KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Have a story idea to share with Tod? Send him an e-mail.
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Men’s gymnastics is having a moment after the U.S. team won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a performance that served as inspiration for the male gymnasts at the GAGE Center.
“I think men’s gymnastics is underrated,” said Jesiah Taylor, 15, who trains at the facility in Blue Springs. “I don't think many people know about it as much as women's.”
Jesiah and the other GAGE Center boys hope men's gymnastics finishing on the podium in Paris helps grow the sport's popularity ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“It was their first medal in 16 years,” said GAGE Center gymnast Kien Bui, 11. “That’s one thing, and I just love the energy around.”
Boys tend to reach the elite level of gymnastics later than girls because of the immense strength required for many men’s events, but starting early offers a chance to have fun, master the basics and conquer fear.
“We usually stay on [the] high bar the longest, and those skills are the most entertaining to do,” said GAGE Center gymnast Reese Grant, 12. “Same with [the] floor because you get to flip the most.”
He admitted that making a full loop on the high bar or twisting and turning off the hand trampoline into a foam pit can seem daunting.
“It was scary when I started doing that, but I’ve gotten used to it and it’s more fun than scary now,” Reese said.
In fact, the ever-changing and challenging nature of gymnastics is part of the appeal of the sport.
“I’m always learning and always trying to get new skills,” Jesiah said. “There’s always a skill that I don’t have that I can try to get. That’s what keeps me going and keeps me staying in the sport. There’s always something more to do in it.”
Male gymnasts compete on six different apparatus — the high bar, floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault and parallel bars.
Female gymnasts also compete on the floor and vault, but their other two events are the balance beam and uneven bars.
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