Lexi Zeiss stands in a nearly empty gym in Champlin, talking on the phone. A group of little girls are practicing on the ballet bar at the side. Lexi hung up and ran over to her group, joining in on her routine without missing a beat.
“Slay,” said Zeiss, 18. He has the potential to become the next local gymnast to compete in the Olympics. “Watch me go.”
Zeiss and her family moved to Minnesota from Nebraska three years ago so she could train at the Twin Cities Twisters Gym under elite gymnastics coach Sarah Jantzi. The two were supposed to practice in pairs before the game, and Zeiss said he became completely absorbed in Yanzi's coaching during practice.
That's why Zeiss begged his family to move from Omaha.
Lexi's father, Jess Zeiss, was initially reluctant to the idea. His wife had established her career as a nurse, which meant uprooting her entire family.
“I dug my heels in,” Jess Zeiss said. “We're already far enough north.”
Eventually, the Zeiss family decided to rent a house in Minnesota. They currently split their time between Nebraska and the Twin Cities.
“The kids are always going somewhere,” Jantzi said. “As a coach, it makes me feel like I’m doing the right thing.”
During his tenure with the Twin Cities Twisters, Jantzi has worked with two athletes who have competed at the Olympic level. Isanti's Grace McCallum was selected to the U.S. Olympic Team and competed in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Little Canada's Maggie Nichols reached the Olympic Trials in 2016, but fell just short.
Zeiss, who practices six days a week, is a candidate to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for this summer's Paris Games. She won the overall championship at the 2023 Winter Cup National Championships and most recently placed 6th on uneven bars at the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. She won three medals as a member of the U.S. team at the 2022 Pan American Championships.
While she works to qualify, Zeiss is preparing for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which will be held at Target Center, a 25-minute drive from her home gym, at the end of June.
If she joins the team, Zeiss will compete on the international stage at the same age St. Paul's Sunitha Lee did when she competed in the Tokyo Olympics. She won three medals, including the individual all-around gold medal.
Zeiss feels the pressure as the gym's only Olympic candidate. She said her coach teaches her to focus on her small goals instead of looking at the big picture.
“It's really nice to have special eyes on me,” Zeiss said. “But I think it's a challenge.”
Zeiss stayed with his teammates when he first moved to Minnesota before his family's home was completed. She adjusted to a new gym and started school online. She is taking classes virtually through the University of Nebraska High School.
Life is far from normal. But Zeiss still attends prom with friends from her alma mater, and she also hangs out with her best friend Elle Muller, who also trains with the Twin Cities Twisters.
“Sometimes I go to her house and just go to school,” Mueller said. “Tell me about life, about boys, about anything really.”
Zeiss plans to attend Louisiana State University in the fall. Until then, she will focus on qualifying for Team Her USA.
During a recent Friday practice, the gym was silent until Jantzi turned on Old Dominion's “No Hard Feelings.” Zeiss practiced bars with two other gymnasts.
Every time she made a mistake, Zeiss quickly recovered. Her smile never wavered, typical of an aspiring Olympian. Mueller said Zeiss has shown a positive attitude since they first met three years ago. “She was so excited every day, so I was excited every day,” Mueller said.
