Foothills Staff

Ms. Kim Gym Owner   Biography:      Kim Patterson is the owner of Foothills Gymnastics and Cheer Center. Kim was a former teacher in Pickens County. Kim is a graduate of Clemson University. She is a Professional Member of United States Gymnastics Association for the past 12 years. Kim is a recipient of numerous awards including Who’s Who Among Business Professionals and was named 2004 South Carolina Business Women of the Year. She has served on various boards including Pickens County Prevent Child Abuse, Easley Chamber of Commerce; Pickens County School District SCORE Board where she was instrumental in helping to write the largest grant ever awarded Pickens County School District of over 1 million dollars. Kim has raised thousands of dollars for local charities and was formerly the Executive Director of the Miss Easley Scholarship Pageant. Kim is a mother of 3 and a grandmother of 3 children.

Ms. Penny Special Needs Director Biography:         Penny Crocker has been with Foothills since 1996. She has been involved in gymnastics for 32 years (she started when she was 3 years old and still going strong). She competed nationally and internationally as a Level 10 gymnast, as well as competing at the collegiate level for James Madison University. At JMU, Penny was team co-captain both her junior and senior years at college. Penny earned a B.S. degree in Speech-Language Pathology at James Madison University in 1995 and completed her South Carolina Teacher's Certification in Special Education from Clemson University in 2004.      Penny is the Special Olympics Gymnastics Director and Director of the Gym Buddies Program at Foothills. She has been involved with the Special Olympics since1992. Combining her love for gymnastics and her love for people with special needs is a lifelong dream come true! This will be the fourth year that Foothills has been blessed with an amazing Special Olympics Gymnastics Team (both male and female) that compete both locally and at the state level. The Special Olympics program is growing by leaps and bounds and is adding both Rhythmic Gymnastics AND Cheerleading to their program this year!           Penny is married to Kevin and is the proud mother of two sons. Clay is four years old and C.J. is 2 years old and are both seen frequently running around Foothills!  She is an Easley native, but loves to travel, especially to the beach. In her free time, she loves camping, mountain biking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Ms. Virginia Special Needs Instructor Biography      Ms. Virignia teaches preschool classes, parent and tot, and the boys classes. She loves teaching the children, and at the same time learning from them. It's so exciting getting to know all the different personalities.           Ms. Virginia is married to her best friend, Sean Cassell. She has one dog, two hamsters, and a fish. She enjoys bike rides, the mountains, and being outdoors.           Ms. Vigirinia felt her calling to work with children at the age of thirteen. She has recently found the Special Needs Program at Foothills Gymnastics, where she had the opportunity to go to the Special Olympics in Charleston last February. These children are very special and the time spent getting to know them is priceless.

Ms. Sarah Prep Op Coach Biography   Sarah is the Prep Op coach at Foothills Gymnastics. She coaches Prep Bronze, Silver, and Gold, as well as Prep Novice. She was involved in gymnastics for 7 years, and competed for 4 of those years. She began gymnastics at age 5 and ended her gymnastics career as a competitor at age 12. Sarah competed in the Prep Op program at Aiken Gymnastics. The year that she ended her competitive career Sarah finished first in the All-Around at both the State Meet and Charleston Cup. Sarah has been coaching at Foothills Gymnastics since the closing of last year’s competitive season in 2008. Sarah attends Clemson University as an Elementary Education major. She plans on going to graduate school for a degree in Counseling after she graduates in 2010. She hopes to one day be a counselor in either an elementary school or a children’s’ hospital.

Ms. Jessica Prep Op Coach/Instructor Biography Ms. Candace   Preschool/Basic Skills/Cheer Instructor Candace graduated from Pickens High School in 2008 where she played softball and cheered for 2 years. Currently, she is a sophomore at North Greenville University majoring in Broadcast Media. She has been a cheerleader at NGU for 2 years where she cheers for both football and CCA competition. Candace has 6 years of cheerleading experience before going to NGU. In 2009, she was the winner of Miss Freshmen Relay for Life at NGU where she helped raise money for the American Cancer Association. Candance is an associate youth pastor at her church helping to counsel and teach today's youth. She attends the Adult Gymnastics class at Foothills to help her become a more effective instructor. She is working on her Professional Development Level 1 in gymnastics and her CPR certification.