By Derek Reinglass
Action photo by John Cheng
More National Team Stories

Crashing on friends' couches and a diet comprised of mostly cereal and frozen pizza isn't typically the recipe for an Olympic-caliber gymnast, but for C.J. Maestas, that was life for several years.

"I have a strong personality, and I didn't want to listen to my parents," Maestas said. "They were always trying to tell me what to do, and we butted heads a lot. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore so I left. I moved in with a family friend for a little while, and then spent weeks at a time crashing on my buddy's couch. I would reach in my pocket and give them whatever I had to try and thank them, but it usually wasn't much. Life was hard, and it took its toll."

A native of Corrales, N.M., a small town just north of Albuquerque, Maestas leaned on gymnastics to help him escape from a rugged lifestyle and bad influences surrounding him.

"I never lost focus on my gymnastics," Maestas said. "Friends of mine were dropping out of high school left and right, selling drugs, and making bad decisions, but I had gymnastics. It kept me going."

After enduring the transient lifestyle for a long while, Maestas had had enough. He knew if he was going to reach the level he aspired to, he needed to make a lifestyle choice.

"I appreciated all that everyone was doing for me, but it was time to make a change," Maestas said. "I called Vitaly Marinitch at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and asked him if I could come out. He told me that he could have me set up within the week, so that's what I did. Living at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, surrounded by fellow big-time gymnasts, has changed my life. I wouldn't say life back home had hit rock bottom, but this has been my own little rehab center. I feel like a changed man."

Maestas, a member of the men's gymnastics resident athlete program, now trains twice a day at the U.S. Olympic Training Center: three hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon.

"Training out here is intense," Maestas said. "Vitaly works me hard, but I like it. I look around and see all the other guys going all out, and it inspires me. I feel like I now understand exactly what it takes."

Earlier this year, Maestas won the still rings and finished third in the all-around at the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, putting him on the Senior National Team. In addition, Maestas worked tirelessly to raise his GPA 0.8 points his senior year in high school and took the ACT several times before reaching the minimum score. He is now academically eligible and officially a collegiate athlete.

"I had never really dreamed of going to college because my dream was always just to be an Olympic gymnast," Maestas said. "Then I realized I could do both. I put so much time into raising my GPA and getting that ACT score. Once I had my mind made up that I was going to do it, I wouldn't stop until I did."

The New Mexico native has been training at the USOTC but is now prepared for the next step, collegiate gymnastics.

"I'm sitting here putting away some laundry and my phone rings," Maestas said. "It was Justin Spring, the head coach at the University of Illinois. He said, 'C.J. you got your score, welcome to the team.' I kid you not, I dropped the phone and started to cry. Words cannot even begin to describe what I was feeling at that time. I had been through so much, I worked so hard, and I made it through. I was going to be a part of the team. I was going to have a family again.

"It feels amazing to know that I did it! I'm going to college!"

At only 18 years old, Maestas has a large window for success, and he knows it. Confidence is something Maestas doesn't lack.

"My whole life, I've always competed against guys a lot older than me," said Maestas. "When I was eight, they were 12. When I was 16 or 17, they were in their mid-20s. I know that I'm young enough that I can stay at the top for a long time. I can be on the Olympic team in 2012, 2016, and 2020. I'm blessed with my ability, but I just have to keep working hard so I can be best I can be."

While his mindset keeps him loose, Maestas' pre-competition routine includes his grandmother and a golden cross.

"Some guys tighten up before a competition, but I'm the total opposite," Maestas said. "I practice so hard so that when I go into competition, I know I can nail it. I just focus on doing my thing, because I know if I get it done, I'll be great. I'm never nervous, just excited to show everyone what I've been working on.

"Before every competition my grandma comes in to rub my back and give me a little love tap," said Maestas. "My grandma is amazing. She's always been there for me. She's my support. I also have this golden cross my dad gave me when I graduated from high school, which I never forget to kiss for good luck before I compete. It used to belong to one of the inmates at the correction facility (where) my dad works. The guy gave it to my dad upon his release and my dad gave it to me. To me it symbolizes that even after all the hard times, I can do good."

After his career is over, Maestas dreams of opening his own restaurant with his mom back home in New Mexico.

"I've always wanted to open my restaurant, you know like Rocky Balboa did," said Maestas. "Albuquerque is a big town with a small town feel. Everybody knows me and is rooting for me. I dream of having my own restaurant where I can hang all my memorabilia on the walls, and walk around talking to everyone just like Rocky does in the last movie. I can make some mean omelets, enchiladas and tostadas, pretty much any Spanish food.

"As long as you can handle spicy, come on in," Maestas said with a laugh.

All teenagers go through some tough times, but Maestas has come out on the other side better than most. He's not only heading down a successful path as a gymnast and college student, but he now understands what's really important in life.

"Everything I went through makes me strong," Maestas said. "I had some family issues, but I now look at everything so much differently. I've started resolving everything with my parents, kind of rebuilding that foundation. I know they were just trying to keep me from getting distracted, and I know they care about me a lot. They're coming out here to Colorado to help me move the stuff I'm not taking to U of I back into their house. My house. Life is good right now."