TEAM HAPPYFEET

Owner: Gary Lynch

Gary is originally from Blackburn, England. Gary signed a professional contract with Doncaster Rovers in England before moving to the United States in 2001 to play soccer at the University of South Carolina Upstate. During his time at USC Upstate, Gary earned All-Conference, All-Region, and All-America honors. In 2004, Gary was named the USC Upstate Male Student-Athlete of the year and led the NCAA in scoring. Gary went on to coach at the NCAA Division 1 level for both the University of North Florida and the University of South Carolina Upstate. In 2018, Gary was inducted into the USC Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame.

Gary has a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Gary currently teaches Early Childhood, Coaching, and Physical Education classes at USC Upstate and is also a state-certified trainer in Early Childhood Education. Gary previously owned a HappyFeet franchise in the Upstate region of South Carolina, which offered HappyFeet classes at over thirty daycares, preschools, and elementary schools. He is also currently the owner of the HappyFeet franchise in Myrtle Beach, SC, and Raleigh/Durhan, NC.

Director of Coaching: Hollie Fleming

Hollie is a native of Fayetteville, NC. She started playing soccer when she was 5 years old. She grew up with a love for all sports and played volleyball, basketball, and soccer for her school’s team. She played travel soccer for her local club team, the Fayetteville Force.

Hollie attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and majored in Communication Studies with a Health Communication concentration and a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies. She continued to play soccer recreationally for UNCC’S club team and intramural league. She received her master’s degree at Campbell University in Elementary Education with a certification for Academically Gifted.

She taught various middle school courses including Health and PE. She has coached middle and high school volleyball and facilitated many summer sports camps. She taught and coached for 7 years before deciding to be a stay-at-home mom. Hollie has two children that keep her very active.

Hollie started running for fun in college. She grew a passion for the sport and enjoys running with others. She recently became a certified running coach through Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) She trains various levels of athletes including soldiers in the military.

Hollie loves working with Happy Feet and helping each child experience growth. She enjoys the opportunity to encourage others and be a positive influence in their lives. 

Lead HappyFeet Coach: Natalie Trumble

Natalie was born in New York but calls Virginia home because that is where she was raised since she was 2 years old. Natalie is married to Noah and they have two girls, aged 6 and 3.  She grew up playing recreational soccer, basketball, and horseback riding. Natalie has always had a passion for working out. She loves seeing the progress of how much weight she can lift or how long she can run. Keeping her mind and body healthy is very important to her. She even used to coach others to meet their health goals. 

Her oldest daughter started playing soccer a year ago with her husband as the coach. Her passion for soccer was reignited watching her play. She saw her daughter go from barely touching the ball during a game, to scoring her first goal. It was exhilarating. When she joined Happy Feet she believed it was the perfect fit for her because she is a mom who loves kids and soccer. She is so excited to be a fun, positive, encouraging role model for many other children!

Operations Manager: Beverley Lynch

Beverley was born and raised in England, where she worked with both children and families as a Senior Family Support Worker in childcare and educational settings for over 14 years. In 1999, Beverley gained a Diploma in Early Childcare and Education. She then became accredited as an independent coaching practitioner in PCG (Parent-Child Game), a therapeutic intervention for children with challenging behavior. During this period, Beverley lead and facilitated a number of rolling parenting programs that included Webster-Stratton (a group-led behavior management intervention) and Positive Parenting (a group-led parenting skills intervention). Beverley also worked intensively with young mothers and their children, supporting them with a wide variety of challenging issues.

In 2014, Beverley and her husband moved to Baltimore from the UK to be near to their children, (and now four grandchildren!) who live in SC. Whilst living in Baltimore, due to her love and passion for all animals, she volunteered at the Maryland SPCA every day for two years! In 2016, Beverley and her husband moved to Durham, NC, where she continued her work with children as a full-time teacher. Currently, Beverley works part-time as a teacher and as the Operations Manager of HappyFeet!