Gymnast Kayla DiCello navigates the stress – and hope – of an Olympic summer

Reminders fill the gymnastics facility. Rings made of cardboard covered in paint and glitter feature prominently above the floor where the athletes practice their routines. Large posters of past Olympic teams welcome visitors in the lobby, and banners from U.S. trials and Summer Games hang over a long trophy shelf.

Kayla DiCello doesn’t pay much attention. She has trained at Hill’s Gymnastics in Gaithersburg, Maryland, nearly her entire life, so by now, the rings blend into the wall. And the word “Olympics” is hardly spoken, even Monday when DiCello had her final day of training before she heads to the trials in St. Louis. When DiCello arrived at her 6 a.m. practice, her teammates surprised her with posters all over the gym, wishing her good luck and adding even more Olympic rings to the walls.

The facility is a bustling place, with a large crew of kids arriving midway through practice for a day camp, but here DiCello is alone in what she is chasing. At 17 years old, DiCello is one of 18 gymnasts competing at this week’s trials, and she’s part of an even smaller group of athletes that has a realistic chance to make the team.

Last summer’s one-year postponement of the Tokyo Games gave DiCello an extra year to develop, and she added a few new skills to her routines in that time. She placed third at the U.S. Classic this spring, positioning herself as a serious contender for Tokyo. Two weeks later at nationals, she fell three times across two days of competition, including on her beam mount, a fluke mistake she had never made in practice. The nerves flustered a typically consistent competitor. DiCello placed 11th and felt disappointed. But two nights of solid routines in St. Louis could be all she needs.

“I don’t even think she knew what happened” at nationals, said Kelli Hill, DiCello’s coach. “And then it was hard to deal with, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe that happened.’ Questioning: ‘Is this over?’ And it’s not over.”

Hill has been here before, and each gymnast adds to her understanding of how to manage different personalities through probably the most stressful month of a career. Some of her former gymnasts are included on those Olympics posters: Dominique Dawes (1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic teams), Elise Ray (2000) and Courtney Kupets (2004).

When DiCello’s parents, Matt and Kecia, enrolled their first daughter in parent-tot classes at age 2, they didn’t realize much about the history of the club and the heights some of Hill’s gymnasts had reached. They didn’t have experience in the sport. They were just focused on young Kayla enjoying this new activity. As DiCello progressed and her coach spoke with her parents about pursuing the elite level, Hill emphasized it needed to be Kayla’s decision. DiCello wanted to compete at the sport’s highest level because, she said, “I always wanted to go to the Olympics.”

DiCello placed 26th at her first U.S. championships in 2017, when one missed release element on the bars significantly brought her score down. She felt nervous with so many people in the arena. It was her first year performing some of these difficult skills in competition. The next season, she placed second, and she won the junior title in 2019. That’s when she felt she had a real chance to compete in Tokyo.

As DiCello has improved along this path, her dad said, “Our ultimate objective is really just to keep everything as normal as possible.”

DiCello’s mind escapes gymnastics when the family leaves their home and visits places such as Annapolis, Maryland, or Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. DiCello practices four hours in the morning and then again in the afternoon, but she makes it home in time for family dinners. They love salmon and steak.

DiCello still attends the same high school, and the school accommodates her training with a modified schedule. DiCello, who recently finished her junior year, goes to classes between practices. Sometimes fellow students will ask whether she’s going to the Olympics. DiCello usually replies: “Well, you know, I’m trying. That’s the goal.”

All three of the DiCello sisters are high-level gymnasts, and they practice together in the mornings with a group of about 30 others. Their parents try to offer support, rather than add pressure, so post-practice questions are geared toward their health and outlook and no one tries to be a gymnastics expert. For a while, DiCello’s dad referred to the popular wolf turn as the “helicopter move.”

DiCello’s next eight competitive routines will determine whether she makes the Olympic team. Then there are the uncontrollable factors of how well everyone else performs and the subjective decisions of a selection committee. Emotions are magnified at this level. The thrill is greater, and so is the disappointment.

When DiCello was selected to compete for the United States at the Pacific Rim Championships in Colombia, she felt that she belonged. Three other gymnasts who will be at this week’s trials were on that 2018 team, and near the front door at Hill’s, there’s a plaque with the group’s photo. DiCello placed second in the all-around and won the vault and bars. She felt only “good nerves” during that competition. There’s another plaque in the lobby from the junior world championships. At that meet in 2019, DiCello won the vault and finished third on the beam.

“She’s usually extremely good under stress,” Hill said. “… That’s why USAs for her was such an abnormal competition.”

Since then, Hill has talked with DiCello about the upcoming trials, but more so to emphasize that “nobody’s going to love you more if you make the Olympics, and nobody’s going to love you less if you don’t.” The week after nationals was still difficult. Then she started to return to her normal demeanor, which her coach described as “talkative, smiling, laughing, enjoying the process, not dreading it.”

Before the U.S. championships, DiCello felt she hadn’t mentally accepted that these critical competitions had arrived. She struggled some during the Monday practice before leaving for Fort Worth, Texas, then improved as the week progressed. This week’s final day of practice was different. DiCello and Hill methodically rotated from one event to another throughout the four-hour session. After nearly every turn, they assessed skills together on videos Hill recorded on her phone. DiCello rarely had a major mistake all morning.

“I feel ready to compete,” DiCello said. “I’ve been feeling a lot more confident.”

At the end of practice, the entire group of gymnasts lined up shortest to tallest on the vault runway. It was the first time the Olympic trials were discussed, and the conversation focused solely on recognizing what DiCello has already achieved. With the backs of her knees still chalky from practicing beam dismounts, DiCello stood in front of the group as her coaches celebrated her accomplishments – that she’s one of just 18 gymnasts in the country with the opportunity to become one of six going to Tokyo.

“The person you are is what made watching this journey so awesome,” a team coach said.

DiCello’s teammates gave her hugs and a stack of cards. Hill’s son, who also works at the gym, brought over a bag of fruit cups. He usually gives those to elite gymnasts as they head off to meets but forgot a few weeks ago before nationals. DiCello left the gym with her sisters, taking one of the posters from the wall, feeling the reassurance of a solid practice and a chance to make the team.