Chellsie chasing comeback for the ages

That's not simply fatherly pride talking. Forster admits he wasn't sure Chellsie was serious until she told him she wouldn't be judging at competitions in 2021 because she planned on being judged instead. While Forster is keen to give Memmel space, what he's seen on her YouTube channel is encouraging.

"She looks like the Chellsie Memmel we knew," Forster said. "It's remarkable. You know, her confidence level I think is different because she's much more mature and she just has a lot more life behind her to know how to train, how to not take things so seriously and give herself a break. She seems to be training smarter."

Still, she's not immune to the physical toll the sport takes. While her thrice-repaired shoulder, which basically cost her a legitimate shot at making the 2012 Olympic team, is fine, an ankle injury last fall stalled her progress. It forced an adjustment to her timeline. She had hoped to be on the floor in Indianapolis this weekend at the Winter Cup, the first major American gymnastics competition in a year.

Instead, she'll stay home, hoping to attend the next national team camp in March. If that goes well, the American Classic in April figures to be her first meet since May 2012. There are no plans to do this as a specialist. She even plans on doing all four events.

And, yes, it will be a little weird. Memmel isn't kidding that she's got leotards older than some of the young women she could end up training alongside. While it's not uncommon for international gymnasts to compete into their mid-20s and beyond－the seemingly ageless 45-year-old Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan will compete in her eighth Olympics this summer－it's much harder in the United States, where the talent pool is the world's deepest.