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Glen Vaughan
Glen Vaughn has forgotten more about gymnastics than most will ever know. He has taught at every level, making him a popular and sought-after speaker on regional and national congress events and earning him the right to sit on an elite panel: The Board of Directors for the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Glenn is a USA Safety-Risk Management instructor and was the training and site supervisor for Mary Lou Retton’s ‘Perfect 10’ at the 1984 Olympic Games and again for Paul Hamm’s ‘Déjà vu’ men’s all-around gold at the 2003 World Championships. But it is his devotion to young athletes in the sport –either by volunteering at USGF, USAG and YMCA competitions or putting San Diego on the gymnastics map through the local YMCA- that sets him apart as an instructor dedicated to the sport.
Glen began his gymnastics career at age 6 when his diving coach in Colorado started a gymnastics program. He competed in trampoline, floor, vault and parallel bars for Northern Colorado University, where many gymnasts came from and went on to eventually become national champions and coaches. Glen began coaching professionally when he started a boy’s gymnastics team at Greeley HS during his senior year at NCU.
In the seventies, Glen moved to San Diego taking a position at the YMCA as aquatics and gymnastics coach. At ‘The Y’ he also coached boys, girls, high school, and club gymnastics as well as soccer, swimming, diving, track and wrestling. In 1971 he started a girls competitive program at the YMCA where through the years they have claimed the YMCA nationals 4 times and come in second seven times.
Mission Valley YMCA, where Glen currently coaches, is one of the largest gymnastics programs in San Diego County with 800 participants. Over the years he has coached thousands of athletes, and several state and regional champions, many of whom went on to receive college scholarships and some, like their mentor, have even entered the coaching ranks. Glen prides himself in developing good people through gymnastics -from novice to champions, 1 year olds to adults- and tries to teach persistence, to always work hard but to always have fun.
He has always been involved with gymnastics clinics and camps through the years; and helped to organize and presented at the first USGF Congress, which was held in Colorado. Glen has judged men’s gymnastics for over ten years and has judged USGF, USAG, and YMCA competitions for several decades.
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