You won’t find many athletes who succeed at more than one sport, but 2002 Mitchell High School graduate Gerry Signorelli is working on making that happen.

Signorelli, who grew up in Colorado Springs, already has enjoyed much success as a gymnast. Having started when he was 5, he trained at local clubs until being invited to train with the Junior Olympic Program at the Olympic Training Center at age 13. While he received some of the best training from U.S. Olympic team coach Vitaly Marinitch, Signorelli still wanted more.

He is turning what was once a hobby in high school of riding motorcycles into a dream job.

“My buddies and I in high school were just typical guys and thought, ‘Those bikes are so cool,'” Signorelli said. “It just turned into an obsession.”

Signorelli earned a full-ride scholarship to fulfill another dream as an all-around gymnast at the University of Michigan. He finished sixth in the all-around at the Big Ten championships and 10th in the all-around at the NCAA championships and was an All-Big Ten team selection during his senior season in 2006.

He earned a degree in economics and works full time at a local financial firm, but his love of racing allows him to work outside the office.

He is not only hoping that racing can turn into a fulltime gig for him, but he is using it to give back to his community of Colorado Springs by partnering with Make-A-Wish.

“I got to work with Make-A-Wish while I was at the Training Center and they were the first organization I went to ask to help make this thing work,” he said.

Donating 15 percent of his funds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation also has helped with finding other sponsors who want to help fund Signorelli.

“Other businesses feel good about jumping on board, because it really is such a good cause,” he said.

Signorelli said that he owes much of his success to a number of local and national sponsors, including Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado, Rocky Mountain Kawasaki, Arthur’s Auto Body, Wheel Works, Dunlop Tires and Enchanted Signs.

These sponsors have been able to help him travel to races on tracks in Nebraska and Utah where he is looking to gain exposure.

During his recent trip to Nebraska, Signorelli finished first in three out of four novice races on a Kawasaki ZX-6R. While racing might be seen as an extreme opposite to the world of gymnastics, Signorelli said that gymnastics has helped him develop into a better rider.

“It’s weird, but gymnastics has actually helped me with my body control, flexibility and balance,” he said. “Those are places where other guys struggle.”

Signorelli is still a fan of gymnastics and said he will be watching the U.S. men’s team take on the world in Beijing.

Matt Presley, Cheyenne Mountain 2007

The College World Series just ended, but most players already are looking toward next season. Matt Presley, a Cheyenne Mountain graduate, was drafted by Boston in the 24th round of last year’s draft, but decided to play baseball for the University of Arizona.

Presley helped the Wildcats advance to a Super Regional in Coral Gables, Fla., where they were eliminated by Miami in a best-of-three series. The outfielder played in 10 games and started in two.

During his senior season playing for the Indians, Presley hit .450 with four home runs and led the team with 22 RBIs.

Fountain-Fort Carson product Chase Headley Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS