Hawai'i Academy

Hawai'i Academy is a private school for the advancement of lifetime fitness, gymnastics, and human sciences for students of ALL ages and abilities. Over 50 employees work at the Academy, all on a part-time basis (no full-time employees). Directors oversee the operation of all activities by way of communication with Department Chairs who are responsible for the operation of their departments and all of the Programs therein which are administered by Program Heads. Within each Program are Projects and Events that are conducted by numerous faculty and staff. Among the Faculty, Instructors teach PE/Recreation classes and Coaches mentor team training (Coaches are certified as both judges and coaches and conduct practices with team athletes who pay annual tuition).

Administration & Faculty -------------------------------

Responsible for Academy Vision, Mission, Goals, Objectives, and All Operations

Max Vercruyssen, PhD, Academy Director. Dr. Max was a gymnast, head coach (club, high school, and college for boys and girls at all levels), club owner/director in Montana and Colorado, elite national women's judge, exercise physiology and biomechanics researcher, national statistician, international clinician, and equipment design consultant. He began coaching in 1970. He is an internationally distinguished research scientist who has had appointments in European and American universities including the University of Hawaii (Geriatric Medicine, Gerontology, Kinesiology, Psychology), Technische Universitat Eindhoven (Gerontechnology), University of Southern California (Human Factors, Ergonomics, Safety Science, Systems Management, Gerontology), University of Minnesota (Transportation Studies, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Kinesiology), and Pennsylvania State University (Kinesiology, Psychology, Ergonomics & Applied Physiology, Human Performance Research, Transportation Research). He is a father of four girls. He also serves as the Interim Head of the Departments of Research and Academic Instruction, and the International and Elite Trampoline Program Head. He coaches and judges the elite-level trampolinists and teaches the seniors exercise classes (oldest=100yrs).

Paris Macabeo Spahn, Academy Assistant Director, Secretary and Receptionist. An undergraduate double major in International Business and Marketing at Kapiolani Community College, Paris joined HA in 2005 primarily for customer service (recreation office receptionist), management of gym activities Monday through Friday (including staffing, student placement, and event rotations), and some secretarial support as needed for the Academy and the research program. Contact her for any customer service issue ... whatever she doesn't know now, she will know after you ask her. Her current hours are M-F 2-8 pm. Paris is also acquiring the ability to do all aspects of the Academy operations including activities of the registrar and bursar.

Responsible for the Planning, Staffing, Scheduling, Curricula, and Daily Operation of Their Departments

Paris Macabeo Spahn, Academy Assistant Director, Secretary and Receptionist; PE/Recreation Department Chair. An undergraduate double major in International Business and Marketing at Kapiolani Community College, Paris joined HA in 2005 primarily for customer service (recreation office receptionist), management of gym activities Monday through Friday (including staffing, student placement, and event rotations), and some secretarial support as needed for the Academy and the research program. Contact her for any customer service issue ... whatever she doesn't know now, she will know after you ask her. Her current hours are M-F 2-8 pm.

Richard Purcell, CPA, Athletics Department Chair & Trampoline Coach/Judge.

Janet Onigama, Registrar, Payroll Clerk & Operations Dept Interim Chair. Mrs Onigama takes care of all member registration, employee payroll, tuition accounting, and volunteers a huge amount of time on our concessions. With her husband, Rod, and son, Kelsen, (plus Noe and Matt Moniz) they stock our concessions and product sales with 100% of the profit going back to equipment purchases and maintenance. More equipment has been purchased and repaired with money from the concessions sales than all other sources combined. Imagine the hundreds of hours spent on buying supplies, transporting them, and stocking the shelves. Buy concession items to continue supporting HA.

Shawna Northrop , CPA, Development Department Chair & Academy Accountant. Contact her regarding fundrasing, endowments, tax deductible donations, sponsorships, alumni relations, public relations, service contracting, etc.

Responsible for the daily operation of the Academy

Paris Macabeo Spahn, Academy Assistant Director, Secretary and Receptionist. An undergraduate double major in International Business and Marketing at Kapiolani Community College, Paris joined HA in 2005 primarily for customer service (recreation office receptionist), management of gym activities Monday through Friday (including staffing, student placement, and event rotations), and some secretarial support as needed for the Academy and the research program. Contact her for any customer service issue ... whatever she doesn't know now, she will know after you ask her. Her current hours are M-F 1:30-7pm.

To Be Named, Academy Accountant. This position is open. Please contact the reception office and complete an employment application. Preference given member families but all applicants are seriously considered.

