I returned to gymnastics at 41. Five years later, I'm competing nationally.

The author quit gymnastics when she was 14. Courtesy of the author I quit competitive gymnastics at 14 after an injury and abusive coaching. Nearly three decades later, I found an adult gymnastics class and started again. I've since competed nationally and represented the US at the Masters World Cup. At 41, after years of chronic back pain, postpartum depression , and the consuming demands of motherhood, I did what I thought was impossible: I found my way back to the sport that shaped me. My journey back started with a Google search for "adult gymnastics." I had no idea that it existed. That was the moment I realized my childhood dreams did not have to end at 14. Nearly three decades after walking away, I sat in my car outside a gym, debating whether to go inside for my first adult class.