David Durante, a national champion gymnast and 2008 U.S. Olympic alternate, was in town Monday to talk to young gymnasts at the Lawrence Gymnastics Academy.

Dayna Smerchek had little idea a couple of mouse clicks back in February could turn out so favorably.

But Smerchek, a Lawrence resident, received a pleasant surprise at her doorstep in April with the successful results. She had won an online raffle through USA Gymnastics to have an Olympic gymnast speak at the city’s club gymnastics facility.

“I came home, and there was a FedEx package that said, ‘Congratulations,'” said Smerchek, whose 10-year-old daughter, Shaye, is a gymnast at Lawrence Gymnastics Academy.

Monday afternoon, the Smercheks saw their prize in person at LGA in the form of David Durante, a national-champion gymnast and alternate on this year’s U.S. Olympic men’s team in Beijing.

Durante spoke about his life as a gymnast and answered questions for about 25 minutes. Then, he signed autographs for the roughly 70 youngsters on hand.

“It really brings me back to when I was their age,” said Durante, who began his gymnastics career 22 years ago at age 6. “It’s really just an honor to be able to help out and come here and see how excited they are about it.”

LGA owner David Sakumura said demand to see Durante – who flew in from Colorado just for the day – was so high that he had to limit entrance to club members only.

“This is absolutely awesome,” Sakumura said. “It will give great inspiration to the kids. He’s an excellent athlete, just an outstanding gymnast with great work ethic.”

Durante answered questions about his favorite movie (anything Will Ferrell), pet (dog), food (Italian) and color (blue). He also talked a little gymnastics, telling those in attendance about his start as a gymnast.

“I was jumping around the furniture in my house, and my mom didn’t want me to break anything,” he said. “So, she sent me to the gym.”

By the time he reached college, Durante was a highly touted gymnast enrolled at Stanford University. After graduation, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colo. – home of the U.S. Olympic training site – to prepare for his dream of competing in the 2008 Olympics.

Durante fell short of that goal. Injuries prevented him from performing at his best at the Olympic trials. He still managed to qualify for the national team as an alternate, traveling to Beijing in August and watching the action from next to the mats.

The men’s team captured a bronze medal.

Durante said it was too early to think ahead to the 2012 Olympics in London. He is having surgery in the next few weeks to fix the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for the second time. Instead, he chose to reflect on his time in Beijing.

“It wasn’t really how I had pictured my Olympic experience going, but it was incredible,” Durante said. “What the team did, I definitely feel like I won that medal as much as they did. : I would have loved to have been on the floor, but to be where I was, I was very honored, and it was an incredible experience. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”