Make It Happen: My Story of Gymnastics, the Olympics, and the Positive Power of Sport

by Kyle Shewfelt

From three-time Olympian and Olympic champion Kyle Shewfelt, this is the inside story of his pursuit of gymnastics glory, his courageous comeback from two broken legs and how the difference makers in his life guided him along the way.
Kyle Shewfelt was at the top of his a polished performer with an unrelenting drive to be the very best carried him to the pinnacle of men's gymnastics and a historic Olympic gold medal for Canada on the floor exercise. But when a mistimed landing in a training session at the world championships leaves him with two broken legs just eleven months before the next Olympic Games, Kyle's self-belief is cast into doubt and he is forced to awaken a new level of determination to realize his final goal.
Make It Happen is a motivational memoir that explores every aspect of Kyle's journey through sport. From his early years of cartwheeling around his home and falling in love with gymnastics, to his battles with perfectionism, taunting from a cruel bully and a stint of teenage rebellion, Kyle gives a gripping and honest glimpse into the pursuit of his Olympic dream. He takes readers behind-the-scenes to the epic Olympic after-parties and on the wave of post-Olympic fame while also shedding light on the darkness of injury, the intensity of elite training and the pressures of expectation. Throughout, he shares how he conquered fear and self-doubt with the help of dedicated family, friends, teammates, coaches and mentors - first to reach the Olympic Games, then to stand on top of the podium, then to comeback in the wake of a devastating injury and finally, to find a new sense of purpose in his life after retiring from elite sport.
With his trademark candor and spirit, Kyle pays tribute to the difference makers in his career and shares a fresh perspective on how to nurture a champion. He details his winning formula and the factors that led to his triumphant success at the 2004 Athens Olympics and highlights the positive power of sport. This is a story of hope and resilience, and what it takes to "make it happen", no matter what the goal.
PRAISE FOR MAKE IT
"Make It Happen has made a positive impact in the way I approach training, competition and life. Kyle blazed a new trail for Canadian gymnastics and showed us all that reaching the top of an Olympic podium is actually possible. He has been a difference maker in my life and his book continually filled me with new insights and fresh inspiration. I believe every athlete can benefit from reading it!"
"Make It Happen is a must-read for all athletes, parents and coaches. Kyle's journey is a great example of what it means to be athlete driven and parent/coach supported. I loved the honesty in which he shares his inner dialogue as he progressed and matured from a young tumbler to a world-class gymnast. This story is as much about Kyle's journey as a person as it about his journey as an Olympic Champion.
"Kyle's account of a life in sport is honest and raw. It brought laughter, surprise, excitement, tears, and above all, hope. . . The glimpses of his parents' pragmatic and unwavering support, coupled with their commitment to raising and a young man rather than an elite athlete, impacted me more than any how-to book on the same topic could ever accomplish. Make It Happen is compulsory reading for today's sport parent.

Genres: Nonfiction

294 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2021

Reviews

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gymnastics is my favorite sport, but I’ve always been more into women’s gymnastics than men’s. A while ago I added this book to my TBR because from what I heard, it seemed like Kyle Shewfelt was going to be pretty open in sharing high and low points in his gymnastics career, fun stories, as well as honest stories about darker moments. That’s what I’m looking for in a memoir, to go in-depth and share stuff that is interesting and truthful but maybe isn’t always the most flattering.

Of course he shares all of the interesting behind the scenes stories of being a 3 time Olympian for Canada and what it’s like winning a gold medal. But he also shares all of the different times he burned out or was acting out, like smoking and drinking as a 13 year old. The book flows really well and it’s a quick read. There are some pretty intense stories about injuries that made me squirm. But then there’s also funny stories about what he and other high level gymnasts got up to after the competitions were over.

I was hoping to hear a bit more about the experience of filming the movie White Palms. There’s so little information about it online that I was hoping to get more insight through his book. But it seemed like only one or two paragraphs were dedicated to it. Oh well.

I think this is a great read if you’re a gymnastics fan, but I think it could also be enjoyable for people who are just interested in high level sports in general. Kyle is a great storyteller and his book shows that athletes can make it to the top level without abusive coaching.

[Debbie Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good memoir of Kyle Shewfelt's time in elite gymnastics including 3 Olympics, 2 broken legs, and a partridge in a pear tree :) Kyle become a Canadian super star after winning gold on floor at the Athens Olympics. I loved all the behind the scenes gymnastics stuff - gym nerd alert - but I also loved Kyle's description of himself as a child. Lots of bed bouncing followed by trampoline bouncing and lots and lots of flips and twists. Kyle does a great job of communicating his respect for his coaches and various trainers. The relationship with his main coach is really inspiring. I also like Kyle's memories of very specific times in his life that someone helped him by their words or actions. One of the best parts of the book is the aha moments he had while training for 3 Olympics. The end of the book is very satisfying in knowing that Kyle is introducing kids to gymnastics on the recreational level as a tribute to his love of gymnastics.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shewfelt's story is interesting enough for being far outside the average person's experience (Olympic medallist, etc.), but what is most fascinating to me about Make It Happen is how far his experience seems to have been from the experiences in just about every other gymnastics memoir I've read—which is to say that I've mostly read books by girls and women who have competed on US teams, and Shewfelt's experience as a male Canadian gymnast involved things like...support. And compassion. And rest. And those aren't things that I'm used to when reading about female gymnasts.

It's this:*

Kelly understood that a coach's job is to guide, not criticize. Though perfect is always the gold standard, he knew we would be happier if we heard about the things we needed to do to make our skills and routines great rather than all the things we were doing wrong. He focused on the positive, and by doing so, he helped us avoid the negative. "Flowers grow better with water than they do with fertilizer," he often said.

