Unlike her older sisters, Skyla isn't involved in collegiate gymnastics. HOUCHRON CAPTION (09/13/1998): Mary Lou Retton, from left, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, Franelle Rogers and Mayor Lee Brown meet in Brown's office to discuss details of the third annual USOC Coach of the Year awards Sept. 19 at the Hyatt Regency Imperial Ballroom. One gold, two silver and two bronze. 08/11/2004 (E. Joe Deering/Chronicle). I popped a rib last week, so thats pretty painful. Shes worked really hard to come back from a serious injury, did two events and was ready to do beam tonight. She joined the crowd in repeatedly chanting "10" while flashing both. It's a small town in a big city and such a sports town where everybody supports each other.". Mary Lou Retton celebrates her gold in the all-around at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. That was my thinking.". if( 'moc.enilnoefiltseb' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { 1,325 following. She would be eligible to remain on the team for one more season but the student-athlete says she wont be taking advantage of that opportunity. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. See Her Now. It really helped me find that woman that I was searching for. She moved back to Houston in 2012. But McKenna Kelley, who exhibits the . She is a frequent analyst for televised gymnastics and attended The University of Texas at Austin after the Olympics.[31]. She graduated from Baylor University in 2017 with a major in Health Science. Ill probably have some more operations in the future, but its alright.. McKenna then took her gymnastics career to the collegiate level at Louisiana State University. RELATED:Kerri Strug's Heroic Vault Was 25 Years Ago. Nadia Comneci Scored a Perfect 10 at the Olympics 45 Years Ago. The teenage beauty was pictured wearing the traditional graduation attire a navy blue graduation gown with oversized sleeves and cap. 07/25/2001 - Mr. Bump, played by actor Ralph Ehntholt (cq), parades by Mary Lou Retton during a rehearsal on the set The Flip Flop Shop at KUHT studios on 7-25-01. } ); (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau), Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); And we trained hard - 70 vaults a day onto hard surfaces. "I tell her every season, 'McKenna, I'm really gonna do it this season. Now, Retton is back home in Texas with her family and taking time to rest after dealing with some DWTS-related injuries. Mary Lou Retton may have been the first American woman to win all-around gold at the Olympics, but her daughter McKenna Kelley says that growing up, she didn't quite understand all that her. [4][5], Mary Lou Retton was born on January 24, 1968, in Fairmont, West Virginia. -- When your mom is Olympic gymnastics superstar Mary Lou Retton and you take up her sport, there are bound to be certain expectations. But 30 years ago, the equipment we worked on wasn't so forgiving. She retired from gymnastics after graduating college, but McKenna is still involved with the sport in her own way. She shared a photo of the LSU team holding a trophy with the caption, Yep, She also shared a photo of herself in the stands, along with a big group of other LSU parents. Retton sailed through the Olympic Trials but, in an event that would not have happened these days, was allowed to appear in a post-trials exhibition and suffered a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery six weeks before the Games. Columbia College is not Columbia University! [11] Together they have four daughters: Shayla (born 1995), McKenna (born 1997), a former NCAA gymnast at Louisiana State University, Skyla (born 2000), and Emma (born 2002). But she and her siblings were never forced to continue doing it if they didn't want to, which McKenna noted to Tiger Rag, an LSU magazine. Who can blame a mom, when there's so much to cheer about? From vegan to keto, which diet has the highest carbon footprint. Advertisement Retton was every bit the proud mama when she decided to share a picture of herself and her beautiful daughter. "No one had ever seen a gymnast like me. Agreeing with her daughters remarks, Retton, 51, said that although she enrolled all of her four daughters in gymnastics classes, she didnt put pressure on them., I put my four daughters into a sport that I love. Sign up for Yahoo Lifes daily newsletter. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. David Barron reported on sports media, college football and Olympic sports for the Houston Chronicle until his retirement in January 2021. Mary Lou Retton a member of the 1984 Olympic gymnastics team won five medals in LA. Registered gymnasts will receive a custom GK leotard. She also posts frequently about her mom and dad. Three stuck with it, one was a cheerleader. She now has her own YouTube channel, which she started in 2015. [2] Her performance made her one of the most popular athletes in the United States. (Retton lives in Houston, and the show is filmed in Los Angeles. She also became the first American woman to be an Olympic all-around champion an honor she held alone until the ongoing five-peat of American all-around champions (in order: Carly Patterson in 2004 in Athens, Nastia Liukin in 2008 in Beijing, Gabby Douglas in 2012 in London, Simone Biles in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and Suni Lee in 2021 in Tokyo). Later, the proud mom took to Instagram to share a photo with her 22-year-old daughter. Kerri Strug's Heroic Vault Was 25 Years Ago. https://twitter.com/mckennamckelley/status/1120331854186536962. She was coached by Gary Rafaloski. Retton, 51, looked proud as could be of her daughter as she watched her perform in video captured from the Texas event. She also says she checked comments on her social media pages something she doesnt normally do to see if her story inspired anybody going through the same thing. 