COACHES
Our NY Xtreme family is made up of a talented group of coaches, with proven abilities in stunting, tumbling, choreography and safety. We are all dedicated to helping young athletes to develop their abilities in a safe, nurturing and fun environment.
Leigh K. Hughes
Owner, Coach and Choreographer
Before opening her own gym, Leigh was a founding member of the Harlem Jets cheerleading program and spent eight years as a member of the Harlem Jets coaching staff cultivating her skills and learning effective techniques to build a cheerleading program. Leigh was instrumental in transforming the Harlem Jets cheerleading program into a competitive cheerleading program, competing in the American Youth Cheerleading (AYC) league. Leigh was a head coach for the AYC Division 12 National Champion Harlem Jets Jetsetters team and her team consistently placed in the top at AYC Nationals for the entirety of her stay.
Leigh grew up in the world of elite gymnastics and dance, competing for many years among some of the top-ranked gymnasts in the country and later began coaching gymnastics and teaching dance. Leigh prides herself on creating unique choreography and music mixes for her teams, which showcases their strengths and insures 100% custom and original routines. Leigh is excited to move her experience on to the next level with all star competitive cheerleading.
Courtney "Coach Coco" Phelps
Owner, Coach and Choreographer
Before opening her own gym, Courtney was a member of the Harlem Jets cheerleading program and spent seven years as a member of the Harlem Jets coaching staff refining her skills and learning effective techniques to build a cheerleading program. Courtney was key in helping to transform the Harlem Jets cheerleading program into a competitive cheerleading program, competing in the American Youth Cheerleading (AYC) league. Courtney was a head coach for the AYC Division 12 National Champion Harlem Jets Jetsetters team and her team consistently placed in the top at AYC Nationals for the entirety of her stay.
Courtney grew up in the world of elite gymnastics and dance, competing for many years among some of the top-ranked gymnasts in the country. Courtney started teaching dance while in high school and later began coaching gymnastics to all levels of gymnast. Courtney loves the challenge that All Star presents and is excited to create unique choreography that pushes the teams to excell at all levels.
Erin Pecchia
Skills Coach and Choreographer
Erin started cheerleading at the age of 5 with Pop Warner in Middletown, NJ. From there, she went on to cheer competitively for 10 years with the Jersey Devils organization, where she won a number of championships at the Senior Prep to Senior Advanced levels.
Erin has experience coaching Senior Level 1 for Jersey Devils and has helped choreograph routines for Pop Warner. She believes in hard work, and is fully committed to challenging the athletes to put there best foot forward while creating a fun environment. She is very excited to be a part of the growing Xtreme Stars family!
Rafael "Coach Chunky" Muriel
Tumble Coach
Chunky is a longtime gymnastics enthusiast with a vast amount of knowledge and skills. He attended Long Island University (Brooklyn campus) on a gymnastics scholarship from 1978-1982. Chunky successfully transitioned from competitive gymnast to a gifted coach who lends his expertise to kids in the community.
In 1982 Chunky was hired as a Recreation Activities Specialist at Roberto Clemente State Park by the New York State Office of Parks & Recreation & Historic Preservation. His central duties, among other responsibilities, are to instruct participants in gymnastics and chess classes. He has taught basic, intermediate and advanced gymnastics to youth and adults. Chunky also hosted the New York City Public School men's and women's gymnastics leagues for many years. Chunky is committed to pushing the team members to exceed their tumbling expectations.