LONSDALE, Minnesota — Many would argue that Minnesota is a famous gymnastics state. Just ask anyone who was one of four women to win a three-time high school championship.
Bailey DuPay won the MSHSL all-around state championship title three times during her high school career in the early 2010s, while competing for Northfield High School.
“My senior year of high school has been almost 10 years now. It doesn’t feel that long ago, but at the same time it feels like an eternity ago,” DuPay said.
Now her 2-year-old daughter, Summer, is the one doing the jumping and tumbling in their Lonsdale home. She’s excited that her daughter, as young as she is, is the US Olympic Gymnastics Trials in their home state.
“It’s inspiring for my almost 2-year-old son to think that the athletes are as powerful as they are,” DuPay said.
To achieve all of her MSHSL titles, DuPay has put in an incredible amount of work. It’s nothing compared to the efforts of other Olympic hopefuls.
“They are just so dedicated to the sport and train multiple times a day, six to seven days a week,” DuPay said.
DuPay was the best in gymnastics after high school. Her body told her it was time.
“I have degenerative disc disease in my back and I have eight herniated discs,” DuPay said.
The sport taught her to dream big, something she still carries with her today.
“That’s how you get somewhere in life. It’s not being satisfied with where you are, it’s constantly wanting to be better as a person, as a mother,” said DuPay, who also teaches her daughter to dream big.
Marielle Mohs
