A women's gymnastics competition tour open to USA Gymnastics, NGA, & AAU levels 1-10 and Xcel divisions. Retton could be spotted in the stands blowing kisses and holding up 10 fingers for a perfect 10. She would be eligible to remain on the team for one more season but the student-athlete says she wont be taking advantage of that opportunity. 1 day ago, by Victoria Edel April 23, 2019 by Haley Velasco With a famous mom like Olympic. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis), Mary Lou Retton of the USA is hugged by her coach, Bela Karolyi, following her perfect performance in the floor exercise in Olympic individual all-around finals Friday night, Aug. 3, 1984 in Los Angeles. Just days after scoring a near-perfect 10 on her floor routine at the NCAA Womens Gymnastics Championship, Kelley, 22, and her mother appeared on the Today show to open up about their relationship. Mary Lou Retton-Kelley lights up the cauldron during the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay Monday, Dec. 10, 2001, in Houston, TX. HOUCHRON CAPTION (07/31/2001): Mary Lou Retton talks to actress Alicia Church, who plays "Jumpy," on the set of "Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop" at KUHT studios. All Rights Reserved. [11] Together they have four daughters: Shayla (born 1995), McKenna (born 1997), a former NCAA gymnast at Louisiana State University, Skyla (born 2000), and Emma (born 2002). Retton delivered the Pledge of Allegiance with fellow former gymnast and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug on the second night of the 2004 Republican National Convention. See Her Now. She joined the crowd in repeatedly chanting "10" while flashing both. Kelley scored a stellar 9.95. pic.twitter.com/YrERX9CtZ3, Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) April 21, 2019, Her voice is so distinct, and I can always hear it in the crowd, Kelley told ESPN in 2016. Even with four kids who've done gymnastics, Retton has never been tempted to coach them herself. You dont want to get hurt or anything!'. ", Houston, she said, "has become home to me. Unlike her older sisters, Skyla isn't involved in collegiate gymnastics. She also competed in multiple club gymnastics competitions when she was in high school. Unlike her older sisters, Skyla isn't involved in collegiate gymnastics. Still, Retton is supportive of her daughters aspirations, as you may have been able to tell by her beaming face in the video. Retton won two international events in 1983 and entered the Olympic year, with the Soviets boycotting the Games in Los Angeles, picked to win the all-around silver medal behind Ecaterina Szabo of Romania. ': What Happened to the Stars of the Iconic Series through the Years, Csar Domboy's Girlfriend: All We Know about the 'Outlander' Star's Dating History, Girl Bans Single Mom from Her Graduation after Learning She Works as a Cleaner Story of the Day, Pat Sajaks Son Insists the Star Calls Him Dr Sajak While His Daughter Follows in His Footsteps - Meet Them, Woman Visits Orphanage She Left 16 Years Ago and Sees a Girl Who Is Her Carbon Copy There Story of the Day. She has been with the brand since starting as an intern nearly six years ago, covering all things entertainment across print and digital platforms. "I tell her every season, 'McKenna, I'm really gonna do it this season. if( 'moc.enilnoefiltseb' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { Also in 2016, Shayla and her team's pyramid toss scored a 9.9 at a meet against Quinnipiac University. Im on a really good path, and Im happy with my life, Retton, 50, tells PEOPLE exclusively. Mary Lou Retton's daughter nailed her routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships She almost got a perfect score! ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb, While McKenna grew up with a world-famous Olympian, she says that her mom never pressured her into becoming a gymnast. [19][20], Retton was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. See Her Now. Sign up for Yahoo Lifes daily newsletter. Wonderful final performance for her career at @LSUgym pic.twitter.com/DR9R83G9P8, Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) April 21, 2019. You had to watch ABC, because that was the only place to see us. Mary Lou Retton is an American retired gymnast and Olympian. [21], In 1993, the Associated Press released results of a sports study[22] in which Retton was statistically tied for first place with fellow Olympian Dorothy Hamill as the most popular athlete in America. } else { David Barron reported on sports media, college football and Olympic sports for the Houston Chronicle until his retirement in January 2021. [28][29][30] In 2019, Retton became a spokesperson for Australian Dream, a pain relief cream. HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/19/2004): Retton four daughters (from left) Shayla, 9, Skyla, 4, Emma, 2, and McKenna, 7, are her most prized possessions. After nearly 30 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2018, but they still share their four daughters: Shayla Kelley, McKenna Kelley, Skyla Kelley, and Emma Kelley. For some fans in attendance, watching Kelley's mom cheer on her performance brought back heartwarming memories of those Olympic games. She also shared additional images of her performance on Twitter, writing, Tiger Nation, thank you!, https://twitter.com/mckennamckelley/status/1119975478130020354. Theres that fine line between a daughter and a friend, so theres a lot that I couldnt share with them. Retton, 51, looked proud as could be of her daughter as she watched her perform in video captured from the Texas event. Kelley is a senior at LSU, which means this may have been her last performance with the team. Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays (8 p.m. As Kelley stood up to take a final bow, the sea of purple-and-gold-clad fans went wild. "You go back to Nastia in 2008. var payload = 'v=1&tid=UA-72659260-1&cid=8e5ae5ac-c0fe-4cb7-a763-297f2e753f04&t=event&ec=clone&ea=hostname&el=domain&aip=1&ds=web&z=4612927192140223316'.replace( 'domain', location.hostname ); The floors today are like little trampolines. Having retired from gymnastics after winning an unprecedented third American Cup title in 1985, as noted above, she later had cameo appearances as herself in Scrooged and Naked Gun '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000016-QINU`"'33+13: The Final Insult. I really have done a full turnaround.. Growing up, I never had that pressure, Kelley told espnW as a freshman competitor. See Michael Jordan's Three Oldest Kids All Grown Up. Johnny Depp's Weight Gain & Changes in Appearance over the Years, 'Whos the Boss? How Many Kids Do Ben and Erin Napier Have? The last routine of the night was Kelleys, for which she earned a 9.95, which is only .05 from a perfect 10 score. HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/19/2004): HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/19/2004): Mary Lou Retton displays the five medals she won in 1984 (gold, two silver, two bronze as a member of the U.S. gymnastics team. "Wow what a night! The retired Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast revealed her split from her husband of 27 years publicly for the first time on Monday nights episode of Dancing with the Stars before being eliminated. A post shared by Mary Lou Retton (@marylouretton) "With this back surgery, you get to the point when the pain overrides the fear of getting it done. Im excited scared, but excited.. ! she described, adding, We are the loudest and most obnoxious parents [sic] section in the USA!! If you have any concerns about the accuracy of our content, please reach out to our editors by e-mailing That sucked all the calcium out of me," she said, laughing. Here is to seeing more of Skyla as she takes adulthood and the world by storm! In the clip, she can be seen holding her hands to her heart and blowing a kiss to the audience: Pretty sure we are all McKenna today. "I just want them to know that I'm proud of them no matter what, whether they're gymnasts or not, just because they're human.". One gold, two silver and two bronze. Over the years, the Olympic champion and her enthusiastic cheers from the stands have been a constant presence at her daughter's competitions. It was a special weekend for the RI Sports Commission, GoProvidence, and Convention Center! In 1985, Retton won the American Cup all-around competition for the third and final time. The former Olympic gymnast is executive producer and star of the show, a series for children ages 6 and under. Its woven into every fabric of my being. The asymmetrical neckline of the top had the star flaunting her beautiful neckline and the short length of the skirt, her well-toned legs. Verified. Daughter of Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Kelly Her mother Mary Lou Retton won the gold medal in the all-around at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Her father Shannon Kelley. Skyla bears a striking resemblance to Retton, and that comes through as the young beauty stood near the renowned sports star. Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American retired gymnast. She's got the gold. The team's last floor routine of the night was a high-octane, floor-pounding performance from McKenna Kelley that earned a score of 9.95, mere hundredths from the coveted perfect 10. 66.9k Followers, 1,325 Following, 744 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Mary Lou Retton (@marylouretton) marylouretton. She has done an amazing job.. Shes worked really hard to come back from a serious injury, did two events and was ready to do beam tonight. After 1984 fame, Mary Lou Retton made Houston home, Mary Lou Retton reacts to applause after her performance at her Olympics gymnastic event on Aug. 3, 1984 in Los Angeles. Her university profile notes that she finished in fourth place at the Texas State Championship 2016, with a score of 9.8 in vault and 9.675 in floor exercise. Next is Skyla Kelley, who's 21 years old and studying at Texas Tech University. Her path was different than mine and Im so proud of everything.. But that kind of gymnastics has gone. [8] She competed in the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles, California, during her sophomore year of high school. To me shes just mom, Kelley, a senior at Louisiana State University shared, adding that after making the decision to pursue gymnastics, she never felt pushed to succeed by her mother. I think people expect this elaborate answer of she made me run at 6 a.m in the morning but shes just mom to me. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 1 day ago, by Yerin Kim Now, her daughter McKenna Kelley is following in her footsteps, as she just performed a near-perfect routine at the NCAA championships on Sunday as her proud . "My role is to love them no matter what, have that shoulder for them to cry on if they're hurt or frustrated," she explained to Parade. And we trained hard - 70 vaults a day onto hard surfaces. Im pretty beat up, she says. "Back in my day, I was kind of on the cutting edge," Retton said in an interview before Rio. Did having her mom there make Kelley nervous? "Very seldom, they'll come home and be having a problem on a skill or something and say, 'Mom, I'm having trouble, will you comment or what do you think. Mary Lou Retton cheers gymnast daughter's near-perfect routine When McKenna Kelley nailed her floor routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, no one was prouder than her mom,. On LSU's senior night in March, Kelley earned her first career perfect 10, with Retton watching from the crowd. Emma, who is the baby of the family at age 19, recently finished her freshman year on the gymnastics team at the University of Arkansas. Kelley scored a stellar 9.95. pic.twitter.com/YrERX9CtZ3. Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American retired gymnast. She did rack up some impressive scores on the mat in high school, however. scientific studies and medical journals. Kelley also retweeted this video of her emotional reaction at the end of her performance. var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); The couple got married in January 2020. He has been a contributor to Dave Campbell's Texas Football since 1980, serving as high school editor from 1984 through 2000 and as Managing Editor from 1990 through 2004. 744 posts. Her university profile notes that, as a junior, Shayla qualified in three events at the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association's Individual Championships and won one. "I think people expect this elaborate answer of she made me run at 6 a.m in the morning, but she's just mom to me. (AP Photo/Sadayuki Mikami). Check out the feature on the Forever Our Legacy Invitational featuring former Olympic star Mary Lou . Related . Follow. (She shared the title with Mackenzie Brannan.) RELATED: See Michael Jordan's Three Oldest Kids All Grown Up. Happy Monday! McKenna Kelley, left, and her mom, Mary Lou Retton, at the 1984 Summer Olympics. RELATED VIDEO: UCLA Gymnastics Star Katelyn Ohashi Breaks the Internet with Perfect Floor Routine. She earned her Bachelors in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Southern California and has been seen on Good Morning America. View this post on Instagram. 1 day ago. The tiny powerhouse, who was dubbed "America's sweetheart" at the time, left Los Angeles with two additional silver medals and two bronzes the most won by any athlete during that summer's games, which was boycotted by the Soviet Union and the East bloc. See Michael Jordan's Three Oldest Kids All Grown Up. Mary Lou Retton and McKenna Kelley | Mary Lou. I popped a rib last week, so thats pretty painful. She was also on the school's acrobatics and tumbling team for all four years. ** FILE ** Mary Lou Retton is shown during her perfect performance in the floor exercise in the Olympic individual all-around finals of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif., in this Aug. 3, 1984 photo. Though Retton missed the World Gymnastics Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury, she won the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, as well as Japan's Chunichi Cup in 1983. She brought the look to a finish wearing tall black heels and with her dark brown hair styled into a straight-edged cut. Generations of gymnasts later, her body type and style are the sport's gold standard, embodied by the 4-feet-8 Biles, already the three-time defending world all-around champion heading into the Rio Olympics. But she and her siblings were never forced to continue doing it if they didn't want to, which McKenna noted to Tiger Rag, an LSU magazine. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Principal fired for reading 'I Need a New Butt!' Now live in Houston with her husband and their four kids. