CHELSEA PIERS CONNECTICUT ANNOUNCES BYRON KNOX AS DIRECTOR OF GYMNASTICS

Chelsea Piers Connecticut is pleased to announce that it has hired Byron Knox as Director of Gymnastics and Head Girls Team Coach. 

Knox currently serves as the head coach of the University of Bridgeport (UB) Women's Gymnastics program.  He has led the program to USA Gymnastics National Championship Titles in 2009, 2010,and 2011.  Under his guidance the team also won the ECAC Team Championship in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. 

Prior to UB, Knox served as the assistant men’s gymnastics coach at Southern Connecticut State University and assistant women's gymnastics coach at Yale University. Knox also owned and ran the prestigious CATS Gymnastics center in Cheshire, CT.  Knox will continue in his role as head coach at Bridgeport.

In addition to his success at the collegiate level, Knox was the Director and Head Coach at CATS Gymnastics in Cheshire, CT and also is the head varsity girl’s coach for Southington High School.  The Southington High School girl’s team has been named the Team and All Around State Champions from 2004-2008 and again in 2010.  He helped pave the way for some 70 gymnasts to receive full scholarships at the collegiate level. Knox is also a former USA Women’s National Team Coach.

Knox has received many coaching awards including: USA Gymnastics National Coach of the Year (‘09, ‘10), NCAA Regional Collegiate Coach of the Year (‘08, ‘09, ‘10), ECAC Collegiate Coach of the Year (‘08, ‘09, ‘10), and Fairfield County Sportsman of the Year (‘11). 

Prior to coaching, Knox made his mark as a competitive gymnast, competing for Southern Connecticut State University.  Knox was also a member of the 1982 USA Gymnastics national team where he won a Gold Medal on High Bar and All-Around and a Silver medal in the Vault.   His team won four consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastic League (EIGL) Team Championships.

"Byron is a great addition to the CPCT team of accomplished coaches and program directors,” said Mollie Marcoux, Executive Director of Chelsea Piers Connecticut.  “He has an unmatched passion and talent for  teaching gymnastics and he is able to apply this to coaching elite level gymnasts as well as preschool and recreational gymnasts.  We are confident that he will help us create one of the most dynamic gymnastics programs in the country.”

The Gymnastics Center at Chelsea Piers will be one of the largest and best-equipped gymnastics training centers in the United States.   With over 14,000 square feet of gymnastics equipment, the gym will have competition spring floors, deep foam training pits, tumble tracks, in-ground trampolines and multiple sets of bars, beams, rings, pommel horses and vaults. Pre-school, youth recreational, competitive team and adult programs will be staffed by experienced and accomplished instructors. In addition to after-school and weekend programming, the Gymnastics Center at Chelsea Piers will offer an extensive selection of recreational and competitive summer camps. Rounding out the activity list will be a cheerleading program, Parkour classes, birthday party rooms, a toddler gym and a separate trampoline center.

ABOUT CHELSEA PIERS CONNECTICUT

Chelsea Piers Connecticut (CPCT) is a 400,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art sports and recreation facility located in Stamford, CT, just off I-95 at Exit 9. Slated to open in July 2012, Chelsea Piers Connecticut will consist of seven core sports facilities encompassing more than 18 sports.

• The Rinks - Twin rink skating facility for ice hockey and figure skating
• Aquatics Center - Olympic-sized pool, warm water instructional and exercise pool, and 6,000 sq-ft water play area featuring three giant slides 
• Gymnastics Training Center – 15,000 sq-ft gymnastics training space with a recreational trampoline center and cheerleading program
• Baseball and Softball Training Facility – Indoor turf infield and five batting cages 
• Field House – Indoor 100-yard turf field for soccer, lacrosse, football, field hockey, softball and baseball; hardwood courts for basketball and volleyball; and a 1/5-mile track. 
• Squash Center – Squash Center with 12 courts 
• Tennis Center - Tennis Center with seven indoor tennis courts

Like Chelsea Piers New York, CPCT will combine athletic facilities with an extensive array of professional instructors and league programs for youths, teens and adults. 

In addition to these sport offerings, CPCT will also be home to:

• Childcare facility and preschool - Small class sizes, certified teachers and use of the sports facilities at CPCT 
• Food Service - Food service, event spaces, and catering throughout the facility
• Pro Shop – An on-site pro shop for equipment needs

Learn more at www.chelesapiersct.com