Local gymnastics program motivated after Simone Biles makes history

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is now a household name, and there’s a group of gymnasts here in Colorado Springs motivated by her grace and athleticism.

Biles recently was crowned the most decorated gymnast of all time after she won a record-breaking 25th world medal last week. Most of the gymnasts have dedicated their lives to the sport, making sacrifices in order to compete at a high level. Several of the gymnasts spend more time at the gym than they do at school or home.

“They are all champions in my book,” says Kathy Vigil, Aerials Team Director

Vigil has worked at Aerials in Colorado Springs for over 30 years.

“The kids are awesome, it is really fun to watch them grow up work for their dreams,” says Vigil.

Many of the gymnasts are living that dream. Several of them are competing at the state, regional and national level.

Vigil thinks they have so many successful athletes because of the motivation and support that comes with training together under one roof.

“They push each other,” says Vigil. “It is really fun when they love each other but one of them gets a new skill and the other one might be struggling a bit more but the other one will say hey you can do it too.”

Many of these young ladies have sacrificed so much to do what they do at this level. The big dream is Worlds and Olympics, but all of them hope to get a scholarship and compete in college one day.

KRDO Only 2019