Six hundred. That’s how many miles per week Trinity junior Michael Chan travels in pursuit of one goal: to be the best gymnast.  

Why does he make three trips a week to Cincinnati? Chan said, “Every little kid’s dream is to make it to the Olympics. I’ve done gymnastics all my life; it’s my passion.” 

There are not many gymnastics facilities in Louisville, especially for elite gymnasts. As Chan progressed, he needed a better facility, better training regimens, and most of all, better competition.

Chan’s mom, Caroline, knew gymnastics was the sport for her three-year-old son because of his constant habit of climbing on the side of the house. After taking classes, gymnastics became second nature to Chan. 

Starting in the eighth grade, Chan’s gymnastics took a huge step forward. To begin training for college gymnastics, he started practicing at Queen City Gymnastics, located in Cincinnati. Chan said, “They produce a lot of college gymnasts that go on to be very successful.”

Queen City Gymnastics is also the name of Chan’s club team. There are five levels to the club teams that run through Queen City, level 5 being the lowest and level 10 the highest. Chan is now on the level 10 team that produces many college athletes.

In addition to being an elite gymnast, Chan is an Advanced Program student at Trinity. Obviously, driving 12 hours a week and getting home at 11 could pose problems regarding schoolwork. Chan said, “I often have to get my schoolwork done two days before.” He said block scheduling has helped his workload tremendously. “It’s great because it spreads out my workload so not everything is due on one day.”

Chan’s mother expressed concern only about the traveling distance. 

She said, “It can be scary because it’s a long time on the road, and when he gets to Cincinnati, it’s always during rush hour. Michael has joined a great team, with great coaches and a wonderful facility.  The only negative is the distance.”

Caroline said Chan’s siblings sometimes make the trip with him, which makes it much more enjoyable.

Constant training and keeping the body in shape is imperative for gymnasts, something Chan knows all too well. He said, “A gymnast usually trains six days a week, four hours a day.” 

Famous American gymnast Shannon Miller once said, “Gymnastics uses every single part of your body, every little tiny muscle.”

Chan threw down a challenge to those who question the difficulty of gymnastics. He said, “Anyone can throw a football or shoot a basketball, but who can do a backflip”?