well established and here for you
The Team
service with a smile
Meet Our People
At Young’s, we make sure first and foremost that all of the staff we hire love teaching and working with children! We look for enthusiastic, energetic instructors! In addition to those qualities, most of our staff have a background in gymnastics and/or cheerleading. We also provide regular staff trainings in order to provide the best and most knowledgeable instructors possible for our students. Read below to learn more about our management and staff!
coaching today's youth as a way of life
Management
take a closer look
Alan Young
Owner
Alan is a true Wake Forest native and a 1985 graduate of Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. He is one of few who can actually claim to have been born in the town of Wake Forest. Having grown up in the town, Alan realized the need for a quality facility that offered gymnastics instruction for children as there had been none when he was a child. After graduating from NC State University, Alan began his endeavor of opening a gymnastics and cheerleading school in the town during the fall of 1993. The doors opened for business on February 28, 1994 in the upstairs portion of what is now the Cotton Company in downtown Wake Forest. Since that time Young’s Gym has grown into what it is today: a stand alone 8,000 sq. ft air conditioned facility that houses the premier gymnastics and All-Star cheerleading program in the area.
alanyoung@youngsgym.com
Sam Shepherd
General Manager
Sam is the General Manager and Gymnastics Director at Young’s Gym. He is also the Head Coach for the Gym's Competitive Team. Sam has a passion for coaching and loves all things gymnastics, tumbling, and cheerleading. Sam was a competitive All-Star cheerleader for 10 years before starting his coaching career at Young’s Gym in 2012. From 2012-2016 Sam worked as a recreational gymnastics instructor and competitive cheerleading coach at Young’s before spending the next five years coaching competitive gymnastics at gyms in Virginia and North Carolina. In 2021, Sam returned to Youngs as General Manager. Sam is a native of Albemarle, NC and now lives in Raleigh with his two dogs, Memphis and Murphy.
sam@youngsgym.com
Shannon Young
Owner
Shannon is a Durham native and former middle school teacher of six years. She and Alan met in 1991 while teaching summer cheerleading camps together at NC State University. She is a graduate of Western Carolina University where she was a Catamount cheerleader for three years. After cheering in college, Shannon spent three seasons cheering for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers as a member of their cheerleading squad, the Topcats. She began working at the gym at the end of 2001 and took over the day to day operations of the business office and began revamping the all-star cheerleading program, the Wake Forest All-Stars. Alan finally got smart and married her in May of 2003! Shannon is the heart and soul of the Wake Forest All-Star cheerleading program and prides herself on running a very successful and well organized program. She and Alan welcomed the birth of their twin boys, Colby and Brody, on April 30th, 2007 and their third son, Casey, was born on November 4, 2008! Team Young is quite busy now as you might would imagine!
shannon@youngsgym.com
Lisa Pitzer
Office Manager
Lisa has been managing the business office of Young’s for more years than any of us can remember and is probably more recognizable to most of our clientele than either Alan or Shannon. You will most likely speak to her on the phone when you call. She has helped relieve Shannon of the every day duties of the business office. If you asked either Shannon or Alan who is the most vital employee in the organization, Lisa’s name would be the first one out of their mouths. Both of Lisa’s girls, Jordan and Jenna, cheered for the Wake Forest All-Stars and her family has been involved in the program for years, long before she began working in the office. Lisa is a vital part of Youngs Gym!
office@youngsgym.com
Jasmine Driscoll
Assistant Manager & Recreational Director
Jasmine is the new Assistant Manager and Recreational Director at Young's Gym. She is also a coach for the Gym's Competitive Team and is the Head Coach for the Jr. Pre-Team. Originally from Long Island NY, Jasmine has been living in NC for 10 years now with her Mom, twin sister, and two dogs. Jasmine has been coaching gymnastics for 8+ years while working at various gyms in the area! She also loves to play softball and is involved in a Co-Ed team with her church!
jasmine@youngsgym.com
Coaches & Staff
Fletcher Brown
Rec Class Teacher
Fletcher is a rec class teacher and teaches Super Tots, Girls 1 & 2, and Tumble 1 & 2. Fletcher did gymnastics for 10 years and is a former level 10 competitive gymnast. He is a student at Wakefield High School and is excited to have the opportunity to teach at Young's!
