Jaycie Phelps

Profile

Family Name: Phelps
First Name: Jaycie (after her parents' initials)
Date of Birth: September 26th, 1979
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana
Hometown: Greenfield, Indiana
Residence: Arizona
School: Arizona State University
Former Club: Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy
Former Coach: Mary Lee Tracy
Club: Arizona Desert Devils
Began Gymnastics: 1983
Favorite Events Uneven Bars, Balance Beam
Favorite Gymnasts: Mary Lou Retton, Kim Zmeskal
Parents: Jack and Cheryl Phelps
Sibling: Dennis
Favorite Foods: Pizza, Mexican, frozen yoghurt, ice cream
Favorite Color: Teal

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Top Achievements

1994 U.S. National Championships Event Finalist (5th Bars, Beam and Floor) and 6th AA
1994 Team World Championships Silver Medalist
1995 U.S. National Championships Bronze Medalist (AA) and Event Finalist (4th Bars, 5th Vault, 6th Floor)
1995 World Championships Bronze Medalist (Team) and Event Finalist (7th UB)
1996 U.S. National Championships Silver Medalist (AA)
1996 World Championships Event Finalist (8th Bars, 7th Beam)
1996 Olympic Gold Medalist (Team)

For complete results, see her USA Gymnastics Official Biography

Biography

Jaycie's talent for gymnastics was discovered at age four when she and her classmates went on a trip to the
nearby gym. One coach thought she was talented, so Jaycie's parents enrolled their daughter at the local
gym, which was only ten minutes away from home. Jaycie started taking lessons once a week, then twice.
She kept going to the local gym for several years but in 1991, she had to find another gym with a more
advanced coach in order to develop her talent. So the family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, so that Jaycie
could train at the Desert Devils Gym. But that proved to be a bad choice: none of the family members
managed to adapt, and Jaycie herself wasn't making the progress she expected.
In 1993, she was so demoralized she nearly quit gymnastics. Her parents convinced her not to, and the
family moved back to their homestate of Indiana. Jaycie, who was looking for the right gym and the right
coach, decided to try and go to to Mary Lee Tracy's Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. After her mother came
to live with her in Ohio, Jaycie regained her self-confidence. She was on her way to the top.
In 1994, Jaycie was a member of the WorldChampionships Team that won a silver medal at the Team
World Championships in Dortmund. In 1995, she showed she could be a great individual performer as well
when she won a bronze medal in the all-around at Nationals. And even if she injured her knee three weeks
before the World Championships, she went to Japan to help the team win a bronze medal.
In 1996, Jaycie almost won the National Championships, but eventually finished second to Shannon Miller.
She was determined to make it to the Olympics. And she did. Not only did she make the team, she also
turned in some of her best performances ever in Atlanta. She and her teammates won the first Olympic
team gold medal for the U.S. in women's gymnastics history. Even if Jaycie didn't qualify for the all-around in
Atlanta, she became very popular as one of the members of the 'Magnificent Seven'. The girls appeared on
numerous television shows, including The Today Show and Letterman's, and they went on tour in 1996 and
1997.
In the summer of 1997, Jaycie knew she had to undergo knee surgery, but she was still hoping she would
make it to the top again. Even if her meniscus transplant was a success, her knee was too weak to allow her
to train intensively, so Jaycie gave up her career as a gymnast, and moved to Arizona to coach at the Desert
Devils (in the evenings) while attending the University of Arizona.
Surprisingly, Jaycie came out of retirement to try and make the 2000 Olympic Team. Due to a knee injury though, she couldn't compete at Trials and did not make the team.

Links

Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy Page
Jaycie Phelps and Amanda Borden Web Site
Jaycie Phelps of the Mag7
Jaycie Phelps Place
The Official Homepage Of: Jaycie Phelps
USA Gymnastics Official Biography

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Latest Update: August 25th, 2000.