Although she was born in Canada, Kelsall spent a fair amount of her gymnastics career training in the United States. She trained in Oregon under coaches Dick and Linda Mulvihill, who at the time were perfecting a form of gymnastics training that incorporated video recordings and mechanical spotting equipment. She was the junior Canadian national champion in 1976, the senior National Champion in 1977 and 1980, and the British Columbian champion in 1977. She represented Canada at various international competitions from 1975 through 1980, including the 1975 Pan Am Games, where she placed thirteenth in the all-around; the 1977 American Cup, where she was the all-around bronze medalist; the 1978 World Championships and the 1978 Commonwealth Games, where she was a member of the gold medal-winning Canadian team and tied for the bronze medal in the all-around.