A Millstadt gymnast will soon be making her way to Germany to represent the U.S. in the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

Colleen Costello, along with her mother Kathy, spoke about her 26 years in gymnastics as well as the last few months specifically training for her upcoming performance.

“I’ve been wanting to do world games for years, and finally I got selected to go,” Colleen said.

Now 36, Colleen said her interest in the sport began when she was exceptionally young, watching gymnasts on TV and feeling inspired to showcase the kind of talent they did.

“I started watching it on TV, and then all of a sudden I was like ‘Hey, I wanna do this!’” Colleen said. “I’ve been wanting to go to a world game since I was 5.”

Since she started as a gymnast, Colleen has earned a number of accolades, with her and Kathy specifically noting her strong performance in two national competitions in the past.

It was her excellent performance along with the flexibility of learning new routines that earned her the role as one of the U.S. gymnasts – though she is serving as a substitute for two other gymnasts.

“I was a last minute volunteer,” Colleen said, with Kathy adding, “Because they know that she’s really adaptable and can do a lot of different things.”

That adaptability turned out to be especially important in this situation, as Colleen has been charged with stepping out of her comfort zone on an international stage.

For most of Colleen’s gymnastic career, her particular niche has been artistic gymnastics, the style many people are likely to recall when thinking about the sport.

The last six months, however, have seen Colleen dilligently practicing for rhythmic gymnastics.

“Artistic is the typical gymnastics with the beam, the bar, the floor routine and the vault, but rhythmic gymnastics is just the floor routine with different apparatus,” Kathy said.

Her relatively recent exposure to the rhythmic routines as well as the rather short deadline she’s been facing have led to her spending at least four days every week training at a sports complex in Belleville.

In that time, Colleen has been able to get used to the ribbon, hoops, rope and clubs that will be a part of her upcoming performance. She expressed a particular fondness for the ribbons and clubs.

Of course, the last few months – and Colleen’s many previous years as a gymnast – have also gone smoothly thanks to her coach, Jennifer Hitt.

Kathy and Colleen both praised Hitt – who is currently serving as a Global Sports Advisor for Special Olympics International in artistic gymnastics – for her excellent coaching skills.

She and Colleen have been working together for all of Colleen’s 26 years as a gymnast, with Kathy noting the two of them started their now very successful gymnastics team together.

“Coach Jenny is an excellent coach. She couldn’t be better,” Kathy said.

Beyond her personal athletic pursuits, Colleen has also served as a member of the Illinois Special Olympics Board of Directors, specifically listed on the organization’s website as an Athlete & Global Messenger.

Kathy praised her daughter for all her passion and effort, both as a gymnast and as a member of the board serving as a representative of her fellow athletes.

“She has grown so much preparing for the Special Olympics, and not just the athletics, not just the bonds that she has with her coaches and with her teammates, but she now can speak out for herself and for others,” Kathy said. “She has become quite the champion for the athletes on the state board because she will listen to what the athletes have to say and bring their concerns to the board. She has become the champion of ‘If there’s something that needs to be fixed, let’s fix it together.”

The Costellos are both excitedly looking forward to the competition, which is set to take place from June 17-25.

Colleen, though a little anxious about the flight to Germany, said she’s feeling a bit more confident knowing she’ll have a handful of fellow gymnast friends right alongside her.

She’s also very much looking forward to sporting a custom leotard for the event.

According to Kathy, Colleen will be among the first to compete during the games. Colleen herself joked about the results she’s shooting for.

“I’ll probably win, like, maybe three or four gold medals,” Colleen said, “unless Canada shows up, then they’ll take all of my gold medals.”