Our Coaching Staff
We are proud of our highly qualified, USAG Safety Certified staff of team coaches. They are enthusiastic, dedicated educators with a strong commitment toward physical fitness and individual achievement.
Tatiana Kamarskaya (Owner, Recreational/Team Coach)
Tatiana Kamarskaya boasts over 30 years of distinguished coaching experience in both the United States and the former Soviet Union. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Tatiana was a celebrated member of the Ukrainian National Team, winning the National Championship and securing a prize at the USSR Acrobatics Championships. During her career in the Soviet Union, four of her students achieved the title of Masters of Sport, two became International Masters of Sport, and one earned a bronze medal at the World Championships in France in 1992. Tatiana has been widely sought after for her expertise, receiving numerous invitations to teach clinics and choreograph gymnastics routines across the U.S. On the West Coast, she has conducted clinics with renowned coaches such as Bela Karolyi and Arthur Acopian, as well as other successful gymnasts. In addition to her coaching achievements, Tatiana is a co-founder and operator of Exxcel Gymnastics, where her expertise continues to shape the future of the sport.
Gary Leykin (Owner, Recreational/Team Coach)
With over 30 years of coaching experience, Gary Leykin is a highly accomplished figure in the field of gymnastics. His personal achievements include being a Champion with the United Team of Belorussia, winning the Youth Championship of the former USSR, and earning the Honored Master of Sport award, the highest accolade in Soviet athletics. Gary's coaching career spans 17 years in the USSR, where he served as a regional board member of DINAMO and coached two students who qualified for the 1986 USSR Olympic team. After moving to the United States, Gary became the head coach of Spectrum Gymnastics in Brockton, MA, for two years, during which he coached a student who qualified for the U.S. Junior National Team. In 1998, he co-founded Exxcel Gymnastics, where he has successfully developed one of the premier boys' gymnastics programs in Massachusetts. Gary's extensive experience and dedication have made him a prominent figure in gymnastics, both in the former Soviet Union and the United States.
Alex Toumilovich (Team Coach)
When Exxcel began operating in 1998, Alex was one of the first staff members to join as a team coach. As a gymnast competing for Belorussia, he achieved the highest level attainable in international men's gymnastics. Alex was also a member of the USSR National Team and earned a bronze medal in the European All-Around Championships. As a coach, he has guided students to significant accomplishments, including receiving Master of Sports titles, a silver medal at the 1996 World Championships, and two national championships. Additionally, Alex has served as an International Gymnastics Judge, officiating at prestigious events such as the 1994 World Championships, the 1995 Pre-Olympic Trials, and the European Championships in 1994, 1996, and 1998. His extensive experience and dedication have made him a vital part of Exxcel Gymnastics' success.
Melissa McManus (Exxcel Team Director/Coach)
Melissa joined the Exxcel staff in 2001, initially teaching recreational gymnastics, and has since played a pivotal role in coaching and expanding Exxcels team program. With over 15 years of experience in competitive gymnastics as both a gymnast and a coach, Melissa brings a wealth of knowledge to the team. Her background also includes training in ballet and various other forms of dance. In addition to her gymnastics expertise, Melissa holds a BS in Finance and Economics. She has served as the meet director for the Exxcel Beach Party for the past ten years, showcasing her organizational skills and dedication to the sport. From 2008 to 2016, Melissa was the coach of the Wellesley High School Gymnastics team, leading them to win seven consecutive BSC Championships. In recent years, she has successfully coached numerous state, regional, and national champions, further solidifying her reputation as a highly effective and inspiring coach.
Edison Carvajal (Girls Team Head Coach)
Edison is a former member of the Colombian National Team and competed professionally for 8 years. He participated in many prestigious competitions including the South American Games, Pan American Championships, Bolivarian Countries Games and the World Championships in Anaheim, California. Edison has over 10 years of experience as a professional gymnastics coach.
Kristin Cerrato (Team Coach)
Kristin began instructing gymnasts at Exxcel in 1999 and has grown to be a highly respected member of our coaching staff. As a competitive gymnast of eight years, Kristin won two State Championships and competed in regional competitions. Since that time, Kristin has earned a B.S. in Education with an emphasis in elementary education.
