A Longmont High School graduate, former all-star gymnast, and proud mom recently watched her daughter hold an Olympic gold medal for the second time.
Danielle Mitchell-Greenberg, who grew up in Longmont, attended the Paris Olympics this summer to see her daughter Jade Carey compete on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. Carey took home a bronze medal in vault and a team gold medal with Team USA.
“I guess it’s still kind of surreal,” Mitchell-Greenberg said. “It still feels odd to say, ‘My child did that.’”
Carey, 24, took home a gold medal in floor exercise at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but Mitchell-Greenburg wasn’t able to attend those games due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s Paris Olympics were filled with family, friends and fans, creating a much different atmosphere than Tokyo.
“Paris was loud,” Mitchell-Greenberg said. “The whole audience was going nuts.”
Danielle Mitchell-Greenberg, left, stands with Jade Carey in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 2024. Mitchell-Greenberg, who went to Longmont High School, attended the Paris Olympics to see her daughter Jade Carey compete on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. (Courtesy photo)
Mitchell-Greenberg snagged a TV appearance at the Paris games, shown cheering for her daughter after Carey stuck the landing on her vault routine.
“It’s a special moment when your family member wins a medal,” she said.
Mitchell-Greenburg was born in Ohio and moved to Longmont when she was 6. She attended Hygiene Elementary and Longs Peak Middle School, and graduated from Longmont High School in 1989. Now an Arizona resident, she has coached gymnastics for over 30 years.
Along with her mom and her stepson, Mitchell-Greenberg arrived in Paris the day before the opening ceremony and stayed in the city for almost two weeks. On top of watching Carey’s events, Mitchell-Greenberg saw a couple of tennis matches and went to beach volleyball games right next to the Eiffel Tower.
Parents of Olympians don’t get to stay in the Olympic Village, but USA Gymnastics did provide transportation to and from the competitions for family members. Each athlete was also given two complimentary tickets for family members, but Mitchell-Greenberg ended up paying for better seats in the arena to be closer to the action.
Good seats also allowed Mitchell-Greenberg to meet a few celebrities at the gymnastics events, including Peyton Manning and Guy Fieri. She said she thinks gymnastics was such a popular sport this year because it’s so intriguing to watch.
Danielle Mitchell-Greenberg poses in front of a sign at the Paris Olympic games. Mitchell-Greenberg, who went to Longmont High School, attended the Paris Olympics to see her daughter Jade Carey compete on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. (Courtesy photo)
“Gymnasts make it look so easy,” she said. “And it’s a beautiful sport in itself: the connection of skills, and the details on the beam or the floor. I think people just feel that it’s pleasing to the eye.”
For the celebrity athletes in the audience, like Manning, Mitchell-Greenberg expects that they carry a certain level of appreciation for gymnasts.
“And if they’ve ever tried it, like let’s say a football player has tried a backflip, then I think they have a greater appreciation,” she said. “Like, ‘Wow, these girls are tough.’”
Carey, now a three-time Olympic medalist, will participate in the Gold Over America Tour, which will come through Denver on Sept. 25. Mitchell-Greenburg said some of her Colorado friends will be attending the tour, including a friend in Loveland.
“I still have a lot of friends from high school who live in the area,” Mitchell-Greenburg said. “They certainly reach out, and they’re letting me know that they support her and are watching her journey.”
