'You can continue to do hard things': Local Olympian Chellsie Memmel's push for more adult gymnastics

 

NEW BERLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A local Olympian is using her passion for her sport to inspire more adults to get back in the gym, and by gym she means gymnastics.

"Our bodies can still do hard and amazing things, it just takes longer to warm up."

West Allis native Chelsie Memmel says age is just a number.

"You don’t have to try to peak or learn this skill when you are 10 or 11, or 12," said Memmel. "You have so much time to continue to grow and learn in this sport if you're going to be smart about it. Smart about how you train, how you take care of your body, how you're recovering."

Winning an Olympic silver team medal for USA in 2008, Memmel retired from gymnastics in 2012. Then in 2019, she began to play around in the gym again.

"I was working out a lot and then I was just kind of like I feel good, why don’t I just start flipping a little bit more and then it just kind of snow balled," said Memmel.

What started as play turned into a comeback putting her back on the national stage. Her comeback inspired her to launch an adult gymnastics program at her family's gym, M and M gymnastics in New Berlin, encouraging other people begin their adult gymnastics journey.

"One of the biggest reasons I do the class is to offer to have that different outlet, to have a fun, more creative outlet way of working out and moving your body," said Memmel. "I see the joy when people take my class because it is fun."

Memmel's goal is to alleviate some of the pressure and age stigmas within the sport.

"I feel like it's been there a long time, but we are continuing to breakthrough you know you have to be young to do this or that," said Memmel. "I think we are finally learning that if you stay consistent with your workouts and doing some of these things and taking longer to warm up and make sure your body is ready, that you can continue to do hard things.”

Her program allowing adults of any age or skill level to take the sport at their own pace.

"To watch them learn and progress is incredible," said Memmel. "Then also to see some you know who've done gymnastics in the past, they went to the higher levels and to see what their bodies can still do is incredible."

Originally tumbling into the sport in high school, Debbie Daemmrich is now picking up her gymnastics career where she left off at the age of 40.

"It's definitely harder," said Daemmrich. "There's a lot more aches and pains, but it has been absolutely great."

Daemmrich says it’s the perfect challenge for her mind and body and the class reignited her passion for gymnastics.

"It is just fun," said Daemmrich. "It is super fun to flip around, to swing around on the bars, it is just purely fun. I told my boss at work you, haven’t lived until you’ve done a back handspring and it's so true."

Former gymnast Alison Joers says 25 years later, it just makes working out more fun. Her favorite part has been rediscovering the sport and testing her strength.

"It's also kind of amazing to see what our bodies can still do when you push them and work hard towards something," said Joers. "I feel stronger now than when I was in it when I was 15."

While training has been a whirlwind, testing them physically and mentally they say the community they've built in the sport inspires them to keep pushing themselves.

"I think within the adult gymnastics world, I have found just the kindest, friendliest people," said Daemmrich. "Everyone wants to support everyone else and lift everyone else up and help them achieve whatever they want to achieve."