Early Life in a Famous Athletic Family
Shayla Rae Kelley, now Shayla Schrepfer, was raised in Houston, Texas, with sports, discipline, and fame. She is the oldest daughter of Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton and former University of Texas quarterback and coach Shannon Kelley, born April 12, 1995.
Her family valued and demanded athleticism. Mary Lou Retton became an American sports legend after winning the 1984 Olympic all-around gold medal in Los Angeles. Shayla, her first daughter, grew up close to a world-famous woman but prioritised family.
McKenna, Skyla, and Emma were Shayla’s younger sisters. Through family festivities, social media posts, sports feats, and difficult times, the four sisters maintained a strong friendship. The narrative of Shayla shows that she didn’t just inherit a famous surname. She came from a family that valued effort, encouragement, and support.
From Gymnastics to Acrobatics and Tumbling
Shayla began her athletic journey in gymnastics. During her youth, she trained and competed at the club level with organizations including Aerial Port Gymnastics and Stars Houston. She reached Level 9 and earned recognition as a regional vault champion.
Gymnastics gave her a foundation in strength, flexibility, balance, and body awareness. It also introduced her to the less visible side of competition: repetition, preparation, pressure, and the ability to recover after mistakes. Those lessons later became important in her bodybuilding career.
Shayla began acrobatics and tumbling at Baylor. The sport helped her improve her synchronised routines, power, timing, and coordination while maintaining her performance. She graduated from Baylor cum laude, adding academic success to her athletic success.
Her Baylor years also brought an important personal connection. She met Wyatt Schrepfer, a former Baylor football player, during college. Their relationship eventually became a marriage and the foundation of their growing family.
Marriage and Life With Wyatt Schrepfer
Shayla and Wyatt became engaged in December 2018 and married in January 2020. Their relationship is frequently featured in Shayla’s lifestyle content, where they appear as a supportive and closely connected couple.
Together, they live in Boerne, Texas. Their home life includes family projects, fitness routines, faith, travel, and the everyday responsibilities of marriage and parenthood. Wyatt has supported Shayla through her competition preparation, content work, and pregnancy journey.
Their son Sullivan Wyatt Schrepfer was born February 11, 2025. He was 19 inches long and 6 pounds 7 ounces. His birth provided Shayla a new identity as a boy mum. She has documented the joys and challenges of newborn care on social media and in videos.
Shayla’s NPC Bodybuilding Career
Shayla’s move into competitive bodybuilding created a new chapter in her athletic life. Competing in the NPC Bikini division, she traded gymnastics apparatus and acrobatics routines for resistance training, nutrition plans, posing practice, and stage presentation.
Transition wasn’t just in sports. Gymnastics rewards speed, precision, and flexibility. Bikini bodybuilding demands balanced muscle, conditioning, posture, confidence, and presentation. Shayla focused on the process like she did in sports.
Her YouTube content focused on preparation. Structured exercises, nutrition preparation, posing practice, tanning, show day procedures, and mental stress of competition were documented. Watching “6 Weeks Out,” “1 Day Out,” and show recaps revealed the process.
Her 2022 competitions comprised Texas events. She finished 16th in Bikini at the November 2022 NPC Texas Cup. She learned from the outcome, especially since illness hampered her preparation. Shayla emphasised the challenges of competing while unwell and exhausted rather than hiding the setback.
In December 2022, she joined the NPC Battle of the Bay. Her biggest win was at the NPC Battle of Texas at Irving Convention Center on December 11, 2022. She placed first in True Novice A and another novice class. She also placed Open, qualifying for national competition.
A simple overview of her publicly described competition milestones appears below:
| Year | Competition | Division or Category | Noted Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | NPC Texas Cup | Bikini | 16th place |
| 2022 | NPC Battle of the Bay | Bikini | Competitor |
| 2022 | NPC Battle of Texas | True Novice and Novice | First place finishes |
| 2022 | NPC Battle of Texas | Open | Qualification opportunity for Nationals |
For Shayla, those victories represented more than trophies. They reflected months of controlled eating, early workouts, posing practice, and emotional discipline. Her family attended and celebrated her achievements, with Mary Lou publicly expressing pride in her daughter.
There is no evidence that Shayla is an IFBB pro. The amateur NPC circuit is her major competitive arena. Pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting also slowed her fitness progress. She still posts workouts and wellness tips, but she’s focused on Sullivan and adjusting to motherhood.
Career as a Lifestyle Creator
Shayla’s brand goes beyond bodybuilding. Lifestyle, fitness, family, home projects, parenthood, faith, and personal reflections are on her YouTube channel. Her Instagram posts family memories, wellness, partnerships, and practical living updates.