Sport Program Heads: Coach Wendy Rosen, State-Level TrampTumb; Coach Kira Vercruyssen, National-Level TrampTumb; Mr Yukinori Miyata, International-Level Trampoline; and Dr Max Vercruyssen, Elite-Level Trampoline. Dr Donna Mah serves as the Team Physician for all sport programs.

Max Vercruyssen, PhD, International, Elite, & College Trampoline Program Head. Dr. Max was has been an elite national judge in women's artistic gymnastics and trampoline-tumbling, a nationally ranked judge in men's artistic gymnastics, and a coach at nearly all levels for all three disciplines. He began coaching in 1970 and has produced many national champions and world-level elite athletes.

These coaches are responsible for training athletes according to policies of the Athletics Department and the mission of the Academy

Abby Eaton, BFA, TrampTumb Team Coach, Home School Dance & Gymnastics Instructor. Coach Abby, a previous dancer with over 25 years of dance training here and on the mainland, is now a home schooling mom of three girls (Alena, Joanna, and Linnet), all on the trampoline-tumbling team she coaches. She was one of the founders of our home school physical education classes where she taught dance and gymnastics classes. In her spare time she teaches free-weights to some dedicated neighbors. She is also HA's Athletics Department Chair.

Mia Vercruyssen, TrampTumb and Cheer Coach & Recreation Instructor. A state and regional level artistic gymnast, state champion and national level trampolinist, and high school cheerleader, Coach Mia is a very busy teenager. Her technical knowledge is quite exceptional plus she relates well with teenage athletes. See Coach Mia on Saturday mornings teaching recreation classes and during the week coaching team athletes. She also helps with special events like birthday parties, summer camps, and slumber parties. Seek assistance from her; she is pleasant, knowledgable, and accommodating. She is also a national champion on double mini trampoline.

In addition to the administrators and coaches mentioned above, here are some of the individuals that instruct classes at the Academy:

Corrine Bovetz, Recreation Instructor. Teacher Corrine is from Virginia and has had an extensive background in gymnastics. From the time she was six years old, she was part of the Richmond Olympiad Gymnastics Club where she eventually began to coach the Pre-team and then also became the Assistant Recreational Class Director. She graduated from High School in Richmond, Virginia and majored in Business at Virginia Commonwealth University before getting married. She was a competitive artistic gymnast for three years and also competed in cheer competitions for another three years before giving gymnastics a break to pursue other sports. But she eventually found her way back to her first love, gymnastics, here at HA where she has been a very valuable asset to our programs, currently teaching Preschool, Beginner, Intermediate/Teen, and Adult classes throughout the week. Her passion for teaching children has really made her a popular instructor here at HA. Some of her hobbies and interests include hiking, surfing, taking pictures, and painting.

Kathryn (KC) Chinn, Substitute Recreation Instructor, International Trambolinist Miss KC is a current member of the International Trampoline Team (Level 10), having come from a successful start in artistic gymnastics. If she's not working out six days a week, she frequently counsels the monthly Hawaii Academy Sleepovers that are ever so popular. Always an active athlete, whether inside or outside of school (currently enrolled at Punahou), Teacher KC hopes to someday represent Hawaii in national and international trampoline competitions and maybe even become good enough to make a US Team.

Mark Cusmano, BA, Recreation Instructor. Instructor Mark has a degree in law and practiced it for years. Since his two kids were born he stopped law practice and started teaching law and instructing a variety of different sports. At the moment he teaches law at Chaminad College in Honolulu and at Hawaii Pacific University. He is the soccer coach for his children's soccer club and teaches here at the Academy with a very vivid imagination, which draws our younger audience in. He is one of our most popular instructors and a great announcer at meet... especially at giving awards with individual fanfare.

Spencer Dupio, Recreation Instructor. Instructor Spencer is a Roosevelt High School Sophmore with a very high ability in mathematics. He is also a very talented gymnast, which he has proven on several occasions nationally and internationally on the trampoline team. In 2005 he was the Level 10 national champion on double mini and placed 43rd in the International Age Group Competitions in the Netherlands. He is currently on the US Junior Elite National Double Mini Tramp Team and is scheduled to compete in world competitions in 2006. He has the highest vertical jump (as a percentage of his height) of anyone at the Academy.

Joan Kufferath, Senior Exercise Class Instructor. Teacher Joan is a member of the senior exercise class and the one who makes sure everything runs smoothly when Dr Max is not teaching the class. Each week she is the first to arrive, usually opens the gym, and the last to leave. She is the first grandmother state champion in Hawaii. She is the USAG Hawaii Trampoline Champion for seniors (Level 1 in 2003 and Level 2 in 2004). She is getting younger each year, not older.

