Celestina Popa-Toma -- Program Director and Owner
Celestina Popa - Toma (or, as everyone calls her, Celi) attended the Sport School in Bucharest from 1989 to 1991. She graduated from University with a degree in Physical
Education in 1994. She received the Master of Sports in Gymnastics in 1987. A very important gymnastic move
(jump straddle full turn) is named after her - The "Popa". She has obtained the National Romanian Coaching Certification
Level III. Celi has been coaching since 1991 and her experience as a coach in Canada has been with Flicka since 1994.
In 1984 she was placed second at the Romanian Nationals at Junior Level and then went on to make the National Team. From 1984 until 1989 Celi was a member of the National Women's Romanian Gymnastics Team. In 1985 Celi was a member of the team at the World Championships in Montreal where they won a silver medal. Also in 1985, she was the All Around Champion, Vault and Beam Gold Medallist at the International Chunichi Cup in Japan. In 1987, Celi was part of the team who won the gold medal at the World Championships in Rotterdam, Holland and in 1988 she was a member of a Romanian team who won the silver medal at the Olympics in Seoul, Korea.
Flaviu Toma
Flaviu Toma (or, as everyone calls him, Toma,) is Celestina's husband and was born in Romania. Toma is highly
qualified and has been actively involved in gymnastics since 1966 either as a gymnast or as a coach. He attended the
University of Physical Education in Bucharest and also received a diploma from a training institution which specializes
in the coaching of gymnastics. He has completed Levels 1,2,3,4 N.C.C.P. certification here in Canada.
Toma was a member of the Romanian National Men's Gymnastics Team and the Junior Men's Champion in Gymnastics in
Romania. He spent a year in Holland as a coach and after, in 1984 he came to Canada. In Canada, he has coached many top gymnasts in his career
and was a coach at Flicka Gymnastics from 1984 to 2009, and from 2009 he started to coach at Celestina Popa Gymnastics and Flip City Gymnastics in Langley.
Alycia Chan
Alycia Chan is the first international gymnast to compete for the Hornets.
She spent 12 years as a member of the Abottsford
Twisters Gymnastics Club…was coached Horia Iliesu during her final three
seasons…placed third in the all-around at the 2007 Canada Winter Games…
in that meet, she was first on floor and third on vault…at the 2006
Artistic Canadian Gymnastics Championships, she was seventh in the
all-around and third on vault…placed third on floor at the national
championships in 2005 and won the national floor title in 2004…was
named to the British Columbia provincial team every year since 2002…was
invited to compete at Elite Canada in the winter of 2007,
which is a national team and Olympic Trials screening event…teammed
with former UCLA standout and Canadian Olympian Kate Richardson.
Besides all the achivements as a gymnast, Alycia is also coaching for the last 2 years for Flip City Gymnastics and now for Celestina Popa Gymnastics.
Please feel free to see one of her vault rutines HERE
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