CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The 2020 Olympics are just weeks away. When it comes to women’s gymnastics, Team USA is the team to beat.

Fans will be glued to their screens, including aspiring gymnasts, who are signing up for the sports in droves. 

What You Need To Know

  • Charlotte gym owners say during Olympic years, they see a spike in new students signing up for gymnastics and tumbling

  • Julie O’Brien, the owner of Charlotte All Stars Gymnastics and Cheerleading, says hundreds of new students sign up for fall classes during the summer Olympics

  • She says around 20 to 30 percent of new students during Olympic years stay at the gym, and compete through high school and college

Gym coaches in Charlotte say every four years, they’re booked with new athletes. They commonly call this the Olympic Effect. 

Julie O’Brien, the owner and director of Charlotte All Stars Gymnastics and Cheerleading, has owned the Charlotte gym for more than 30 years. 

She says even the summer camps are busier than usual, and aspiring gymnasts of all ages have signed up for entry level classes, dreaming of becoming the next Simone Biles. 

“We get hundreds more usually during the Olympic year,” O’Brien said. “Our class level, our team programs, everything grows quite a bit during the Olympic year.”

O’Brien says she will see some older students sign up, but the biggest increase comes from the younger students. 

“Most girls, especially around eight to ten years old, they just fall in love with all the athletes they see on TV, and they want to be like them,” she said.

O’Brien says it’s a great feeling to watch the class rosters fill up, as a new generation falls in love with the sport. 

“It’s exciting to see all the new kids, and how excited they are to learn gymnastics. It’s exciting to see the gym grow, and just to have more influence with the kids in the community,” she said.

O’Brien says to keep up with the demand, the gym added extra summer classes.