Bozhidar 'Bozhi" Russev
Bozhidar Russev was born in Sliven, Bulgaria November 7, 1941. He was a member of the Bulgarian National Gymnastics Team from 1960-1966, and 1968-1970. In 1966, Russev spent two years employed under work contract with then Soviet Union (Russia) in the government headquarters of Cirqus as a sports acrobat and high bars. He has participated (as a gymnast) in numerous national and international tournaments over the years, including an unforgettable achievement in 1962 as the Bulgarian National Champion.
1964 brought the Olympic Games to Tokyo, Japan. But due to a traumatizing shoulder joint, Russev was not able to compete in the games. In 1969, he graduated with his Master’s Degree from the National Sports Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Many years went by with traveling, competing and training. Unfortunately, in 1970, Russev was forced to retire early in his career due to the shoulder traumas he had suffered. He turned to coaching, and coached a boys gymnastics. From 1977-1978, Russev was the head coach in the Specialized Sports School, also in Varna, Bulgaria. From 1972-1978, he was the boys gymnastics coach for 6 consecutive years, including coach for a National Champion.
From 1978 to 1984, Russev turned to girls coaching, and became a girls gymnastics coach, producing the youngest ever elite gymnast Pepa Kazakova at age 11. At age 13, she won the National Cup among other seniors for Bulgaria. From 1984 - 1991, Russev served as the women’s gymnastics head coach of the leading club in the country, in Sofia Bulgaria. During this same time, he was also the assistant senior gymnastics coach of the National Women Gymnastics Team in Bulgaria. His career includes 5 World Championships (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989 and 2009) and 2 Olympic Games (1984, 1988). His daughter, internationally-famous Hrabrina Hrabrova, was the European Champion, Fifth Place Team at the Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea in 1988. Milena Maurodieva, also trained under Russev, is a two-time Bulgarian Champion, European and World Championship medalist.
In 1991, Russev traveled to the United States to coach the Bulgarian Women Gymnastics National Team at World Gymnastic Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana. After the World Championship, Russev left for to Huntington, WV, where he conducted the gymnastics program at the Huntington YMCA from 1991-1993. His daughter, Hrabrina, and wife, Vanya, joined him in 1992. After outgrowing their current facilities, Russev decided to open his own gymnastics gym. With the help of families and friends, he founded Bozhi’s Gym Nest in September 1996, after the summer Olympics in Atlanta that year, where Team USA and the Magnificent 7 won the first Olympic Team Gold for the United States. |
Hrabrina Hrabrova Spencer
Hrabrina was born on April 20th, 1972 to mother Vanya Hrabrova and father Bozhidar Hrabrov Russev in Varna, Bulgaria. She was practically raised in the gymnastics gym as her parents were decorated National Team gymnasts and active patrons in the gymnastics community in Bulgaria. She started pursuing competitive gymnastics at the age of 7 after being invited from her dad to join the team. At the age of 11 Hrabrina followed her family into the capital city of Sofia, where her dad was offered high ranking position as a coach in one of the two largest sports clubs in the country. At the age of 14 Hrabrina earned a spot into the Bulgarian National Senior Team, which was one of the top 5 ranking in the World in the 80’s, and went on to winning many National titles and representing the country Worldwide. Some of her biggest achievements are: Silver Medal on Vault in the 1988 European Championships, and 5th place Team with the Bulgarian Team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea. The following year of 1989, she suffered a fracture in both arms which put her out of the Team for the 1989 World Championships and a few months later followed by an Achilles tendon rupture (that after an unsuccessful surgery) put her out of her favorite sport as an active gymnast.
She stayed involved with the sport as a clinician and choreographer with her club and the National Team until 1992 while attending the National Sports Academy.
