Joel Mertes Gymnastics

Currently a competitive dirt bike racer, Joel Mertes began playing organized supports at the age of eight and has been involved with athletics his entire life. Born in Peru, Illinois, Joel Mertes lived in the state throughout his childhood. After receiving his first dirt bike at an early age, Joel Mertes only took part in the sport sparingly until recent years. In 1996, Joel Mertes graduated from LaSalle-Peru High School and began classes at Illinois Valley Community College. Joel Mertes studied at the institution for two years, spending his summer immersed in gymnastics at Woodward Camp in Pennsylvania. At the camp, Joel Mertes met a coach from San Antonio, Texas, who offered him a position at the Alamos Gymnastics Center. Collaborating with elite coaches from around the globe, Joel Mertes rapidly expanded his gymnastics knowledge and expertise. Shortly after joining Alamos Gymnastics Center, Joel Mertes began preparing his own team of young gymnasts for national testing for the T.O.P.S. program, which seeks out the most promising gymnasts in the country. In his time as a coach, Joel Mertes helped 17 girls earn acceptance to the T.O.P.S. National Team. Gymnasts trained by Joel Mertes have also gone on to win state, regional, and national championships. In 2007, Joel Mertes returned to Illinois and picked up the family hobby of dirt bike racing. Inspired by his father and brother, Joel Mertes started racing enduros and hare scrambles in class 250 A of District 17, winning the classification in 2010. This has motivated Joel Mertes to ride in either AA or pro class in the upcoming enduro season. For the last two and a half years, Joel Mertes has delivered licenses and titles for Market Street Currency Exchange in LaSalle, Illinois. During his free time, Joel Mertes competes in numerous softball leagues throughout the region and belongs to the National Softball Association and the American Softball Association.