Asya Sutbayeva (Team Coach)
Asya has been a coach at Exxcel since 2010. She has a degree in Master of Sport for Artistic Acrobatics. Asya was a member of the Kazakhstan National Team. She has been an accomplished gymnastics coach for over 17 years. Her students are medalists at International Competitions including, World Championships, Asian Championships, and National Championships. She was selected to be an International judge from 2001-2008.
Laura Lawless (Team Coach)
Laura joined Exxcel in 2003 and works with our XCel team. Laura was a competitive gymnast for 8 years during which she was a MA State Champion and TOPS National qualifier. During college at UMass, she won Best All Around on her cheerleading team and led her team to a 3rd place finish at Nationals. She received her degree in 2008 in Marketing. Laura has completed the W400 National Coaches Course (highest level of coaching) at the US National Training Center and she has coached many state and regional champions.
Jorge Giraldo (Team Coach)
Jorge is a distinguished three-time Olympian gymnast from Colombia, having competed in the Olympic Games in London, Beijing, and Athens. Over the course of his 29-year gymnastics career, he dominated as the Colombian Senior National Champion for 13 consecutive years. He claimed the All-Around Champion titles in the South American Games (1998, 2006, and 2010) and the Central American Games (2006 and 2010), while also earning multiple medals at five Pan-American Games. Jorge showcased his talent on the global stage by competing in 13 World Championships, five American Cup meets, and earning two bronze medals in World Cup events. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the sport, a gymnastics facility in Medellin, Colombia, was named in his honor. Today, Jorge continues his passion for gymnastics by coaching both girls and boys teams at Exxcel Gymnastics.
Christine Curran (Preschool Program Director)
Christine has been employed at Exxcel since 2003. She has been teaching preschool gymnastics for over 15 years. She has earned her Kinder Accreditation for Teachers (KAT) as well as a certificate in Movement Education Lesson Plan Development (MELPD). Her love and passion for working with children has helped our program to grow and thrive.
Max Atakhanov (Camp Director)
Max joined Exxcel as a junior staff member in 2016 after doing gymnastics for 5 years. He graduated from Mass Bay Community College with a degree in Humanities & Liberal Arts in 2018. After learning and rising through the ranks as a recreational gymnastics, climbing and ninja warrior coach, he became the Camp Director in 2020.
Bernardo Montes (Climbing Director/Gymnastics Coach)
Bernardo has been working at Exxcel since 2013. He began his gymnastics career at a summer program call Jamnastics first as a (coach in training) and working his way up to teaching both hip hop and gymnastics in public schools in Cambridge and Boston. Along with his extensive gymnastics background, Bee has experience with cheerleading and a passion for Parkour, something he has done his whole life. He calls himself a dare devil. Bee opened up a Parkour class in 2006 that expanded into a company call Boston Parkour Academy. Bee coaches rock climbing, ninja trainer and gymnastics classes.
Trevor Flynn Alling (Coach)
Trevor has been involved in gymnastics since age 9, and competed alongside Marlborough High School's team due to Nashoba Regional's lack of a program. He has been a highly competitive breakdancer and martial artist since 2001, and still judges and performs at events across New England. He become a dedicated coach during college, while earning his Exercise Science degree at Fitchburg State University. He also has much cheerleading experience, having cheered for Fitchburg State University, the Boston Celtics as a member of the Green Team, and 10 years of all star competitive cheer for teams such as East Elite. Trevor has coached many cheerleading teams including Bentley University, Brandeis University, and Harvard University. He is also an acrodunker and has performed for the Boston Celtics dunk team for three+ years. He has twelve years of gymnastics coaching experience, and become a member of the Exccel staff in 2010. Trevor coaches boys and girls recreational gymnastics and tumbling.
Susan Ham (Co-Office Manager / Birthday Party Director)
Susan has been at Exxcel since 1998. Susan's daughter was a member of the Exxcel team for many years as well. Sue has held various positions while at Exxcel and is currently our Birthday Party Director.
Kimberlee Caneja (Co-Office Manager)
Kimberlee joined Exxcels office team in 2018 helping parents enroll their students in our classes and vacation camps. She is currently our morning office manager and loves to see all the excited pre-school gymnasts coming to class. Kimberlee graduated from Stonehill College with Coach Melissa receiving a BS in Finance and Economics. She also has young children who love our gymnastics and rock climbing classes and coming to summer camp!
