Biography & Facts

   Chellsie Marie Memmel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 23, 1988 to Andrew and Jeanelle (owners of M&M Gymnastics), both former All-American gymnasts. She lives with her parents and her gymnast sisters, thirteen year old Mara, and six year old Skyler, who does rhythmic gymnastics in addition to artistic gymnastics. Despite being a world-class elite gymnast who has competed all over the world, Chellsie is a pretty normal teenager. She attends West Allis Central High School and enjoys doing typical activites like swimming, reading Harry Potter, and shopping.

   But try as she might, Chellsie just can't help but stand out. Whether it be the fact that she comes from a state that isn't used to gymnastics fame or her mind-boggling routines, Chellsie isn't your average teenager in all respects. She is a two-time World Champion who has overcome tremendous obstacles and several painful injuries.

   When Chellsie burst onto the national scene in 1999 as a national elite, she won almost every event at the American Challenge and U.S. Challenge, establishing herself as one of the top junior gymnasts in the country. She continued to impress the gymnastics community in 2000 during her first year as an international elite. Chellsie was invited to compete in her first international assignment in Puerto Rico (before she even competed at a US Championships!) and she even won the all-around. At Nationals in St. Louis, Chellsie would make her first of four National Teams to date and was invited to compete in a USA vs. France dual meet.

   After a frustrating hamstring injury sidelined Chellsie for all of 2001, she came back stronger than ever in 2002 and she was selected to the Pacific Alliance Team, where she was allowed to compete as an alternate. Had her scores been eligible, she would've finished 4th! She competed well in every single national meet she was entered in: she won the U.S. Classic Team Cup competition (where juniors and seniors competed together!) and placed 3rd at US Championships. She was invited to compete in the USA vs. Mexico dual and the USA-Ukraine-Brazil tri-meet along with other top members of the US Junior National Team.

   2003 was probably the most exciting year of Chellsie's career thus far! She started out strong, placing third at the National Podium Meet and American Classic. Due to her impressive results, she was selected to compete with the top gymnasts in the country in the Pacific Challenge, a tri-meet with Canada and Australia. She put in the performance of her life, nailing every routine and placing 1st in the all-around! Unfortunately, before US Championships, her first as a senior, Chellsie injured her foot and was not 100%. At the Selection Camp, Chellsie was selected to the PanAm Games team, not the World Championships team. Eager to show her recovery was complete, Chellsie put in a brilliant showing in the Dominican Republic, winning the all-around and uneven bars. While Chellsie was doing such a great job there, the U.S. World team was struggling with injuries and illness in Anaheim. Marta Karolyi hand-picked Chellsie to replace Ashley Postell on the team and she flew directly to Anaheim. The U.S. team would walk away with the gold medal (despite only competing with half of the original team) and Chellsie earned individual accolades. She was the 2nd highest qualifier to the all-around final, where she finished 8th, and tied with teammate Hollie Vise for the gold on uneven bars. Chellsie went from not even being on the team to becoming a two-time World Champion!

   2004 was not quite so lucky for Chellsie. After doing the TJ Maxx Tour and rehabbing a shoulder injury, Chellsie was selected to compete in the American Cup, where she placed third all-around on live TV. She was also nominated for the James E. Sullivan Memorial Award by the AAU. While competing for a spot on the Pacific Alliance team in April, Chellsie landed hard on beam and X-rays revealled she had a serious fracture. Despite working hard throughout the summer, she was unable to recover in time to compete at US Championships or Olympic Trials but was still permitted to petition to the Selection Camp. There she was named as one of three alternates on the Olympic Team. She finished out the year with strong, gold-medal winning competitions at the PanAmerican Games Event Finals Championships and the prestigious World Cup Final.

   2005 gives Chellsie the opportunity to defend her uneven bars title at the Individual World Championships this fall in Melbourne. She has already performed well at the American Cup, winning the uneven bars! Whatever this year has in store for Chellsie, she has proven she is a talented and determined gymnast.

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