Meet the Team
Coach Liz Lavin
Owner/CEO
Liz is originally from Wisconsin, where she was a competitive gymnast throughout her childhood and later a collegiate cheerleader. During her undergrad, she was a gymnastics coach, and also interned at NYU and fell in love with New York. She moved to NYC and became a head coach of a gymnastics program for about five years. NYC is also where she met her now-husband, a Bay Area native, Frank Lavin. They moved to the Bay in 2018, where she joined UC Berkeley — first as Xcel Program Lead, and for the past six years as Head Coach of the youth gymnastics program. During her time at UC Berkeley, the youth enrollment exceeded 1.2k children per week, hired/trained 75+ staff members, won Best of the Bay multiple years, and won the Northern California Gymnastics Perpetual Trophy ranking the competitive team as #1 in NorCal. Her gymnasts have won numerous State Titles and often undefeated. She is also a certified USA Gymnastics Professional Coach, Meet Director, and member of NorCal's State Committee. She’s now a proud mom of two amazing little boys who you’ll probably see around the gym.
Coach Nico
Torres-Labarca
Nico is a proud Berkeley native whose gymnastics journey began in 1996 at UC Berkeley Youth Gymnastics — the very gym he would later return to as a coach and leader. After years of recreational training, he fell deeply in love with the sport and expanded his movement training into circus arts. Nico trained over 10 years intensively in contortion, hand balancing, and dance. He spent six years performing with Acrosports’ City Circus Troupe. At Acrosports, he also coached in their gymnastics outreach program and served as Camp Coordinator for three years.
Nico earned his B.F.A. in Dance from San Francisco State University, where he studied ballet, modern, and jazz. He performed with the University Dance Theatre Company and received special recognition for outstanding choreography.
Nico joined UC Berkeley’s coaching staff in 2017 and has worked with athletes of every age and level. As Competitive Program Lead, he received UC Berkeley’s Spot Award for his exceptional contributions and played a key role in elevating the team to win the Northern California Gymnastics Perpetual Trophy multiple years in a row, cementing Berkeley Youth Gymnastics as the top program in NorCal.
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Coach Jennifer
Greenstein
​Jennifer brings more than 25 years of coaching experience to Golden Gate Gymnastics, with a true passion for working with preschool-aged athletes. She also spent seven years as a preschool teacher and completed 25 units in Early Childhood Education — experience that gives her a deep understanding of how young children learn, move, and build confidence. She has also built a beautiful family of her own: married for 39 years, mom of four (three sons and one daughter), and a proud grandma to two sweet boys. Her warmth, patience, and steady presence are at the heart of her coaching style, and it’s what makes her classes joyful, structured, and nurturing for even the littlest gymnasts. Jennifer is Infant/Child/Adult CPR & First Aid certified, USAG SafeSport certified, and CDC Concussion Training certified, keeping safety and care at the center of everything she does. And outside the gym, she has a fun surprise — she rides motorcycles!
Coach Jade Hodge
Jade Hodge is a Bay Area native and former competitive gymnast with over 13 years of coaching experience. She has spent the last decade working alongside Liz and Nico, helping build one of the most respected and loved gymnastics programs in the Bay Area.
Most recently, Jade served as the Recreational Program Lead at UC Berkeley, where she played a key role in developing strong, confident athletes across all levels. In addition to her gymnastics background, Jade was also a collegiate athlete in both track and cheer, giving her a well-rounded and dynamic approach to movement, athleticism, and training.
Jade holds a Master’s degree in Sport & Exercise Psychology and brings a deep understanding of athlete development beyond physical skills. Her coaching is rooted in building confidence, motivation, and self-belief, and her work ethic and leadership set the standard for everyone around her. Families and athletes alike are drawn to her energy, care, and commitment to helping each child reach their full potential.
We are incredibly lucky to have Jade’s heart, expertise, and leadership as a core part of our team as we bring this program to Marin.