— Haley Courtwright
Roundoff. Backflip. Full. Though these words are like any other in the dictionary, they typically fill the daily vocabulary of dancers, cheerleaders and, most of all, gymnasts.
When someone pictures a gymnast, they often visualize flashy leotards and chalky hands, but there is so much that lies within some of the world’s most talented athletes. In reality, these girls have the ability to move their bodies in ways that few can mimic.
Despite the intense mental and physical strength needed to become a prolific gymnast, there are a multitude of talented young girls who have stepped up to represent Cherokee County.
Three athletes, from Etowah and Cherokee high schools, have worked hard to achieve their prestigious status at the high school and club levels, with intense conditioning and hours of practice each week to perfect their flips and tricks for events — vault, floor, beam and bars — defying the laws of gravity in the process.
If anyone were to be the face of “tiny but mighty,” it would be Alexis Cua. The Etowah junior knew gymnastics was for her when she was just 4 years old, as nothing could compare to the joy of flying in the air and feeling completely unstoppable.
Unstoppable she is. In 2015, as an 8-year-old Level 3 gymnast, Alex swept the title of floor state champion with a score of 9.25 out of 10.0 while competing for World of Gymnastics & Cheer. No stranger to the champion title, her list of accomplishments goes on. In 2017, she won beam state champion and beam regional champion with a 9.575 and 9.6 at the Xcel Level. In 2019, she won bars state champion with a 9.6 competing as a Level 6 gymnast. And in 2023, she added yet another beam trophy to her shelf with the Level 9 runner-up state title and a 9.0.
Recently, Alexis has made major strides outside of our community, landing herself a spot as a Gatorade gymnastics representative, where she was featured in a commercial and photo shoot for the brand’s website. In a few years, Alexis aspires to study biomechanical engineering, with hopes of continuing her love of gymnastics in college and possibly beyond.
Although Alyssa O’Keefe flew away from the Eagle’s nest in May, she has left behind a reputation of success. Despite not starting gymnastics until she was 9, she excelled almost immediately and fell in love with the opportunities it gave her to express herself. Alyssa became quite the prodigy, beginning her eight-year streak as a state qualifier in 2015 when she also won her first state meet on the bar with a 9.4.
In 2018, Alyssa was the regional bar champion with a 9.475. And, in 2021, she placed second at state on vault, bars and floor. In her final year in high school (2023), she finished fourth at state for floor with a 9.25. Also in 2023, she became captain of the Etowah gymnastics team and was awarded an athletic scholarship for acro and tumbling at a Division I school, Presbyterian College, where she continues her gymnastics career.
Alyssa also is a big part of the local community, contributing to her prestigious nomination for a positive athlete scholarship. She is sad to leave her high school team behind, but she is ready to spread her wings at college, where she is pursuing a biology major.
Haley Courtwright, a Cherokee High senior, is a force to be reckoned with. She boasts 15 years under her belt and has worked hard to earn the title of a level 10 USA competitive gymnast, one level before Elite status. Her favorite gymnast is Simone Biles, and Haley may even one day follow in her footsteps.
Haley is entering her fourth year as a varsity member of Cherokee’s gymnastics team and has earned a multitude of trophies. Not only has she qualified for several state and regional championships, she was also the Smokey Mountain Classic all-around champion, with scores totaling 35 out of 40, and the Miami Classic floor and beam champion, with a 9.2 and 8.9 in 2022. Along with these accomplishments, she was the level 8 floor and vault state champion in 2019 with a 9.5 and a 9.4.
While she has gathered quite the resume, her goal is to eventually compete on a college gymnastics team and earn a sports management degree, to take over her parent’s current family gymnastics business, World of Gymnastics. Though Haley is still undecided about where she wants to go to college, she is sure that she never wants to quit the sport she loves.
These gymnasts may be on different paths in life, but one thing is for sure; they are all phenomenal athletes.
– Hailey Weiner is the head of staff on The Talon, Etowah High School’s newspaper. She aspires to pursue a career in journalism or law, and her dream is to make it to New York.
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