In the spring of 1992, Hrabrina withdrew from the university and joined her father in the USA where they both developed and expended the gymnastics program in the Huntington YMCA. Later this year they were joined by the rest of the family. After outgrowing the YMCA facility they both decided to open a new gymnastics gym, and with the help of a few families from their competitive team and friends they founded Bozhi,s Gym Nest in September of 1996, right after the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia where the USA team and the magnificent 7 won the fist Olympic Team Gold for United States. |
Trevor Cummings
Trevor began his gymnastics career in 2003 at Gymstrada Gymnastics in Virginia Beach, Virginia. At a young age, his family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana where he eventually settled on competing for Empire Gymnastics. He started his journey as a coach in 2013 with recreational gymnastics classes.
After a year, he moved to helping with team boys and girls in beginner levels. He continued his career after High School to Ohio State University as a member of the Man's Gymnastics Team, where he competed for 5 years, primarily as a pommel horse specialist. He has earned multiple All-American titles in this event and has contributed to earning a regular season Big Ten champion title as a team. During this time in college, he traveled any chance he could to both local and distant gyms to coach women’s gymnastics camps.
Trevor has been assisting at Bozhi's with summer camps in the years 2019, 2021, 2022. Following his collegiate career, he began coaching at Bozhi’s Gym Nest during the summer of 2023. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue sharing my life-long passion with other athletes. I hope to make an impact on each athlete’s life in ways that will help them achieve goals inside and outside the gym. |
Aisha Conway
Born in Hunan Province, China and raised in Huntington, WV, I have been coaching since 2013, after seven years of competitive gymnastics with Bozhi's. After my gymnastics career, I moved on to the cheer world. I cheered all star, high school and then received an acrobatics and tumbling scholarship to Fairmont State University. Later I transferred to Marshall University on a cheer scholarship where I completed my bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology. Throughout the years, I continued coaching cheer, tumbling and gymnastics. My heart will always be in gymnastics and now I put my heart into coaching young gymnasts. Gymnastics is my passion and I coach every individual in a way that helps them to their full potential. The saying goes, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Gymnastics is mentally and physically tough and my coaching style takes into account both aspects. Not all athletes are the same, therefore I customize my coaching style for each individual athlete. |
Shelby Person
Shelby was born August 28th, 1993 in Williamson, WV. His love for the sport came from his mom who was the first to teach him gymnastics. He went on to join a cheerleading gym where he continued his training for five years. When he made his move to Huntington, he joined Bozhi’s Gym Nest. He believes the coaches at Bozhi’s that taught him are the best coaches in the Tri-State area. During high school he was a junior instructor until he graduated and went on to cheer at Marshall University. Upon leaving college he enlisted as a combat medic for the United States Army where he travel the world before returning back to Bozhi’s where his passion lies. He teaches many recreational class as well as several different levels of our Girl’s Gymnastics competitive team. Shelby is the Head Coach of Bozhi’s Tumbling and Trampoline team where he has coached his athletes to great lengths. Shelby and his athletes have won several high point awards, state champion awards, and last but not least a national champion title. |
Vanya Hrabrova
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Jeannie Burnes
Jeannie was born October 31st in Huntington, Wv. She has one daughter, Laycee, who competes on Bozhi's Tumbling and Trampoline team. She has been in administration for 11+ years as she ran her own business before joining the Bozhi's family in 2021. She takes pride in making sure everything is organized so the gym runs smoothly. She is always eager to help everyone who enters the gym.
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Leslee Cassidy
Leslee Cassidy is from Barboursville. She took gymnastics from one of the first gymnastics facilities in Huntington, “Mountaineer Gymnastics” as well as cheerleading from elementary school through high school at Barboursville schools. She has been coaching gymnastics since 1983, beginning at the Gym Factory in Barboursville, then Raleigh Carey School of Gymnastics in North Carolina from 1985 to 1986. Upon returning to West Virginia she taught gymnastics at the YMCA from 1999 to 2002 with Tina Bryant, another original Huntington gymnast, then moved to Bozhi’s in 2002 when the team, which included her oldest daughter, became to big for the YMCA facility and joined the Gymnest family and has been teaching here ever since. Leslee has loved the sport of gymnastics her whole life, and once she had kids of her own, it became important to her for her girls to experience it. In her coaching, she has made it her personal goal to leave each and every gymnast with positive memories of their gymnastic experience as well as to be a good and memorable coach. |
