🌟 Meet Coach Gigi – Our Beam Pro at Gymac🌟

Hello! I’m Dolphina Gertruida Barnard O’Callaghan, but everyone at the club lovingly calls me Gigi.

My coaching journey began when I was just 14, guiding young gymnasts at the Potchefstroom University Gymnastics Club in South Africa 🇿🇦. During my university years, I coached at two clubs in Potchefstroom before opening my own club in Groblersdal, all while working as an educator 👩‍🏫. Later, when both my sons became gymnasts 🤸‍♂️, I also coached at Klerksdorp Gymnastics Club. In 2022, life brought me to the beautiful island of Mauritius 🌴, where I found my second home at Gymac.

✨ I started gymnastics at 9 years old and continued competing until I was 35. The sport is part of my soul.

🎓 Qualifications:
✔️ FIG Judging Course – January 2025
✔️ Qualified Technical Educator (1994) – Electronics & Electrical work
✔️ Honours Degree in Technical Education (2013)
✔️ 30 years of coaching experience
✔️ A sprinkle of bodybuilding at 40! 💪😉

My dad was a gymnast, and since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by the magic of movement—the flips, twists, and endless creativity of the human body!

🎯 Specializations:
✨ Women’s Artistic Gymnastics
✨ Beam (my favorite 💕)
✨ Uneven Bars
✨ Vault
✨ Floor

🌱 My coaching philosophy:
What fills my heart is watching my gymnasts grow—in skill, confidence, and spirit. Seeing them struggle, persevere, and finally shine with pride is the greatest reward 🏅.

💡 I inspire my athletes by:
🌟 Giving lots of positive feedback
🌟 Setting achievable, exciting goals
🌟 Celebrating every little success
🌟 Encouraging constant growth
🌟 Helping them break through mental blocks
And yes, I LOVE sharing inspiring Olympic routines to spark their curiosity ✨🎥.

🧩 My coaching style is a loving blend:
🔹 Authoritative (structure & clarity)
🔹 Transformational (inspiration & motivation)
🔹 Technical (focus on details & refinement)
🔹 Motivational (emphasizing mental strength)

For me, coaching is building a family 🤍—a safe space of trust, joy, and encouragement, where every child feels seen and supported.

🌈 A proud moment as a coach:
I’ll never forget Amie, Reya, and Fleur, my first little gymnasts who competed so beautifully 🥰. And honestly, each and every gymnast who gives their best fills me with pride—even my tiniest 3-year-olds who follow every instruction like pros!

🌟 My vision:
To nurture gymnasts as whole individuals—mind, body, and spirit. At Gymac, we’re not just building athletes, but strong, kind, and resilient people who love what they do. 💕

🚀 At Gymac:
I continue to grow alongside this amazing team, always learning and following the inspiring leadership of Jakub ✨.

🏠 Why Gymac is special:
It’s a welcoming, fully equipped training home for artistic gymnastics in Mauritius—a place where potential is nurtured and dreams take flight 🌟.

🎯 My goal for my gymnasts:
To help each one unlock their full potential, with support, motivation, and heart 💖.

🎉 A few fun facts about me:
💫 I never give up!
💫 If I weren’t coaching, I’d still be teaching kids—I love working with all ages!
💫 Stretching is my favorite workout 🧘‍♀️.

💌 My favorite mottos:
“Don’t practice until you get it right; practice until you can’t get it wrong!”
“Everything is possible—set your mind to it!”