Jessica Staton Receives Gymnastics Scholarship to The Ohio State University

Jessica Staton, 17, of Fishers, has flipped, balanced and swung for nearly 13 years of her life at DeVeaus School of Gymnastics perfecting her talent as a gymnast. Recently all of her hard work paid off when The Ohio State University offered Staton a full-ride gymnastics scholarship.

Its a dream come true, said Staton. Knowing that with only one scholarship left, I was the one Coach Carey Fagan wanted to be a Buckeye.

When asked if she felt all the years in the sport had been worth the sacrifices, she said, Yes, definitely. And I encourage all of the younger girls at the gym to stick with it because its worth it.

Staton, who is nicknamed Reggie by her teammates, claims vault is her best event but she enjoys floor the most. Staton competes as a Level 10 gymnast, which is the top level of the Junior Olympic program developed by the national governing body of the sport, USA Gymnastics. In fact, Staton earned a spot to the Junior Olympic National Championships in 2005 and 2006, the highest level you can achieve as a Level 10 gymnast.

Staton, who is coached by Peter Zhao, Tom Strange, Amy Scales and Jan Exner, said her best memory in the sport is vault talks with her teammates!

Staton, who trains 23 hours per week at DeVeaus School of Gymnastics, is a senior at Hamilton Southeastern High School. She excels not only in her sport but also in school. Shes ranked 21 out of a class of 733. Her future career ambition is to become a physical therapist.

When asked how she earned the nickname Reggie, She laughs and says, When I was 4 years old in Joan DeVeaus class I really liked Reggie Miller and wouldnt do any of my skills unless Joan called me Reggie. Joan thought it was so funny because I looked nothing like Reggie but everyone started calling me Reggie and it stuck.

Outside of gymnastics Staton enjoys hanging out with friends, going to school sporting events, listening to music and shopping.

Her family includes her dad, Michael; mom, Karen; 15-year-old sister Tiffany; 13-year-old sister Cynthia; and newly adopted brother Ashton, who is 3 months old.

Staton is looking forward to competing for DeVeaus as a Level 10 in 2006-07 and then heading to The Ohio State University in the fall of 2007 to compete on the gymnastics team as a Buckeye.