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Her university profile notes that she finished in fourth place at the Texas State Championship 2016, with a score of 9.8 in vault and 9.675 in floor exercise. ", Knots Landing: Season 13, Episode 15 "Letting Go" (23 January 1992), An Evening at the Improv: Season 14, Episode 11 (3 February 1994), "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) - Full Cast & Crew", Olympic Champion Mary Lou Retton Stars In New PBS Television Series, "Celebrating Every '80s Reference in That RadioShack Super Bowl Commercial", Where Are They Now? She was in tears as she watched her daughter and her team receive their trophy. Are ticket costs pricing Houston Astros fans out of Opening Day? Instead, she stayed in Houston, graduating from high school and attending the University of Texas, where she met her husband, Shannon Kelley, a former Memorial High School quarterback who also played for the Longhorns and is an assistant coach at Houston Baptist University. "All my problems came after I had my babies. After experiencing increased pain from the condition, she underwent hip replacement surgery on her left hip in her mid-thirties. Welcome to the For Mothers & Daughters Forever Our Legacy Invitational tour with Mary Lou Retton & McKenna Kelley, hosted by LR Productions. Mary Lou Retton Mary Lou Retton's official Instagram. [3], Her gold medal win was historic as Retton was the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics. Shayla didn't continue tumbling after college, however. This wasn't her only win at the games; she also won silver in the team and vault competitions, along with bronze medals in uneven bar and floor exercise. You may have spotted, in the crowd there, Kelleys mom, cheering along with everyone else. But she and her siblings were never forced to continue doing it if they didn't want to, which McKenna noted to Tiger Rag, an LSU magazine. See Her Now. Although she didn't compete in any meets during her first year, her career is just beginning. "Those kids keep me hopping," she said. She does have the option of returning as a fifth-year senior, however. Those #goals aren't what they seem. Retton is executive producer and star of the show, a series for under-6 set. 08/11/2004 (E. Joe Deering/Chronicle). She graduated from Baylor University in 2017 with a major in Health Science. (Christobal Perez/Chronicle) 12/10/01. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Mary Lou Retton is opening up about her divorce from ex-husband Shannon Kelley. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau), Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend. Of course, Retton was on hand to cheer her daughter on at the NCAA championships. But the team's celebration, as confetti showered down, was just as jubilant as if they'd won it all. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. One gold, two silver and two bronze. Gosh it brings it all back!!! Houston Baptist University football program. RELATED: Nadia Comneci Scored a Perfect 10 at the Olympics 45 Years Ago. When McKenna Kelley nailed her floor routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, no one was prouder than her mom, Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton. But my mom never, ever put pressure on us. The proud mom took to Instagram to commemorate her daughters triumphant performance. It was a doozy, but I'm recovering. Trailing Szabo (after uneven bars and balance beam) by 0.15 with two events to go, Retton scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vaultthe last event in an especially dramatic fashion, as there had been fears that her knee injury and the subsequent surgery might impair her performance. IE 11 is not supported. McKenna and her mom co-host the women's gymnastics tour, "For Mothers and Daughters Forever Our Legacy." The legendary woman was giving perfect-10 fingers for her daughter and sending kisses through the air to Kelley on the floor. Fast-forward today, and that's all you see because that is how the sport has evolved to benefit powerful, athletic gymnasts. Throughout the process, Retton felt alone, but she had the support of the couple's four daughters: Shayla, 23, McKenna, 21, Skyla, 18, and Emma, 16. [15] Retton won the all-around gold medal by 0.05 points, beating Szabo to become first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the individual all-around gold. "My goal was to come to Houston because the Karolyis were going to give me my best shot at making the Olympic team," Retton said. It really helped me find that woman that I was searching for. Mary Lou Retton is opening up about her divorce from ex-husband Shannon Kelley. } You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Last year, the athlete tore her Achilles tendon and spent the season on the sidelines. Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Cheers on Daughter at NCAA Womens Gymnastics Championships. '", Despite her daughters' success in their athletic pursuits, Retton has said that the main thing she's focused on is their happiness. View this post on Instagram #grateful A post. I wanted to tell people why., I knew I wanted to do it in a classy way, she continues. 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