Michael Nakashima, Michael Nakashima, BA, Movement Education Program Head, Trampoline-Tumbling Judge, Monday Senior Class Instructor, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday Parent-Tot & Preschool Coordinator. Teacher Mike is a well-qualified instructor having earned a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education and certificate in Early Childhood Development from Long Beach State University in California. His 25 years of past gymnastics experience includes being a USA Gymnastics National Safety Instructor, an NCAA University gymnastics coach at Long Beach State University, a Compulsory Team Coach, a USAG Skill Evaluator, a Trampoline-Tumbling judge (levels 1-5), the past Gymnastics Director at Hickham Gymnastics, and of course a very fun-loving Parent/Toddler and Preschool Instructor here at HA. After teaching Physical Education at various YMCAs and Long Beach Unified Schools, he has been a wonderful addition to the Academy's staff, always willing to do more than just teach. And when he's not busy engaging kids in his classes, he enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, gardening, and pretending that he knows how to play guitar well.

Joelle Perkins, Recreational Instructor & Receptionist. A 2005 honors graduate of Kamehameha High School where she was a springboard diver and previous gymnast, Teacher Joelle can be seen working in the office when help is needed, teaching a variety of preschool, beginning, and intermediate classes, and just being an all-around team player. Her dedication to teaching what she knows to her students has made her a well-liked and popular instructor at the Academy. She is currently a sophomore majoring in Economics at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, but if she's not there or here at the Academy, she is probably spending quality time with friends or at the beach just hanging out.

Justine Perkins, MA, Past Girls Gymnastics Head Coach & PE/Recreation Dept coChair. Coach Justine is a graduate of Kamehameha High School and Wilson College, Chambersburg, PA, where she competed on their gymnastics teams (ILH & NCAA Division 3). She has a masters degree culinary arts, a bachelors in Business and a minor in Athletic Coaching. She is USAG safety certified and a professional member. Her expertise is in gymnastics but she is expanding to trampoline, tumbling, and team coaching. She is especially talented at teaching recreation and developmental classes. She is one of our 'top gun' for birthday parties and special events. She's a great organizer and people person.

Michelle Radovan, Recreation Instructor, Assistant International Team Coach, International Trampolinist. For the past four years Teacher Michelle has been a great addition to the Academy as a Level 10 (FIG) international trampoline team member with a rich history of artistic gymnastics (Level 8). She has competed in a number of competitions not only here in Hawaii but also on the mainland and has just started assistant-coaching the International Team. While quiet and unassuming, she is strategic and relentless in her personal training and works hard to make herself the best that she can be. Teacher Michelle was born and spent her early childhood in Germany and eagerly anticipates international travel with her teammates this year. She has always been a very active individual not only in gymnastics but also in dancing, one of her interests as well as the aforementioned.

Lara Shinsato, Recreation Assistant Instructor.

Leia Shinsato, Recreation Assistant Instructor.

Luke Shinsato, Recreation Assistant Instructor.

Whitney Simbeck, Recreation Instructor.

Those directly or indirectly involved in enhancing the services provided by the Academy

Stephen Fearing, Olympic Freestyle Ski Coach. Coach Fearing was on the US Ski Team before coaching the Canadian National Team and the Japanese National Team (10 years). He is the personal coach of Tae Satoya (4x Olympian, 1 gold, 1 bronze) and is training her at Hawaii Academy for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. Tae and Coach Stephen plan four 3-week training camps with us before the Olympics. Please welcome them, Coach Stephen's wife, Junko, and their three children, who you will see attending parent-tot classes.

Peter A Hancock, DSc, PhD, International Ergonomics & Human Performance Consultant. ProfDr Hancock is world renowned in his field with over 800 publications and numerous international awards of merit to his credit. He is currently the Provost's Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, among many other appointments. He has received the Sir Frederic Taylor Award from the International Ergonomics Association for lifetime achievement. His exceptional achievements are listed at http://www.mit.ucf.edu/. Professor Hancock collaborates with Hawaii Academy and Psy-Med Associates as needed on projects undertaken.

Munehiko Harada, PhD, International Recreation & Sports Management Consultant. ProfDr Harada is Japan's leading leisure and sports management expert. Now at Waseda University, Dr Harada has seeded his graduate students throughout Japan for the past 20 years and now has a network that permits rapid application of good ideas. He is an active researcher who travels the world usually consulting or negotiating bids for Olympic venues.

Responsible for assisting in the daily operations of the Academy

Kira Vercruyssen
Sunday Mgr

Valiere Mendez

Joe Viel

Those involved primarily in research operations

Phone: +1.808.842.5642
Fax: +1.808.841.2564
info@HawaiiAcademy.com