The Roe-d to JO Nationals - Meet Haylee Roe

(Pickel Family)

Typically we as fans see gymnasts during the biggest moments of their lives. Sure, you may have seen Grace Williams win the 2011 Nastia Liukin Cup, but you probably didn't see the invitational that qualified her there, or any of the invitationals before. I wanted to get a more balanced perspective of a JO Season from a girl who isn't a big name, or even a recognizable name to the average gymnastics fan.

That's why we'll be following Level 10 Gymnast and JO National Team Member Haylee Roe through her 2nd Level 10 Season on her quest to "win state and make it to nationals".

In my opinion, 15 year old Haylee is quite capable of the feat, as she won All Around, Vault, Beam and Floor at 2011 Texas State as well as the All Around title at the the Region 3 Championships. She missed the JO National Title by a mere .05. Can she take the title this year? We'll follow her from the first mock meet, all the way to JO Nationals.

In the mean time, let's get to know Haylee.

(Prop of Rachel Spicer)

Haylee is coached by the notorious duo Marnie Futch & Gina Quinlan who worked at Texas Dreams for years before being transplanted (with all but 3 members of their team) to Metroplex. Haylee trains with a group of 23 other optional gymnasts for about 30 hours a week.

Haylee was successful at the sport from the moment that she stepped into the gym. She attended her first Open Gym at age 8, and just after her 9th birthday she won the Level 4 district championship. At 11 she won the Level 7 Texas State Titles on vault, beam and floor and by age 13 she took the Level 9 Westerns floor title and all around silver medal.

Chris Burdette of her former gym Texas Dreams described her as "a fantastically talented gymnast with a determined work ethic."

Haylee's ultimate goal is to earn a college scholarship to top ranked school, and while she's got a few in mind, she'd like to keep her options open.

Check back each Tuesday to see updates on Haylee's training or reflections and results from her latest competitions.