744 posts. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Im excited scared, but excited.. McKenna Kelley at the NCAA Womens National Collegiate Gymnastics Championship. The moment was also captured in photos and shared online, as seen in the tweet below from @JacquesDoucet: A very touching moment late, as @LSUgym @mckennamckelley performs her final floor routine as a Tiger, with her legendary mother Mary Lou Retton in tears looking on. Did having her mom there make Kelley nervous? After the show aired, Retton says a lot of people reached out and were surprised to hear that she and Kelley had separated. You may have spotted, in the crowd there, Kelleys mom, cheering along with everyone else. See Michael Jordan's Three Oldest Kids All Grown Up. 2002). she shared, laughing. In the backyard play area Mary Lou with her four daughters Shayla,9 McKenna,7 Skyla,4 and Emma,2 Mary Lou Retton a member of the 1984 Olympic gymnastics team won five metals in LA. Growing up, I never had that pressure, Kelley told espnW as a freshman competitor. She won gold, 2x Bronze, and 2x Silver medals at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. [12], Retton divorced her husband in February 2018.[13]. Retton was every bit the proud mama when she decided to share a picture of herself and her beautiful daughter. Among them, a bona fide gymnastics icon: Kelley's mom, Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win an Olympic all-around gold, who was flashing perfect-10 fingers, blowing kisses to Kelley . Here is to seeing more of Skyla as she takes adulthood and the world by storm! Also in 2016, Shayla and her team's pyramid toss scored a 9.9 at a meet against Quinnipiac University. Kelley is a senior at LSU, which means this may have been her last performance with the team. 1 day ago. Mary Lou Retton a member of the 1984 Olympic gymnastics team won five metals in LA. Kelley is the daughter of gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton, who at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal. The LSU Gymnastics team also commemorated the special moment online, tweeting an image of Kelley during her routine. See Her Now. It was a doozy, but I'm recovering. I think me coming out with that did help a lot of women., For Retton, the opportunity to participate on DWTS came at just the right time following her divorce, as she was looking to get away. "People still come up to me and say they remember where they were during the summer of 1984," she said. She was also on the school's acrobatics and tumbling team for all four years. See Michael Jordan's Three Oldest Kids All Grown Up. Experts give insight into the biggest social media lies. She retired from gymnastics after graduating college, but McKenna is still involved with the sport in her own way. Details: Welcome to the For Mothers & Daughters Forever Our Legacy Invitational tour with Mary Lou Retton & McKenna Kelley, hosted by LR Productions. "I don't think I understood the enormity of what she did and the groundbreaking gymnastics she did at the time," she told Today of Retton in 2019. [27] She was the first female athlete to be pictured on the front of a Wheaties box, and General Mills stated that Wheaties sales improved after her appearance. "It's not like today, when you get the results before they appear on television. She also scored a perfect 10 on a floor exercise at a meet against Oregon State University. Posts. [23], In 1997, Retton was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. "Those kids keep me hopping," she said. The beautiful star was, however, more than happy to share that her grown daughter is on her way into adulthood. I just wanted to be authentic. I just felt this is my chance to really be clear and to be transparent to people. One gold, two silver and two bronze. "You go back to Nastia in 2008. Retton and Kelley divorced in 2018, but they had four daughters: Shayla, McKenna, Skyla and Emma. Shes a hollerer, for sure.. