the help of Alina’s coaching. I am now a recreational and competitive coach and have been coaching for 4 years. I have had such an amazing experience in gymnastics and I am so happy that I get to share my love for the sport by coaching!
Sri
Ninja Coach
Sri is a passionate and experienced sports professional with a Master of Human Kinetics in Sport Management from the University of Ottawa and a background in Psychology, Journalism, and English from Jain Deemed-to-be University. With a solid foundation in coaching and training across various sports, including competitive soccer/football in both India and England, Sri brings a goal-oriented and result-driven approach to the role of Ninja Warrior Coach. Their extensive experience in fostering athlete growth and development, along with effective leadership and strong communication skills, ensures an engaging and impactful learning environment.
Dalia
Competitive Coach
Dalia brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to TRYumph Gymnastics Academy. A former provincial-level athlete, Dalia began her coaching journey at the young age of 13 as a “coach in training,” progressing to coach pre-competitive and provincial-level athletes. She is a dedicated student at the University of Ottawa, where she completed her B.Sc. in 2023 and is now studying in medical school.
With her recent certification as a Level 9 judge, Dalia combines her passion for gymnastics with a deep commitment to guiding athletes in their development. She believes gymnastics is a unique and rewarding sport and is excited to contribute to the supportive and inspiring environment at TRYumph.
Myra
Rec & Comp Coach
Hi, I’m Myra! I am now a retired gymnast, but when I was 8 years old, I discovered my passion for the sport. I’ve always loved teaching myself new tricks and flipping around my house. I started competitive gymnastics at the age of 9, and I was fortunate enough to place 1st all-around at the Provincial Championships in 2018 and 3rd in 2019 for levels 5 and 6. Also, in 2019, I was lucky enough to qualify to represent Team Ontario in California, where my team and I brought home first place! I am a level 1 certified coach in Artistic Gymnastics and I have been coaching since 2021. I’ve always loved working with kids, and I am grateful and excited to share my knowledge and love for this sport with future athletes at TRYumph Gymnastics Academy!
Kelly
Rec & Pre-comp Coach
I am an energetic coach that try’s to keep things fun and challenging.
Meg
Recreational Coach
Hi, I’m Meg! I’ve been a gymnast for as long as I can remember. I started recreational gymnastics at age 2, and moved to the competitive stream at age 6. I’ve been competing ever since and couldn’t imagine my life without gymnastics. I am currently a level 8 gymnast training at TRYumph.
I am so grateful to be able to share my love for this wonderful sport by coaching young gymnasts at TRYumph Gymnastics Academy
Emma
Cheer & Tumbling Coach
Hi! My name is Emma and I am honoured to be in my second year as a coach at Tryumph Gymnastics. I am an undergraduate student in Second Language Teaching and Music at UOttawa.
I have been a competitive all-star cheerleader for 13 years – 5 years on a worlds level team and I am a World Cheer and Dance Championship silver medalist. My favourite thing about coaching is: seeing my athletes achieve their goals and pushing themselves to their limits.
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