Former McNary grad, Oregon State gymnast has new audience

KEIZER – Nearly three years after hanging up her orange and black leotard as an all-Pac-12 gymnast at Oregon State, Taylor Miller is still performing.

But her stage has changed.

Perfecting dismounts on uneven parallel bars or sticking landings on vault at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis has given way to teaching 26 students in her second-grade class at Keizer Elementary School.

“It’s a little bit different but you’re still in front of a crowd,” said Miller, whose maiden name is Keeker. “My crowd is just 7-year-olds now.”

Miller can still do a handstand if prompted, but she’s not performing somersaults during class time. In fact, this year’s group of second graders isn't aware of her past life as a top-flight college gymnast.

It’s not that Miller is hiding anything, but gymnastics hasn’t worked its way into class time discussion yet this school year. There’s a picture of Miller from an OSU gymnastics camp on a bulletin board behind her desk, so an inquisitive student might catch on.

Gymnastics was center stage in Miller’s life from age 5 through her senior year at OSU.

Miller did her student teaching at Keizer Elementary in the fall of 2015, and became a full-time teacher at the school in January of 2016. The profession was in her genes. Miller’s parents, Angela and Larry Keeker, and older brother, Jordan, are math teachers with Salem-Keizer Schools.

“It’s pretty much exactly what I hoped would happen,” said Miller, 25, a McNary High graduate. “I wanted to come back and teach in Keizer because I went to school here. I’m from Keizer, I like to be part of the community.”

Miller maintains close ties to the OSU gymnastics program and attends meets when time allows. She was co-captain as a junior and senior, and was part of the bars and vault lineup.

OSU associate head gymnastics coach Michael Chaplin remembers Miller's "strong work ethic from the get go."

"She wanted to be successful, wanted to do well, kind of knew that she wanted to be a teacher as well, so she did well academically," Chaplin said. "I'm not surprised one bit that she was gonna be a great teacher cause she was wonderful with kids and had that great personality, too."

An academic All-American at OSU – Miller had a double major of Human Development and Family Sciences, and Elementary Education – she competed for the final time at the 2015 NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas.

There are times when Miller muses about still being able to do another bar routine, but after not training in gymnastics for three years "there's no way," she says with a laugh.

“You look back on the experience and you can’t be anything but grateful for it,” Miller said. “The people I met, the coaches that I got to train with, my teammates, just being part of a team like that is something special and only happens once in your life. You enjoy it while you’re there and I sure did.”

It has been a smooth transition from student-athlete to teacher, and Miller has experienced a role reversal of sorts.

In gymnastics she was always judged on performance with the goal of a perfect 10, now Miller is the one giving out marks in the classroom.

“Performing is definitely different in that you are essentially being graded every day,” she said.

Miller misses gymnastics, especially the camaraderie in what OSU gymnasts often refer to as the “Beaver Bubble.” But she always knew that it would end one day and there was a new chapter to embrace.

"I miss it just like you miss anything you don't do anymore. It was such a big part of my life," she said. "But now there are new big parts of my life."

Like teaching and marriage and raising a daughter. Miller and husband Chad Miller have an eight-month-old daughter, Harper.

There’s something to be said about making a difference in children’s lives.

“You get to see these bright shiny faces come in every morning. You get to see them excited to learn,” Miller said. “You know you’re the one teaching them skills that they’re gonna be using for the rest of their lives.”

As for motherhood?

“Being a mom is the best thing on the planet.”

ghorowitz@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter.com/ghorowitz