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Post by Admin on Nov 30, 2020 21:23:33 GMT
2008 Olympic gymnastics silver medallist Chellsie Memmel just wanted to get back in shape after giving birth. Little did she know where it would lead. So, she turned to the familiar: gymnastics. She was already spending her days as a coach inside M&M Gymnastics in New Berlin, Wisconsin, where years earlier she’d trained for her Olympic dream.  “Why would I try to make time to go somewhere else?” Memmel recalled to Olympic Channel. “I just was looking for something to get back in shape. The only thing and only a way to work out I know is through gymnastics conditioning.” As she got more and more fit, she figured she should see what flipping again would feel like. Memmel also decided to share that journey online, with social media strength challenges and eventually a blog about her adult gymnastics journey. The flipping, it turned out, felt just as it had, maybe even better than before. Fans tirelessly bugged Memmel for weeks to declare a comeback. Finally, over the summer, she made it official. And whether or not her return to training takes her back to the Olympic Games, Memmel has a simple inspiring message: why should you have to step away from something you love so much just because of your age? Below is the transcript of Memmel’s interview with Olympic Channel on how she got back to the gym, her new role as a judge and a look back at her stellar career. The interview has been edited lightly for clarity and brevity. |
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Post by Admin on Dec 1, 2020 21:16:50 GMT
Olympic Channel: How did you first start getting back into training?
Chellsie Memmel: Oh, basically, it was after I had my daughter in 2017. I took time off and I just was looking for something to get back in shape. The only thing and only a way to work out I know is through gymnastics conditioning. I know a lot of gymnasts have transitioned into the CrossFit or things like that, but with working and having my kids and I'm like already in a gym… Why would I try to make time to go somewhere else? So that's kind of how it started with just starting to do like just stretching and then starting to condition again and then starting to do a little bit more with each of the teams that I was coaching.
Then, it kind of turned into this ‘Chellsie Challenge’ thing. It was the first rope challenge I did. I'm like, no. Like, there's no way. But, then, I did. I tried it like at least four weeks later, and I made it, but it was rough. The only reason I made it is because there was a camera and it was pressure, it was like a competition setting because there was a girl on the rope next to me, so I have do this. So that kind of like sparked that little bit of competition in me because I am super competitive when it comes to things like that. It just kind of took off from there, we can started doing challenges each week.
I started conditioning more because of them, because I wanted to continue to get better and just found like a whole new love of conditioning. I like doing it. I like how it makes me feel. Once I started getting in better shape, it was like maybe I should try flipping and it just kind of snowballed. It was just like, I feel great. I just started having so much fun and kept doing it.
OC: Do you think you are even stronger than you were when you went to the Olympics more than a decade ago?
CM: I feel stronger. I know I am stronger. It's a little bit different type of strong because I'm not doing gymnastics every day. It's just a different kind of shape. But my upper body is definitely stronger than it's ever been, and it's allowing me to do some of this hard gymnastics. Some of the stuff feels easier. I feel like I'm higher, I feel like it's just better which is crazy. But it's like, why didn't I love conditioning this much when I was an elite?
But this is the longest I've ever been in shape. [Growing up,] I never had the best relationship with food and not always knowing how to work out and do what is best for my body. It was just... It wasn't a good formula and I'm relaxed much more about food. I learned so much more about my body and conditioning and what it needs and what I need to feel good. It’s amazing to me.
It kind of sucks that I didn't have this knowledge or appreciation of it when I was when I was training because I am stronger now.
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