Longtime gymnastics director Pat Murphy retires from YMCA

Published 7:58 pm Saturday, June 18, 2022

MOULTRIE — Moultrie YMCA has annouced Pat Murphy’s retirement as the Gymnastics Director.

Pat has served in her current role since 1987. During Pat’s time as Gymnastics Director, she played a vital role in creating a competitive gymnastics program, a strong pre-school and progressive class program, hosted many meets and helped in building a new gymnastics center.

Pat has been passionate about gymnastics long before joining our Moultrie YMCA.

She started teaching gymnastics right out of high school in a private gym in her hometown of Delavan, Wis., taught summer camps at her college UW-Whitewater, taught for the Walworth County recreation department, coached high school gymnastics in Lake Geneva, Wis., and became a Wisconsin high school judge.

Then she became the gymnastics director for the  Sandusky County YMCA in Fremont, Ohio, for two years before receiving the job offer in Moultrie.

Upon arriving in Moultrie, she was the first to initiate a two-year parent and child gymnastics class. This continues to have a high enrollment and is still one of her favorite classes to teach today.

“Moultrie proved to be a community that has many competitive sports events for children, a community committed to helping athletes grow and a community that welcomed me very well in 1987,” she said.

She has touched the lives of hundreds of boys and girls, and recruited countless parents to assist in classes, host two invitational meets every year and even to become team coaches.

She has been a dedicated professional who is the longest serving Y professional to retire from the Moultrie YMCA.

“Pat has given all her energy to developing and leading a successful, nationally acclaimed program,” said retired Moultrie YMCA executive director and gymnastics team coach Bob Swadel.

“She will be a hard act to follow, and I wish her much happiness as she spends more time traveling and enjoying herself with husband, Matt.”

Our Moultrie YMCA Gymnastics Program has had three YMCA National Championships, eight girls with college scholarships, and the quality of our program is recognized around the state.

She was your first teacher you had when you started the program, spotting your skills, preparing them for the team, and an excellent mentor to every kid who went through the gymnastics program.

Pat has taught three generations of families.

“This sport teaches you that if you don’t work hard, you won’t succeed, and just as in life, we tried to teach all of our gymnasts that hard work pays off,” said Pat. “Our program became a family-oriented community with exceptionally talented kids that brought together families and friends for the same goal: to put the Moultrie YMCA Gymnastics’ name on the radar.

Prior to the COVID pandemic, the MGs were the largest girls’ program in all of Moultrie.

Pat loves gymnastics but also has other passions in her life. She loves to exercise and has one cat and one dog. She enjoys living in a town where activities go on year-round and loves photography, calligraphy, dancing and music.

“Gymnastics is my life, my hobby and my profession, and Moultrie helped this passion grow even more,” she said. “I even had my wedding to Matt Meier in the gymnastics center.

“I choreographed gymnastics routines to music so all of the MG gymnasts could perform as my flower girls. Over 60 gymnasts participated in our wedding. It was an event to be cherished. It was the first wedding to make the sports page.”

The Moultrie YMCA invites our Moultrie community to extend best wishes to Pat Murphy.

As the Moultrie YMCA Executive Director Leslie Peretti, said, “Pat has been a pillar to our gymnastics program and to our Y for 35 years. We cannot put into words how much we appreciate her dedication to the sport and to the gymnasts she has trained.

“We thank her for all the time she invested in our kids and community. Her legacy will remain with us in the future, and we will forever be grateful for the time she dedicated to our YMCA.”