As an elite gymnast more than four decades ago, Milda Graham aspired to represent Canada on the international stage. But, like many athletes, she was sidelined by injuries; forced to set aside her goal when she was just 15.
Still, Graham, a yoga instructor at the McGill Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and a master’s student at the School of Religious Studies, is living proof that some ambitions never truly fade – they simply take longer to be realized.
Now 59, Graham will be heading to Leipzig, Germany at the end of the month as a member of the Canadian masters gymnastics team, where she will compete at Das Turnfest. Billed as the “largest mass sporting event in the world,” the renowned festival is expected to draw over 80,000 participants in a variety of sports as well as 75,000 visitors.
Graham will compete in the 50–59 age group.
“I’ll be the oldest in my category,” she said. “I’m proud of reaching this point because I’ve been working toward this, in one way or another, most of my life.”
Long and winding road
Graham’s journey has been anything but linear. As a teenage gymnast, she began developing chronic pain in her shoulders, which she hid from her parents.
“One morning I couldn’t push myself out of bed because of the intense pain,” she said. “An orthopedic surgeon told me I had damaged my rotator cuff so badly that I would never do gymnastics again.”
So, Graham quit, another casualty in a sport notorious for breaking down young athletes. While she pursued other activities including dance, karate, bodybuilding and yoga, Graham’s passion for gymnastics never ebbed.
In 1994, gymnastics found her again, in New York City, of all places, when she stumbled across SOKOL, the oldest gymnastics organization in the United States, just two subway stops from her home.
“I thought ‘Wow, the universe really wants me to do gymnastics,’” laughed Graham. That serendipitous discovery marked her re-entry into the sport, but this time, on her own terms.
SOKOL’s philosophy, “a strong mind in a sound body,” resonated with Graham. Unlike the rigid, competitive gym culture she knew in her youth – where prepubescent girls were selected based on strict body ideals – SOKOL welcomed people of all ages and body types. It was less about medals and more about movement, community and spirit. For Graham, it was transformative.
“I went to a festival and saw women performing in their 60s and my heart exploded. I had tears in my eyes,” she said. “I thought, that’s what I want to do. That’s aspirational for me.”
‘Do no harm’
Graham doesn’t shy away from the difficult truths about gymnastics. She acknowledges the sport’s history of toxicity: harsh coaching, eating disorders and abuse. But she’s equally passionate about what gymnastics can be: a source of joy, connection and healing.
“This is not my gymnastics,” she said, referring to the harmful systems of the past. “My gymnastics is healthy, inclusive and based on a foundation of ‘do no harm.’”
That ethic extends to how she manages her own training. After three pregnancies, she returned to gymnastics each time – even competing in the over-14-year-old category with her friend, when they were both in their late 30s.
“We’d come last,” she laughed, “but we were doing solid routines.”
For Graham, success isn’t about podiums. It’s about showing up, staying devoted to movement and proving that older bodies belong in the gym.
Today, Graham trains at a club in Valleyfield and another in Vaudreuil-Dorion, often after the younger athletes have finished their sessions.
Her presence makes a difference. She’s often the oldest person training, but that visibility is important.
“If they see me fall and get back up, they see it’s OK,” said Graham.
“In the past, elite gyms didn’t want to see older bodies doing crooked cartwheels. But now we have a place. Former competitive gymnasts train with us, and people who never had the chance when they were younger. Mothers come and train with their daughters.”
Mental health benefits
Gymnastics has become Graham’s anchor. Living with PTSD and anxiety, she says that the structure of gymnastics and yoga helps manage her mental health.
“My physical practice has been foundational. The routines, the training are essential. They keep me focussed on putting one foot in front of the other.”
With over three decades of adult gymnastics under her belt – longer than some marriages, she jokes – Graham is committed to this life.
“I hope to being doing cartwheels when I’m 90.”