Coach Debbie Driscoll has been coaching the girls' gymnastics team at Mahtomedi High School (MHS) for 48 years, and her commitment to excellence and the team's outstanding athletic accomplishments are truly remarkable. During this period, she has led the Zephyrs to 31 section titles, 31 state appearances, 10 state championships (including a streak of 7 in a row from 1987-93), and 45 conference championships; additionally, she has coached 44 individual state champions. She has won three Coach of the Year awards (1996, 2006, 2016) and has been inducted into the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Hall of Fame and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) Hall of Fame.
When Coach Driscoll was in high school, there were no sports offered for girls. So her passion was discovered through club gymnastics. After high school, she attended Gustavus Adolphus and competed on the gymnastics team. Her highlight was the one time her team qualified for the AIAW National Collegiate Championships.
Coach Driscoll prides herself on helping each of her athletes compete as an individual while also recognizing the importance of being part of a team. The sport of girls' gymnastics has four main events: vault, beam, bars, and floor. Each gymnast competes with an individual routine, and the top 4 scores from the team are added together to determine the winning team. Though gymnastics seems like an individual sport, it is fully a team sport. “The very cool aspect of high school gymnastics is that the emphasis is on the team. Celebrating with a team is so much more rewarding, and competing for your high school is the best experience,” believes Driscoll. MHS Class of 2020 alumna, Caylee Greeder, emphasized this sentiment and the impact of teamwork, “The biggest traits that I still carry with me today would be leadership and being a team player. I have continually used both of these throughout my college career and now my professional career. Ms.D was always the first to make sure that we are supporting not only our own teammates but the other teams we would compete against as well. She put a huge emphasis on supporting others and being happy for or proud of everyone, because ultimately we are all on the same team and all of us have the same passion and love for the sport of gymnastics.”
Driscoll teaches her athletes more than just gymnastics; she also instills in them a sense of discipline and perseverance. 2017 State Champion, and Kasey (Lenarz) Groomes, MHS Class of 2017, reflected, “She welcomed me to the team when I was at a low point, and she helped me find confidence in myself, not only as an athlete but as a person and friend. Her team culture was so welcoming and fun, and I truly learned how to thrive during my final year of high school while being on her gymnastics team. It was a life-changing experience, and it launched me off to college with an entirely changed perspective.”
As Driscoll nears her 50th year of coaching, we are grateful for the work and dedication she has put into so many student-athletes over the years. “Her legacy will always be unmatched,” shared MHS 2001 alumna and 2020 Hall of Fame recipient, Kristin Weingarden, “her impact on me was showing love and respect for the sport and her athletes to help them all succeed.”
Driscoll’s impact on the Mahtomedi gymnastics program is significant. Whether it's her countless achievements and wins or the impact she has made on the gymnasts themselves, she has left an incredibly positive mark on Mahtomedi.
Written by Ellie Driscoll, Mahtomedi High School Class of 2028 student, Mahtomedi Public Schools Intern, and granddaughter of Debbie Driscoll