Owner & Program Director Jen Posten

Owner, Tecumseh Gymnastics Academy 2008-Present

THS Head Varsity Coach 2002-Present

Our Story…

I was introduced to gymnastics at the age of 3 while enrolled in preschool at the YMCA in Adrian, gymnastics was part of our daily curriculum.  The coaches that taught this portion of our day introduced me to this incredible sport, coached me through my adolescence, judged me through my teen years, and now provide mentorship as judges for the gymnasts we coach in the gym today.  The greatest gift I received from Gymnastics was family and community and it has remained the most important part of my “job” today.

As a training gymnast I compete from the age of 7 to 18 as a level 3, 4, 5, and 6 gymnast before transitioning to High School gymnastics.  I was a four year letterman and captain and I began coaching my junior year of high school.  I knew then I wanted to be a coach.

After high school I ran the YMCA gymnastics program for a short time before having my daughter in 1998.  After Bailie was born I coached preschool through level 8 for our local club and had my second child, Marcus in 2000.  Our gymnasts and families at the club petitioned and succeeded in reinstating the Varsity program at Tecumseh High School.  In 2001 I then moved on to an assistant coaching role for THS.  After a rough first year, I was named the head coach in 2002.

In 2005 I had my third child, Maxwell and I took an additional coaching position at a local gymnastics club, coaching Level 1 through 6 and doing private lessons for our high school athletes as there was no gym in Tecumseh for them to train out of season at that time.  

In 2007 our high school team was given the option to take over the old Junior High School gym as our own private practice space and in 2008 we won our first league championship; needless to say it was a great change.  In need of new equipment, we ran a summer youth program called “Tecumseh Gymnastics Academy”.  I coached 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and raised enough money to buy a spring floor.  After that we realized the need our community had for a gymnastics program and TGA officially was turned into a USA member gym, preschool through Varsity with a competing Prep Op team.

TGA has evolved over the years, moving from USA gymnastics to the Michigan Recreational Gymnastics League. Leaving the old junior high to north Adrian hwy. and now in our permanent home on South Occidental Hwy. TGA exists because we want to be a positive light in every kid's life.  While gymnastics can be a very serious sport, we want to make sure to provide a fun and safe environment for our kids.  The idea that success is different for every individual and it is my mission to guide each child to their own personal level of success and that athletes will achieve their full gymnastics potential with individualized development.

My coaching philosophy is guided by the belief that children can learn the discipline of gymnastics in a fun, safe, and protective environment. The idea that success is different for every individual and it is my mission to guide each child to their own personal level of success and that athletes will achieve their full gymnastics potential with individualized development.

It is my belief that the sport of Gymnastics is a teaching tool for young gymnasts to learn the value of hard work, dedication, personal discipline, competition, teamwork, and character. We learn through experience. This provides the opportunity to learn through sport the qualities that carry over into real life. It gives them the chance to build bonds and form lifelong relationships that come from being a part of something bigger. It is my hope that I have helped prepare them to travel on to bigger and better things when they leave the gym.

As a coach it is my job to be a leader; both in the gym and out, but also to guide my athletes to be strong leaders themselves by involving them in their training plans, skill goals, and team bonding. I strive to find balance between empowering athletes with ownership over their goals and plans, while maintaining structure and discipline to ensure productivity in their gymnastics career.