Olympian and Alum Finds New Routine by Opening Gymnastics, Ninja Gym

Written by Kathryn Mayer

Jessica Lopez, a three-time Olympian and one of DU’s most successful gymnasts, knows how taxing and competitive the sport can be.

“Gymnastics can be incredibly hard,” Lopez (MA '09, MBA '24) said. “When you start at such a young age, the pressure of competition can be really hard on little kids.”

When Lopez was thinking about her next move after competing—and then coaching—at the University of Denver, she had an idea: celebrating her love of the sport with kids, but ensuring there was an element of fun, not just pressure.

“More than anything, we want kids to feel confident and proud of themselves and have a lifelong love of movement,” she explained. “I saw the need for a place where the children could feel confident through movement without the pressure that sometimes comes with competitive sports.”

The result: Little Legends Athletics, a gymnastics and ninja training facility in Littleton, Colorado, designed to help young kids build confidence, resilience and social skills. The gym features everything from foam pits, inflatables and ninja obstacles to a tumbling floor and a climbing wall.

Lopez officially opened the gym on April 30 with her husband, Linas Gaveika. Both have the know-how to back up the venture. Gaveika was a gymnastics coach at DU for 13 years and “played a significant role helping build the program into one of the nation’s top teams and creating an environment where the student-athletes could thrive through both academically and athletically,” Lopez said.

Lopez’s connection to gymnastics stretches back to her early childhood in Venezuela, where she first fell in love with the sport while accompanying her older sister to practices. That passion eventually led her to the University of Denver, where she arrived as a student-athlete in 2005. While competing for DU from 2006-09, Lopez earned five All-American honors across three NCAA National Championships appearances. In total, she won 83 individual titles during her career, currently the second-most in DU program history.

While competing for DU, Lopez represented Venezuela at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She went on to compete in two more Olympic Games, in London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016, becoming one of Venezuela’s most accomplished gymnasts. After retiring from competition, she returned to Denver as a volunteer assistant coach for the women’s gymnastics program.

Building a Business

Before opening the gym, Lopez pursued a part-time professional MBA through the Daniels College of Business and launched other entrepreneurial ventures, including JLO Performance, a company specializing in custom gymnastics leotards and competition management. “I always wanted to have a business and run a business,” she said. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for building something meaningful.”

She credits her experience at Daniels with helping prepare her for business ownership. “The MBA expanded my perspective and provided me with the business acumen, leadership skills and confidence to apply those lessons,” she said. “It challenged me to think bigger, embrace new opportunities and turn my passion for gymnastics and business into what Little Legends is today.”

Teaching Life Skills

The idea for Little Legends grew out of the couple’s own big life transition—having kids. The family now includes their 3-year-old daughter and a 7-month-old son.

Their daughter is already one of the gym’s biggest fans. “She loves going to the gym and loves making friends there,” Lopez said.

Lopez said helping young kids learn life skills—including the basics of socialization—is a key priority for Little Legends.

“Movement is a powerful tool for teaching life skills through play and structure in age-appropriate challenges. They learn how to listen, how to take turns, follow directions, solve problems and work with others to persevere when something feels difficult,” Lopez explained. “As parents ourselves, we understand that families are looking for more than a class. They want a place where their kids feel seen, supported and successful, so that’s what makes us different.”

Gymnastics and Ninja

One unique feature of Little Legends is its combination of gymnastics and ninja programs.

Lopez believes gymnastics provides one of the strongest athletic foundations available to children, helping develop strength, balance, flexibility, coordination and body awareness. Ninja training builds on those same fundamentals while incorporating obstacle courses, agility challenges and problem-solving activities.

“Ninja adds that adventure element that kids really love,” Lopez said. “Together, they create a fun and engaging environment where children can challenge themselves, stay active, and develop both physical and mental skills.”

Families can choose gymnastics, ninja training or both. Importantly, Lopez said, the program helps establish healthy habits and routines that extend beyond the gym. “Whether it’s ninja or gymnastics, it’s movement, it’s being active, it’s meeting new friends,” Lopez said.

Although running Little Legends comes with challenges, including the long hours and “balancing all the different roles that I have in my life,” Lopez said, the rewards make it worthwhile.

“Every time you see a child gain confidence or a family find a place where they feel welcome, it reminds me why we started Little Legends.”