As a freshman at Illinois State University, Nancy Norkiewicz, now 65, was the first women there to be granted a full-ride athletic scholarship. As a gymnast from a young age, she was able to experience the benefits of Title IX which paved the way for equal opportunities for female athletes.
As a student-athlete on the women’s gymnastics team, Norkiewicz also worked part-time at a local recreation department teaching aerobics where she enjoyed being a part of the booming ‘fitness craze.’ She also took advantage of the school’s circus program and learned to perform on a trapeze. However, all the training and teaching fitness began to take a toll on her young body. She experienced fairly serious thigh injuries from repetitive hits on the uneven bars, so she stopped competing in that event, but continued in others.
After her gymnastics career ended post-college, she took up marathon running and teaching additional fitness classes, sometimes as many as six per day. When marathon training became too much, she switched to triathlons which felt more like cross-training to this seasoned athlete. She enjoyed a long career as a physical education teacher and shared her love of sports and movement with young people.