Or this:

"So what are we going to do now? Are we going to train?" I asked eagerly. Kelly looked at me in that kindly way of his, like his most studious pupil had asked for math homework on the first day of summer break.

"No, Kyle, we're not going to train," he said, smiling. "We're on vacation now. You're hear for the rest of the Games, and I want you to enjoy it. I'll see you back at Altadore in a few weeks." And with that, he disappeared.

I'm not sure I've ever seen this attitude in a memoir by a female gymnast, certainly not during a moment when she was competing at an elite level. It's a couple of things, I think—first, that Canada doesn't have the tradition of medalling (or being medal contenders) in gymnastics that the US does, which means that (especially) in his initial competitive years) Shewfelt simply didn't have the same kind of pressure to perform. And second, that female gymnasts are younger on average than male gymnasts, and often under a different (sometimes near-total) kind of control by their coaches.

This isn't in any way a commentary on Shewfelt or even his experience, of course; if it's a commentary on anything, it's the toxic way that girls' bodies are treated as commodities and the way certain parts of the gymnastics world exploit that. But it makes me curious about other elite male gymnasts' experiences, in the US and elsewhere.

Also...

Once, in the throes of a tumbling routine, my cartwheeling nearly knocked her [his mother] over as she was carrying hot dishes to the table. Worse, I just avoided landing inside the open red-hot oven.

That was enough for Mom, who decided that if I was going to flip around, I was going to do it in a safe environment. After dinner one evening, she sat down with the local phone book, licked her finger, and flicked through the pages until she found the heading for gymnastics clubs. The first club on the list was the Altadore Gymnastic Club. She dialed the number.

"I have a hyperactive six-year-old boy," she announced to the person who answered the phone. "Please help save my furniture." Five minutes later, I was enrolled in the beginner class.

Sound familiar? Must be a fairly common experience for kids put into gymnastic or dance at young ages!


*No page numbers because Overdrive is terrible

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a large fan of gymnastics and being Canadian I am very proud of all that Kyle Shewfelt has accomplished. Before this I had not really looked at men’s gymnastics in Canada. This book was a chance to learn more about this great athlete.

I found this book to be riveting showing a side to Canadian Gymnastics that I was unaware of. Kyle is a great athlete and role model. He showed a dignity as well as showing what it could take to be a winner everyday and not just in sports.

I was stunned by the book and to see just how strong of mind you have to have to compete as well as what to do when you don’t compete. Seeing this was an eye opener and really it shows just how great he was

Because of this book I am even more of a fan of this gymnast. Be showed what he was made of and has proven himself to be one of the best competitors.

I like the fact that he wasn’t complaining when things didn’t go his way and he was showing his true skills when he pushed things and had a skill named after him.

Truly this book has inspired me. While I did train as a gymnast I was never that high up but this has made me want to do adult gymnastics. What a spectacular read.

[Kiersten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up as a former gymnast interested in Kyle's story. There were a number of anecdotes that were super relatable, and I loved reading about his feelings as he faced different challenges and opportunities. HOWEVER, I felt that some of the most interesting pieces got skimmed over despite there being plenty of room for discussing the drinks he had and the women he talked to.

[Kim Zwart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for any gym fan (and for non gym fans as well, Kyle explains it all). Lovely memoir about Shewfelt. All about his upbringing, his road to the (3) Olympic Games, about rehab, about life, about growing, about mindset. All told with honesty and a good sense of humor.
Loved reading it!

[B K · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

"All you have is Today."

The story of Kyle's unexpected rise to Olympic glory (and temporary fame) and fall back to normal daily routine (anonimity). How does he manage to overcome his post-Olympic adrenalin severage and fulfill new expectations ? With a deeply personnal re-committment to fundamentals and a desire to pay it forward by helping train future talents.

[Inês Joaquim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I have read from a gymnast! Not only because of his career but also everything behind! In the beginning it says this book is not only a biography but a guide for parents and coaches, could not agree more! Amazing book!

[Nicole Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read!

Kyle is remarkably honest and a fantastic storyteller. The book is well written and a real page turner. There are so many little nuggets of advice for everyday living.

[Cody Altizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Had multiple instances of butterfly’s reading this terrific memoir. Honest, inspirational, and beautiful.

[Paul Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific insights in to the world of an Olympian. What a great story of perseverance and triumph! Thanks Kyle.

[Laurent Gariépy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Kyle Shewfelt even more!

[Angie Hung · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG an absolute page turner that I totally recommend! Just finished & can't wait to rave about it. LOVED reading Kyle's story, from childhood, how he got into gymnastics, the high & lows, ups & downs, bullying, lessons, insights, to eventually winning gold in artistic gymnastics (floor) for Canada at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens Greece, to later breaking both his legs, to coming back to the next Olympics in Beijing, to what came after. I'm so thankful to @kyleshew for opening @kyleshewfeltgymnastics , what a great leader & teacher he is. I miss our adult GymSanity gymnastics cardio classes on Monday nights, hopefully they'll start again in September. 🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️

I find this to be an incredible "concidence", but I had just finished @bryancranston ‘s book "My Life in Parts". Both Brian and Kyle mention about achieving a goal they thought was impossible: To run a marathon. Also, Brian mentions in his book that in order to become a great working actor (my goal too), you have to have the endurance of an Olympic athlete! Both books say that you have to show up and do the work.💯

[Paige Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle is honest & authentic in how he shares his story of gymnastics - both the triumphs and the setbacks. Kyle’s story is an incredible example of perseverance, hard work & the power of relationship/connection.
Make it Happen also shines a light on the positive power of a great coach & support system. I appreciated the many life lessons sprinkled throughout the book - it is evident that the lessons Kyle learned through gymnastics guide how he lives his life! I highly recommend this to anyone, but particularly athletes and coaches.