Gymnastics has been a part of Li Lu’s life since she was 5 years
old, and it is her sport of choice that has moved her family from
Fremont to Gilroy.
Gilroy – Gymnastics has been a part of Li Lu’s life since she was 5 years old, and it is her sport of choice that has moved her family from Fremont to Gilroy.
Lu and her husband, Kim Gussenhoven, are owners of All Around Champions – a gymnastics club. They contracted with the City of Gilroy Community Services Department to offer gymnastics classes to Gilroy’s youth seven days a week.
The couple moved to Gilroy with their 11-month-old son, J.D., just last week in preparation of their new gig. Lu and Gussenhoven will teach recreational classes for children 1 to 18 years of age and also will provide classes leading to competitive gymnastics. And Lu knows a thing or two about competition.
The petite and slim 28-year-old’s athletic career reached the highest peak in 1992 when she competed in the summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. She won two medals for her native China, a gold medal for uneven bars and a silver medal for balance beam.
“That was my dream,” Lu said, recalling how her coaches told her about a famous male gymnast from China when she started training. “I was always using him as my example.”
Lu started training near her home in the Hunan province of China at the age of 5 and by the age of 9 she entered national competitions. She trained six days a week and on Sunday spent half a day in the gym.
“I just loved it so much,” Lu said. “I never wanted to stop.”
At the age of 7, her parents wanted to take her out of the gymnastics training program. She cried so much and then ran away back to the training center her parents relented.
In 1991, she entered a training center in Beijing to train for the Barcelona Olympics. She and her teammates wanted to enjoy their time in Spain, but when they got there most of their energy focused on the competition, she said.
Lu said the Chinese gymnasts are known for their upper body strength and she proved it in her best events, the uneven bars and the balance beam.
When she performed her uneven bar routine, at the age of 15, the judges awarded her six “perfect 10s.” She took home a gold medal as well as the respect of her coaches, teammates and competitors.
For a while, Lu couldn’t go outside without being accosted by photographers, reporters and fans. But despite the glory, she knew she eventually wanted to leave the spotlight and go to college.
“I knew I couldn’t do gymnastics forever,” she said.
After college, Lu wanted to work with kids and she found a way to do it using her love of gymnastics.
Lu worked as an assistant coach for the Chinese Women’s Gymnastics team in Beijing from 1995 to 1999, when she decided to move to the United States. She settled in the Bay Area because she liked the air quality and the people. She studied English while teaching gymnastics in Mountain View.
“I like to work with kids and teach them,” she said. “I feel better when they do something good than when I do it myself.”
She met Gussenhoven, who is also an accomplished gymnast himself, while teaching in Mountain View. A long time coach, Gussenhoven won three gold medals in the Men’s American Vaulting Association National Championship and was named International Champion twice.
They started out as a good teaching duo and eventually started dating, marrying in 2003.
Now that they run AAC together, they complement each other’s strengths and make up for each other’s weaknesses. Gussenhoven is the expert on vaulting when they work with their classes, but Lu joked he always leaves the dance routines to her.
Lu is excited for the first session of gymnastics to start Sept. 6 and with the month to month registration, families can still sign their children up. But kids should expect a challenge in the gym from these two professionals.
“They still have to try to progress more,” Lu said. “Even when they do good, they always have to learn.”
Early bird registration for October gymnastics classes continues until Sept. 11. Walk-in registrations are accepted at the Gilroy Community Services Department, 7351 Rosanna Street. Call 846-0460 for more information.
