Local gymnist getting closer to dream of making national team

As young kids many gymnasts all have the same dream - to one day compete for the national team.

They imagine going all around the world to compete, in front of huge crowds and against the best competition in the world.

While it's a dream that many have, it's a dream very few ever come close to realizing.

For many the dream ends long before they ever come close to making it to the elite level, let alone the senior elite level that all the world's best gymnasts compete at.

Although the dream is gone for many, one area gymnast is getting close to possibly making her lifelong dream a reality.

Lauren Beers, of Warren Center, is a senior elite gymnast and she recently placed 12th at the Cover Girl Classic in Chicago.

The competition featured many of the world's best gymnasts, including 2008 Olympic silver medalist Alicia Sacramone, 2009 World and U.S. all-around champion Bridget Sloan and 2009 World silver medalist Rebecca Bross.

Competing against this level of competition, Beers was able to place eight on the vault, earning her a medal.

For her first competition at the senior elite level, Beers was happy with the way things worked out.

"That was my first senior meet and it was a real fun experience," Beers said. "It was a little bit intimidating, but I knew a lot of them weren't competing in the all-around. I wasn't really trying for a spot, I was just trying to have a good meet for myself."

With the Covergirl Classic under her belt, Beers now prepares for an even bigger meet, where many of those same girls, and some additional gymnasts, will be competing in the all-around. The next meet on the calendar for Beers is the Visa Championships in Hartford, Conn. on Aug. 11-14.

This time out Beers is hoping for a big showing because she knows that the top six finishers earn an automatic spot on the national team, and eight other gymnasts are also picked for spots.

"I'm glad the Visas isn't my first meet, I'd be a lot more nervous," Beers said. "I do have to do a lot of improvement. I have to get a little harder skills to be in contention for the all-around. But, I think I can place in the top 10."

And Beers knows that maybe if she finishes in the top 10 she can achieve her dream and earn a spot on the national team.

"It's actually become a lot more realistic in the past year," she said. "I know I need to have a lot more clean meet, but I think I can do it. I think I can place in the top 10. The top six places are the national places and they take eight others.

"It's going to be real nerve wracking, but I hope to push the nerves aside and be able to perform my best."

One of the differences at this level for Beers is that her family and friends may get a chance to see her perform, since the meet is televised. And, with the Visas in Connecticut, she will get a lot of support from people coming to watch her.

"The last meet was televised, but they really only showed a few of the girls in contention for the all-around and I wasn't on there," Beers said. "This time I'm hoping to have a little TV time. But, a lot of friends and family are going to be able to come at watch me with this being so close to home.

"I like flying to meets, but I definitely like being closer to home where more people can come cheer for me. It definitely helps. Your adrenaline gets going more."

For Beers this success hasn't come overnight. She has been training for years and has spent the past five years working at the elite level.

"I've been doing gymnastics for 10 years," the home-schooled junior said. "It's always been my goal to be on the national team. I have been doing elite since 2005. I was doing a level of elite called junior elite. It's the level between international and Level 10. Last year and the year before I was at the junior international level.

"This is really exciting. I have always wanted to be a senior elite, and now I have finally reached it."

Beers knows that she has two strong events, and two she needs to work more on.

"My strongest events are definitely vault and floor," she said. "I always score pretty high on those. My highest score event is the vault. But, my bars are getting stronger."

And watching the top gymnasts at these meets only makes her better.

"It does, there is actually a girl, the girl that won the world championships, and I am trying to learn a bar routine similar to hers," Beers said.

Beers is the lone senior elite gymnast training at Southern Tier Gymnastic Academy in Endwell, N.Y., but she loves the people on her team.

"All of us are really close on the team," she said. "We all practice together. It doesn't really seem like I'm on a different level. When I go away to meets, a lot of girls will come. There is one girl that just came to our gym and she is training to be a junior elite, so I may not be the only elite for long."

And Beers loves her coaches, headed by Daile Van Patten.

"Our coaches are fantastic," she said. "He is the most amazing person ever. He is very helpful. He has a very good eye for gymnastics. He can tell when a kid has talent. The assistant coach for our group, he was actually a college gymnast. He went to the University of Minnesota. Our main coach never did gymnastics, but the assistant coach did and he's very helpful as well."

For Beers ever since she started at Southern Tier Gymnastic Academy, they knew she had a shot to be a senior elite.

"This is my second gym. I did level four and five at one gym, then switched over to this gym. As soon as I came, they put me on the fast track for elite."

One of the advantages to competing at big meets like she is going to is Beers is getting a chance to be noticed by a ton of colleges.

"It's been really nice, all the college scouts always come to the college qualifiers," she said. "They scout the girls there and it's a good way to get out there and be seen."

And, Beers is starting the process of deciding on where she may want to go for college.

"Actually, I have had quite a few offers already," she said. "I'm going to be visiting some college this fall and I will find out where I want to go."

And, the plan is in two years to likely give up competing at the elite level and instead focus on college gymnastics.

"At this rate, I'm probably not going to continue elite after my senior year unless something drastic changes," she said. "I'm looking forward to college gymnastics."

In the meantime Beers hopes to make the national team, and if perhaps she was able to earn a spot on the Olympic team, then that could change all her college plans.

"That would definitely change the outlook on things," she said. "It would be the 2012 Olympics that I have a chance at, but my main goal is just to be on the national team."