Joel Mertes

As a gymnastics coach, Joel Mertes cultivated state, regional, and national champions in addition to training over 15 athletes who qualified for the T.O.P.S. National Team. Joel Mertes' older sister, who worked at a small gymnastics club in his home state of Illinois, first introduced him to the sport. While attending Illinois Valley Community College, Joel Mertes worked at the gymnastics facility for a year, learning the basic of coaching. Joel Mertes augmented his skills as a coach at Woodward Camp in Pennsylvania, where he met the head coach of Alamos Gymnastics Center and was offered a coaching position at the facility in San Antonio, Texas. After traveling to the Lone Star State with nothing but a bicycle and some clothes, Joel Mertes cut his teeth in the industry by coaching classes and cleaning the gym. During his first years at the center, Joel Mertes befriended successful coaches and gleaned valuable insight into the sport. In early 1999, Joel Mertes started coaching his own team of young gymnasts in preparation for T.O.P.S. testing, which finds the top young gymnasts in the United States. Joel Mertes developed numerous successful gymnasts during his career before retiring in 2007 and relocating to Illinois. While coaching gymnastics, Joel Mertes raced and rode dirt bikes on occasion. Since returning to Illinois, however, Joel Mertes has begun taking the sport seriously, now racing competitively in motocross, hare scrambles, and enduros. Competing across the country, Joel Mertes has established himself as a top amateur rider in the Midwest. In 2010, Joel Mertes won the 250 A class for District 17, which spans Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. He anticipates racing in either AA or pro class for the 2011 enduro season.