Throughout the three months of September, October, and November, the earth had traveled 92.6 million miles around the sun, students had completed 60 academic days, and the Homestead gymnastics team had to find a coach.
However, even after almost months of diligent searching, Homestead could not find anyone to coach the 2025 Homestead Girls Gymnastics Team. Throughout preseason training, gymnasts were not all that was up in the air: so was the future of the 2025-2026 Homestead Gymnastics Team, until three Homestead faculty members stepped forward.
Erich Hinterstocker, Homestead Athletic Director, was given notice that the team would need a new coaching staff in August 2025, giving him only three months to find a coach.
“We reached out to all the local clubs (there are three in the area), [and] nobody had any recommendations for us. We reached out to people in the North Shore Conference to see if they had any recommendations. We posted it on WECAN, which is a site that coaches and teachers use to see what type of openings are available,” Hinterstocker said.
A month before the 2025-2026 season the gymnastics team was still without a coach.
“I was definitely scared when I found out I might not be able to do high school gymnastics because it’s been something I have been looking forward to experiencing. I was definitely frustrated because I wanted to be able to compete and practice with my teammates,” Kayla Kestner, senior gymnast, said.
Homestead’s new gymnastics coaches were actually already in the building. Suzanne Zellmann, Research and Digital Learning Specialist, undertook the role as head coach. Marisa White, Homestead Physical Education Teacher and former collegiate gymnast and Terry Carr, Homestead Social Emotional Coach and Homestead Girls Diving Coach both agreed to the role of assistant coaches.
“I decided to take action because I absolutely love this sport and knew they were struggling to find a coach. I talked to my family and we all felt with some sacrifice we could make it work; after all, it’s been 14+ years since I have coached high school gymnastics. With some creative planning and help from the AD, Mrs. Zellmann and Mrs. Carr, we pieced together a plan that we felt could work,” White explained.
The three coaches truly embody the Highlander spirit by taking the time outside the classroom to provide the opportunity for Homestead students to continue doing something they love.
“The more we can integrate our teachers into athletics, the better the experience is going to be for our student-athletes because they know what we expect. They know what is good for kids and how to relate. I could not be happier that we had three people willing to step into the roles,” Hinterstocker said.
In this unique situation, both coaches and student-athletes are learning lessons beyond the classroom and on the mat from one other.
“I’ve learned many things! The girls are amazing. They work hard and are funny. They are all very different and bring many assets to the team,” Carr said.
The coaches’ determination to keep the team alive has served as an inspiration for the gymnasts, particularly for seniors such as Isabella Vincent.
“I am so grateful that all three of the coaches stepped up and made it work for us. They are all amazing. This year, gymnastics has taught me to stay positive even through the injuries and challenges that our team has gone through,” Vincent said.