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where she spends her free time hiking, reading and snugglingwith her "Friends" box set. But she and her siblings were never forced to continue doing it if they didn't want to, which McKenna noted to Tiger Rag, an LSU magazine. Back when I competed, it was the pretty little butterflies, which I was not. McKenna, who's now 24, was co-championof the Nastia Liukin Cup, an annual U.S. competition hosted by the former Olympian, in 2014. } else { A post shared by shay schrep (@shaylaschrepfer). ': What Happened to the Stars of the Iconic Series through the Years, Csar Domboy's Girlfriend: All We Know about the 'Outlander' Star's Dating History, Girl Bans Single Mom from Her Graduation after Learning She Works as a Cleaner Story of the Day, Pat Sajaks Son Insists the Star Calls Him Dr Sajak While His Daughter Follows in His Footsteps - Meet Them, Woman Visits Orphanage She Left 16 Years Ago and Sees a Girl Who Is Her Carbon Copy There Story of the Day. As for Kelley, she seemed tickled by her mom's pride. Although she didn't compete in any meets during her first year, her career is just beginning. Former gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton was at the Rhode Island Convention Center hosting a gymnastics meet. I'm gonna sit down like most of the other parents and just clap when you go and be quiet and civilized.' She did rack up some impressive scores on the mat in high school, however. That's where I am at this stage of life.". It was an especially astonishing return to the top for Kelley, who sat out her junior year because of a torn Achilles tendon. Mary Lou Retton cheers gymnast daughter's near-perfect routine When McKenna Kelley nailed her floor routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, no one was prouder than her mom,. Meanwhile, Kelley also later celebrated her second place spot on Instagram, sharing the below photo: Last night, I learned that winning isnt everything; that I dont need a 1st place win to know that I have already won, she wrote in the caption, going on to thank the school, the team and her coaches and other supporters. "I think people expect this elaborate answer of she made me run at 6 a.m in the morning, but she's just mom to me. After experiencing increased pain from the condition, she underwent hip replacement surgery on her left hip in her mid-thirties. Watch Kelley's finals floor routine above (wait until the end to see Retton cheering along). Even with four kids who've done gymnastics, Retton has never been tempted to coach them herself. Brianne Tracy is a staff writer on the PEOPLE music team. (She shared the title with Mackenzie Brannan.) 1997), and Emma (b. Show More Posts from marylouretton. Retired American gymnast, Mary Lou Retton, took to social media to celebrate her look-alike daughter, Skyla's graduation from high school. Mary Lou Retton is opening up about her divorce from ex-husband Shannon Kelley. McKenna Kelley anchors the 2019 NCAA Gymnastics Championships! Houston Baptist University football program. She then decided to move to Houston, Texas, to train under Romanians Bla and Mrta Krolyi, who had coached Nadia Comneci before their defection to the United States. Her path was different than mine and Im so proud of everything.. I hadnt done that in over 30 years. sound information and advice to make the smartest, healthiest choices. Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Cheers on Daughter at NCAA Womens Gymnastics Championships. Still, Retton is supportive of her daughters aspirations, as you may have been able to tell by her beaming face in the video. All Rights Reserved. After nearly 30 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2018, but they still share their four daughters: Shayla Kelley, McKenna Kelley, Skyla Kelley, and Emma Kelley. Emma's graduation is one that Rettons fans will look forward to, but for now, they have Skylas to ooh and aah over. This year, Kelley is a senior. "I will pick and choose some appearances, but I need to take care of these kids and support them and love them. I havent officially announced this, but I have decided to graduate with my senior class. The tour, which will start this November, is open to gymnasts from the beginner competitive level through the junior level. As to whether she has gotten a chance to step back into the dating pool, Retton says, Not yet!, Im scared a little bit, she says. In 1985, Retton won the American Cup all-around competition for the third and final time. Though Retton missed the World Gymnastics Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury, she won the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, as well as Japan's Chunichi Cup in 1983. National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association. Registered gymnasts will receive a custom GK leotard. They'll make their remarks with a straight face, even if they're joking. Throughout the process, Retton felt alone, but she had the support of the couple's four daughters: Shayla, 23, McKenna, 21, Skyla, 18, and Emma, 16. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. The image was posted to commemorate the latters milestone leaving high-school. She joined the crowd in repeatedly chanting 10 while flashing both hands toward the sky, and later covered her mouth as she teared up at her daughters success. For Kelley, a senior at LSU, the night was a triumphant personal comeback. In fact, in 2016, Retton told ESPN she'd once vowed to Kelley, whose dad is Retton's husband, Shannon Kelley, that she'd try to tone it down. 55 minutes ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon See Her Now. McKenna Kelley, left, and her mom, Mary Lou Retton, at the 1984 Summer Olympics.