Over the past several years World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Frisco, TX has been a fertile breeding ground for many of the nation’s top men’s collegiate gymnasts.  Just to name a few, WOGA has produced such stalwarts as Oklahoma’s Steven Legendre, Stanford’s Eric Hergenrader and Tim Gentry, Minnesota’s Cole Storer and Colin McGuire, Nebraska’s Cory Baumgarten and Ohio State’s Phil Onorato.  Last month, Nebraska announced the signings of WOGA teammates Eric Schryver and Presten Ellsworth, where both will enroll next fall as part of a great recruiting class landed by new Head Coach Chuck Chmelka.

Ellsworth, coached by Sergei Pakanich, has an impressive club resume, as he has been a Region 3 All-Star for the past five seasons in a row and is a former Junior National Team member.  Most recently, he placed 11th AA (Level 10 16-18) at the 2009 JO Nationals and finished 6th on rings at the 2009 VISAs.  Here are a few highlights of Ellsworth’s club career:

• 2009 - 11th AA and 3rd on floor at JO Nationals; 6th on rings at VISAs
• 2008 - 7th AA at JO Nationals and VISAs (Level 10 14-15); 20th AA Veronin Cup (Moscow)
  
• 2007 - 23rd AA at JO Nationals (Level 10 14-15)
• 2006 - 37th AA at JO Nationals (Level 9)
  
• 2005 - 9th AA at JO Nationals (Level 9)
  

Presten’s dad, Mike, describes it as an "incredible thirteen-year journey" watching Presten and daughter Cailee, who is a Level 10 gymnast at Elite Champion Gymnastics, come up through the ranks after many hours of training and competition.  Presten and Cailee both got their start at a local gym where Presten’s mother, Cami, worked as an office manager.  Both young kids really took to it, and it was impossible to keep them out of the gym thereafter.

For seven years, Presten juggled soccer and gymnastics activities.  Mike, a former soccer player and football placekicker, dreamed of having his son follow in his athletic footsteps.  Mike was very involved as a volunteer soccer coach, and witnessed his son’s natural gifts unfold on the soccer field.  As it became apparent that both sports were beginning to place more demands on Presten’s time, he made the decision to stick with gymnastics.  When his dad asked why he chose gymnastics over soccer, Presten replied "please don’t get mad, but I chose gymnastics because you didn’t know anything about it."  According to Mike, Presten "felt so much pressure to be the best one on the team, and he also didn’t want to let me down as a coach."

Like most gymnasts, Presten has had his share of injuries and disappointments throughout his club career.  Three years ago, while competing at a qualifier for VISAs, he broke his arm on high bar.  He was well on his way to qualifying up until that point, and the experience really taught him how to overcome injury and adversity.  Presten’s 2006 and 2007 seasons were definitely his toughest in terms of injuries and down time.

An Academic All-American, Presten attends Allen High School in Allen, TX, which is one of the largest in the entire state.  The school boasts very strong academic, athletic, broadcasting and musical programs.  His sister is currently a junior and also has aspirations to compete collegiately, possibly at Nebraska.  Ten-year-old brother Brady recently hung up his grips and is looking for a sport in which to excel.  Perhaps that sport might be bowling, as he currently has a 127 average.

Presten is a natural leader and will be a great asset to the resurgent Nebraska program, both in the classroom and the gym.  Years from now, Nebraska gym fans will likely look back upon Coach Chmelka’s first recruiting class as being the catalyst for not only keeping the program funded, but also for bringing it back into prominence.  But for now, Presten Ellsworth is primed for great things in his final club season.

StickItMedia had the recent pleasure of interviewing Presten Ellsworth:

SiM: What has it been like training at WOGA for all these years with so many great gymnasts, both men and women alike?

Ellsworth:  It has been amazing.  We have so many successful gymnasts past and present that I have looked up to and learned from which has me wanting to be like them and following in their footsteps.

SiM:  What have been your biggest obstacles and challenges over the years?

Ellsworth:  Like most gymnasts, the hardest thing has been to overcome injuries and keeping a strong mental focus during recovery.

SiM:  Which event is your favorite?

Ellsworth:  Honestly, I don’t have a favorite.  I really like going out there and performing all six events the best I can.

SiM:  Which event challenges you the most?

Ellsworth:  Definitely high bar.  I’m told that my technique and lines are beautiful, but I still have some reservations throwing the big skills from when I had grip lock and broke my arm at Qualifiers in 2006.  I know it’s just a matter of time, and I will definitely have a much higher start value than my current one.

SiM:  What are your goals for the 2009-2010 club season?

Ellsworth:  I really want to go out, have fun and perform the best that I can.  I know if I do that it will put me in a position to make the Region 3 Team (for the 6th year in a row) and head to JOs in hopes of winning an event or two in my final Junior event.

SiM:  What have been your proudest gymnastic and non-gymnastic achievements?

Ellsworth:  My greatest achievements in gymnastics have been making National Team and qualifying for the Visa Championships the past 2 years.  My greatest non-gymnastics achievements have been maintaining my grades in school and being an Academic All-American.

SiM:  If not for gymnastics, in what sport would you compete?

Ellsworth:  Definitely soccer. I played for 7 years before I made the decision to focus strictly on gymnastics.

SiM:  Other than gymnastics, what are your favorite activities?

Ellsworth:  I love to go fishing and playing any other sport I can with my friends.

SiM:  What are your fondest memories of your club career?

Ellsworth:  Taking a summer trip to my coach’s home country (Riga, Latvia) with my team, and competing in Moscow, Russia at the Veronin Cup last year.  But most of all, working with and seeing the same people in the gym everyday for the past 13 years.  They have truly become my second family.

SiM:  Who are your role models and why?

Ellsworth:  Even with the latest developments, it would be Tiger Woods.  His focus, physical conditioning, preparation, mental toughness, and drive to be the best are what make him the world’s greatest golfer and athlete.  Away from golf, it is amazing how Tiger gives back through the Tiger Woods Foundation.

SiM:  What is the best advice you have ever received, and what advice would you give an aspiring new gymnast?

Ellsworth:  “Stick with it and you will be rewarded for all your hard work in the end.”  I would give the same advice to all aspiring gymnasts.

SiM:   You are a high school academic All-American.  How have you been so successful at balancing academics and maintaining a rigorous training regimen?

Ellsworth:  With everyone’s support.  Allen High School faculty, my coach, but mainly my mom and dad.  They have always said that they want us children being better than they ever dreamed of being.  With that said, I know that If I continue to work hard in the gym and in school, great things will happen.

SiM:  Explain the process and your mindset for choosing Nebraska.

Ellsworth:  Honestly, I went up to Lincoln with the mindset of just having fun.  I had already visited 4 other schools (Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State and Oklahoma) and was really ready to make a decision.  But, when I toured the campus and met the team and coaches, I knew this was the right fit for me.  I would be able to contribute and be a leader right from the get go.  Now all I could envision was Nebraska being able to sign 3 or 4 of the other recruits, myself and this could be a great start of bringing a program back up to a national contender.  So, I started calling and texting the other recruits and the next thing I know, we have Wyatt Aycock, Eric Schryver, CJ Shaaf and myself all signing.

SiM:  What would you like to accomplish during your four years at Nebraska?

Ellsworth:  I would like to make the Senior National Team, be an All American, and of course win a National Title with the team.

SiM:  What is your favorite thing about walking into the gym every day?

Ellsworth:  Walking in and watching how much the little kids look up to me. I now know that I’m a role model to them and that is a dream in itself.