Geist Area Olympian Returns Home to Open Training Facility

Olympic gold medalist Jaycie Phelps with her father Jack.

When you ask Greenfield native Jaycie Phelps about her experiences competing at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, the gold-medal-winning gymnast expresses a somewhat unexpected sentiment.

“To me, it was just another meet,” explained Phelps. “You always went into a competition with the same mind-set of not being distracted no matter what the situation. My feeling at the time was ‘this is just what I do.’”

That’s not to say the enormity of the accomplishment was lost on the Hoosier Olympian whose team won a first-ever gold medal for U.S. Women’s Gymnastics. “A couple of years after, and now being on the other side as a coach, I realize how hard it was, and what it took to be a champion,” said Phelps, who was 16 at the time. “I look back and marvel that I was able to do that at such a young age.”

Following stints teaching gymnastics in Dallas and Colorado Springs, Colo., Phelps, 30, has returned home to pursue a business dream shared by her father, Jack, 57, and boyfriend, David Mauris.

The Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center – a state-of-the-art sports training facility located across from Mt. Comfort Airport (3802 N. 600 W.) – is scheduled to open August 7th. The 25,000 sq. ft. renovated building will feature gymnastics instruction as well as Jack’s passion, baseball and softball training.

“It will primarily be a gym training facility with all new apparatus and in-ground pits,” shared Jack. “We’ll also have about 6,000 sq. ft. of indoor turf including four batting cages.” The multi-purpose facility will emphasize strength and agility training, regardless of the sport being played. Video technology will be available for performance analysis.

Like most elite athletes, Jaycie’s skills developed at an early age. After a daycare center field trip to Indiana Gymnest in Greenfield, the four-year-old was smitten. “Jaycie wasn’t happy unless she was in the gym,” Jack remembered. “If we wanted to ‘punish’ her all we needed to do was threaten no gymnastics practice.”

At age 11, Jaycie scored well at a national meet in Georgia, where several coaches said she had real potential. “Our attitude was, what if? So, we decided to check it out," said Jack.

Now, with Olympic gold medal in hand Jaycie is promising the same kind of personal attention to budding gymnasts, no matter the age or skill level. “One of our goals is to show any kid that has the dream and desire that it can be done,” said Jaycie. “And, we’ll be realistic about potential.”

Father, daughter and boyfriend agree that what’s most important are the life lessons learned – time management, sportsmanship and teamwork.

“Communication is the key,” said Mauris, who also teaches gymnastics. “People aren’t that familiar with the sport, and you can’t leave parents in the dark.”

The trio anticipates Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center serving about 500 members thanks to its come one, come all philosophy. Additional information is available at www.jpacsports.com and jpacsports@yahoo.com.