MARK ETHERIDGE: The gymnast’s mom, dad, mentor, manager, cheerleader ...

When it comes to gymnastics in SA, the name Ilse Roets-Pelser is known to everyone.

Her own career was slowly coming to an end as SA re-entered international sport back in 1992 after decades of sanctions, but what has never ended is her commitment to the next generations of gymnasts.

“I started gym at the age of five,” says Johannesburg-based Roets-Pelser. “My coach, the late Nellie Cameron, suggested I go and get tested at Goudstad, where I was tested and accepted. Two years later top British coach Janet Mitchell came over from the UK and selected about 10 to 15 of us girls for a future Bok gymnast programme.             

“I trained at the University of Johannesburg and then moved on to where I am now, at the Johannesburg Gymnastics Centre [JGC] in Newlands.”

Roets-Pelser ended up going to three world championships (from 1993 to 1995), the Commonwealth Games in Canada in 1994 where she made the beam finals, and the All Africa Games in 1995.

Her competitive career came in sweet and sour fashion in reverse. “My dad passed away in August ’95. It was on a Monday and the national champs were the next weekend. Despite all the emotional upheaval, I won nationals for the first time that weekend and to this day it’s my career highlight.

“It was also the trials for the Sabae World Champs in Japan, but at that time there was only one African spot up for grabs and it went to a Moroccan girl.”

The competition’s loss was certainly coaching’s gain and in 2001 Roets-Pelser bought the JGC from Mitchell, who died earlier in 2023, and managed to pay it off over the next nine years.

To say it’s gone from strength to strength is an understatement. “I started off with seven gymnasts and now we have 380 to 400 gymnasts across the two branches. I also started a high performance section which other top gymnasts heard about and joined.  My first Com Games as a coach was in 2006 and I’ve been part of the Games and national coaching set-up ever since.”

Things are in full swing at the JGC, where Roets-Pelser has 10 full-time coaches employed. “Most of them are former gymnasts of mine, like-minded, and who I have helped guide to better things. One is Candice Cronjé, who was one of my best gymnasts and part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She was with me at the world champs this year which we’ve just got back from.”

So the wheel is turning full circle as former gymnasts make a difference in future stars’ lives. And it’s not only girls having fun.

“We’ve got girls from beginner to Olympic level and when it comes to the boys, these latest nationals saw us have our first level five and six boys competing.”

It’s a hands-on job in which Roets-Pelser coaches every Monday afternoon, doing close to 11 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and also working every Saturday morning and some Sundays. Wednesday is reserved for administration work.

Her life, even her leisure time, revolves around the gymnasts. “We try and take a four-day break at Easter and have just had a five-day break after the world champs and then hopefully 10 to 12 days in December. There’s just no time to take off as the top girls train 26 to 30 hours a week. My holidays are organised around them and this year there’ll be a very short end-of-year break because the next Olympic qualifying tournament is already in April.”

It speaks volumes about Roets-Pelser’s training talent that SA’s only two representatives at the last Olympics in Tokyo two years ago — Caitlin Rooskrantz and Naveen Darries — were JGC products.

Talk to Rooskrantz, and praise for Roets-Pelser is like a rose in full bloom. “To me Ilse is the world’s best coach — we’ve come a really long way together under her leadership.

“She’s always done over and above what is expected from her as a coach. She’s actually a second mother figure in my life, another really strong woman.

“No doubt she’s one of the biggest reasons behind my success. When I doubted myself she always believed I could do really big things from a very young age, and she inspired that fire in myself. She’s taken SA gymnastics to another level and her dedication is infectious to all of us.”

There’s more to come from Roets-Pelser. “Our level and results have improved significantly, especially over the past 10 years. At the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year, SA managed to finish in the top four in the team competition for the first time in history and we also had a gymnast in every final for the first time. In addition, we won the African Championships again for the first time since 2006.”

SA gymnasts qualified for the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but on three of those occasions, some were unable to compete because of national Olympic governing body Sascoc’s selection policy.

It’s the latter that Roets-Pelser ranks among the lowest points in her coaching career. “When the opportunity to compete was taken away by the powers that be, I don’t think anyone can ever understand how this affected those gymnasts, their families and anyone that loves them and could appreciate the sacrifices to get there.

“To be considered good enough by the FIG [international governing body], only to be told by your own country that you are not going because you are not good enough — I still cannot wrap my head around it … and for me it was a tragedy. To pick up the pieces was nearly impossible for those gymnasts.”

Will SA ever manage an Olympics podium? We’re definitely on the right track, reckons Roets-Pelser.

“We’re steadily climbing that ladder and so many of the top countries have been commenting over the past 12 months on our incredible improvement. But it’s tough because the top countries have an endless pit of resources, world-class facilities, one-on-one coaching and so forth.”

A huge help in terms of resources recently came from the Kalagadi mining company. “They sponsored us with a new floor and other equipment to the value of approximately R2m. Without their belief in what we do, we would not be achieving these greater heights, for sure.”

Thankfully, at only 45 years old, Roets-Pelser is relatively young in coaching terms and can’t see herself ever leaving the sport.

“Gymnastics defines me, I admit it … it makes me a better and happier wife, mom, daughter and person. As long as there are gymnasts out there who want to be coached by me and the JGC team, I’ll be there.”

Is there much of a life outside the walls of the JGC?

“I do have a bit of a life. I try my best to keep Saturday afternoons and Sundays open for family activities.”

She has two girls — Sadie, 13, and Olivia, 6, — “and both do gymnastics but also love other sports like netball, running and swimming”.

Then there’s “The Rock”, her husband Martin Pelser. “He’s a machine and, along with my mom, my biggest and most loving supporter. He works in marketing but also serves as mom, dad, doctor, psychologist, carer and so much more, especially when I travel abroad,” she says.

“He has given up some of his own dreams to support mine and I’m forever grateful that God sent him on my path.”