Sam French
Sam started at Spokane Gymnastics in 2020 and has excelled in every position he has taken on; he has the ability to coach every class and level, he has served at the service desk, as a floor supervisor, the scheduler of all instructional classes, and as a Department Leader. He is thrilled to now be the Pines General Manager, effective March 2024!
Sam grew up in Whitefish, MT and taught himself parkour. He pursued the art more fervently once he started working at Spokane Gymnastics. Sam grew up in a tight-knit Jewish community where he would often help younger kids with homework and assignments. He believes he found his stride when he started coaching parkour and giving kiddos the atmosphere and space to learn physical activity in a safe environment, something he wished he had when he was younger. Sam enjoys teaching front flips and side flips, and working with kids of all ages. He describes his leadership style as a mix of democratic, transformational, and strategic. Sam loves to work with staff on creating better environments and systems that make everyone’s job simpler. He can be direct when it is necessary, but he also loves to listen to different perspectives. It’s extremely important to him that he can empower, but also learn from, the people around him, regardless of where they are in life. Sam wants to cultivate a team that is powerful, positive, and purposeful.
In his free time, Sam enjoys spending his time writing screenplays, novels, and short films. He also loves spending time with his fiancé and dog and working on DIY home projects. In the summer, Sam enjoys camping, longboarding, and hiking while in the winter, he enjoys snowboarding, camping, and cradling a hot cup of joe. A fun fact about Sam is that he was homeschooled!