Raina Gyurko
Substitute Teacher
Raina is a substitute teacher at Youngs! She is a student at Wake Forest High School and is a member of her high school gymnastics team! Raina has been doing gymnastics since age 4 and she is excited about the opportunity to teach kids the sport she loves.
Evie Benton
Rec Class Teacher
Evie is rec class teacher at Youngs! This is her second year teaching classes and will be teaching Girls 1-3 and Tiny Tots. She is a senior at Rolesville High School and plans on attending college next year. Evie started gymnastics when she was 2 and adores teaching kids!
Carter Hall
Rec Class Teacher
Carter is a rec class teacher here at Young’s! He teaches Tumble 1 & 2, Boys Tumbling, and Tiny Tots. He has experience working with students as a camp counselor and loves helping kids stay active and have fun. Carter is currently a third-year student at Judson College in Wake Forest. Outside of the gym, he enjoys playing guitar and working out!
Zoe D'Arcy
Rec Class Teacher
Zoe is currently a Senior at Wake Forest High School. Zoe has been a part of the Youngs Gym family for 4+ years as an athlete and for the last 2 years as a teacher! Zoe did gymnastics for 6 years when she was younger and was a competitive cheerleader for 5 years! She loves working with kids and is so excited for this upcoming year at Youngs!
Jan Maznicki
Day Camp Counselor
Jan is a native of North Carolina and has been a part of the Youngs family for 12+ years. She has raised two children of her own and has a grandson, Gavin, that she loves to spend time with outside of work! She also enjoys gardening, music and reading in her free time.
Elli Mitchell
Rec Class Teacher
Elli is a former competitive gymnast that competed for 8 years. She ended her competitive career as an Xcel Diamond. Elli is currently a senior at Wake Forest High School and was a part of the varsity gymnastics team for the last 3 years. She is super excited to have this opportunity to teach kids the sport she loves so much!
Nate Mooney
Competitive Team Coach
Nate is a competitive team coach here at Youngs! Nate started gymnastics classes when he was 4 years old. He grew up in Raleigh where he was a competitive gymnast for over 10 years. Nate has a passion for coaching gymnastics and tumbling, and loves helping students learn new skills! Nate still lives in Raleigh and is a recent graduate of Wake Tech with a degree in Interior Design!
Emery Newman
Rec Class Teacher
Emery is currently a junior at Cardinal Gibbons High School. She has been a competitive cheerleader for 8 years and got her start right here at Youngs Gym! She is very passionate about cheer and tumbling and is very excited to be able to share that love with her classes this year!
Bridget Paschal
Rec Class Teacher
Bridget is a sophomore at Wake Forest High School and this is her first year teaching classes at Young’s! Bridget was a competitive gymnast for five years and did many years of recreational classes before that. She will be teaching Girls 1 & 2, Tumble 1 & 2, Super Tots, and Advanced Girls! Bridget loves spending time with kids and is super excited for this upcoming year at Youngs!
Erika Taimela
Rec Class Teacher
Erika is a rec class teacher and teaches Cheer 1, Girls 1, and Tumble 1, 2 & 3. She is a former cheerleader at Young's Gym's Wake Forest All-Stars where she cheered for 4 years and also volunteered as a part of the Wonder Wolves Cheer Abilities Team. Erika is a seniorat Wake Forest High School and a fun fact about her is that she can speak Finnish!
Ana Wilson
Rec Class Teacher
Ana is a rec class teacher at Young's and teaches Tiny & Super Tots! Ana is a junior at Rolesville High School set to graduate early as a class of 2026 this year. She has experience doing gymnastics and tumbling as a child and has a passion for teaching! Ana has been working as a substitute teacher for Young’s Gym since March of 2025 and is ready for the year as an official class teacher. A fun fact about Ana is that she has a pet snake!
Sophia Williford
Rec Class Teacher
Sophia is a junior at Wake Forest High School and this is her first year teaching at Young’s! Sophia did gymnastics and tumbling for 7 years and will be teaching Super Tots! Sophia is very excited to have the opportunity to teach kids this upcoming year at Young's Gym!