Her style is direct and personal. Instead of presenting athletic preparation as effortless, she often shows the ordinary work behind it. Meal planning, difficult workouts, fatigue, household projects, and changing priorities all have a place in her content.
She has also appeared in minor acting roles, including projects such as Peepz in 2014, Nothing in 2017, and High Hopes in 2018. These appearances are a smaller part of her public profile, while content creation and fitness remain her primary professional interests.
In 2020, Shayla and her sisters helped induct Mary Lou Retton into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame. That moment brought the family together in a public celebration of Mary Lou’s influence and achievements.
The Kelley Sisters
Shayla’s younger sisters have each developed their own identities while remaining closely connected.
McKenna Lane Kelley
Born on April 15, 1997, McKenna became a standout gymnast at Louisiana State University. She earned four All American honors during her collegiate career. After gymnastics, she pursued work connected to psychology and real estate.
McKenna married Braden Doughty in 2024. She and Shayla frequently appear together in family content, and their relationship reflects the competitive yet affectionate spirit of the Kelley sisters.
Skyla Brae Kelley
Born in August 2000, Skyla was involved in cheerleading and graduated from Texas Tech University. In 2024, she became a mother to a daughter, making Mary Lou Retton a grandmother for the first time.
Skyla’s transition into motherhood has added another generation to the family story. She continues to maintain close ties with her sisters and parents.
Emma Jean Kelley
Born in 2002, Emma competed as a gymnast at the University of Arkansas and graduated in 2024. She became engaged to Hudson Clark in 2024.
Like her sisters, Emma has continued to balance athletic experience with personal and professional growth. The sisters often share group photographs and public messages celebrating their relationship.
Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Kelley
Mary Lou Retton remains the most famous member of the family. Her 1984 Olympic performance changed the visibility of American women’s gymnastics and made her a lasting figure in sports history. Shayla has described her mother as loving, supportive, and thoughtful.
Shannon Kelley, Shayla’s father, played quarterback at the University of Texas and later worked as a coach. His athletic background helped shape the sports focused environment in which Shayla and her sisters were raised.
Mary Lou and Shannon married in 1990 and divorced in 2018. Despite the separation, the family has continued to gather and support one another. Their closeness was especially visible during Mary Lou’s serious health crisis in 2023, when the family rallied around her recovery.
Faith, Family, and Public Life
Christian faith is an important part of Shayla’s public identity. She often connects fitness, marriage, motherhood, and personal growth with gratitude and spiritual conviction. Her content tends to emphasize family unity rather than celebrity culture.
Her maternal grandparents are Ronnie and Lois Retton. The family has Italian heritage, with the surname historically connected to the name Rotundo. These family roots form part of a broader story that reaches beyond gymnastics medals and bodybuilding stages.
Shayla’s financial details are not publicly established. Her work appears to combine social media partnerships, video monetization, lifestyle collaborations, and fitness related content. She has built a comfortable public profile, but specific income and net worth figures should not be assumed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Shayla Rae Kelley?
Shayla Rae Kelley is the eldest daughter of Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton and former football player Shannon Kelley. She is now professionally known as Shayla Schrepfer and works as a lifestyle creator, fitness personality, and YouTube vlogger.
What sport did Shayla compete in at Baylor University?
Shayla competed in acrobatics and tumbling at Baylor University. She graduated cum laude after continuing her athletic career at the collegiate level.
What division did Shayla compete in for bodybuilding?
She competed in the NPC Bikini division. Her preparation included resistance training, nutrition planning, posing, conditioning, and detailed competition preparation.
What were Shayla’s best known bodybuilding results?
Her strongest publicly described results came at the 2022 NPC Battle of Texas. She earned first place in multiple novice categories, including True Novice A, and received an Open placement that created an opportunity for national competition.
Is Shayla Schrepfer an IFBB professional?
There is no public indication that she has earned an IFBB professional status. Her documented competitions have been within the amateur NPC system.
Who is Shayla’s husband?
Shayla is married to Wyatt Schrepfer, a former Baylor football player. They became engaged in December 2018 and married in January 2020.
When was Shayla’s son born?
Her son, Sullivan Wyatt Schrepfer, was born on February 11, 2025. He weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces and measured 19 inches.
How many sisters does Shayla have?
Shayla has three younger sisters: McKenna Lane Kelley, Skyla Brae Kelley, and Emma Jean Kelley. All three have athletic backgrounds, and the sisters remain closely connected.
What type of content does Shayla create?
Shayla creates videos and social media posts about fitness, bodybuilding, motherhood, faith, family life, home projects, do it yourself activities, and daily routines.
