Desire, strength, flexibility and speed are all elements that contour a gymnast. It is apparent to any spectator that the sport requires a colossal amount of dedication and passion to perform at a competitive level.

Iowa State gymnastics star, Haylee Young, has proven excellence in all of those qualities and even exceeded them to get to the collegiate level she is at today.

Already as a sophomore, Young’s accomplishments are at the least exceptional. Young, a 5-foot-2 all-arounder, has managed a successful reputation. 

HONORS

Young’s award list is a direct reflection of her dedication as a gymnast. She was named to the All-Big 12 team in the all-around last season and won two 2015 Big 12 All-Around Championships, just to name a couple. 

ISU coach Jay Ronayne has worked with Young since her collegiate career began. Ronayne knows better than anyone what Young has to offer to a NCAA team and who she is as an athlete.

“She is one word, committed,” Ronayne said. “She is all in, committed to everything she can do to be a great gymnast. She has a really good balance between the intensity you need to be better than you’ve always been and being relaxed and calm. She reminds me of [former ISU gymnast] Michelle Shealy. She works incredibly hard but also really fun to be around and easy to joke with. It’s truly unique.”

GROWING UP

Young’s character and passion is unique and admirable for all of those around her. It’s even more remarkable knowing the adversity she sustained throughout her life with her dad’s job moving the family from state to state. Being a gymnast in nearly four states, Young was born in Raleigh, N.C., and soon after moved to to Maine where her career as a gymnast all began.

“I started when I was three,” Young said. “My mom put me in a Mom and me gymnastics class, so we went together.”

After her early years in Maine, Young later moved to Alabama, then settled in Atlanta, Ga., where she came to know as home and grew up.

From Georgia, Young finally came to West Des Moines her freshman year of high school, later beginning her career with Iowa State to start her career.

ISU gymnast Micole O’dell knows Young better than anyone in and out of the gym. From being teammates since they were 5 years old, the duo has both grown with and through each other.

“We were the same level, but I just always looked up to her as a better athlete because she know how to handle things when they come at her,” O’dell said. “Growing up we went to college meets and dreamed of being on the same team but never thought it would happen, then we had this thing where her dad transferred to Iowa… once she committed here we thought it would be cool to continue being on the same team.”

AMBITION

The goals Young hopes to accomplish for herself and with her team extend way past what she has already done and experienced.

“I definitely want to be an All-American, that’s a big goal of mine and always has been,” Young said. “Another goal is I want to be there for my teammates everyday gymnastics or not.”

DAY-TO-DAY INSIDE LOOK

As an outsider, it is easy to assume that for most college athletes, balancing their role on their respective teams while being a college student can be an arduous challenge.

So, how does an outstanding athlete like Young go about their everyday life at Iowa State with NCAA gymnastics, trying to build her career in public relations and sustain above the required GPA for athletes?

“Mondays and Wednesday I have lift at 8 o’clock for an hour, then class from 9-12pm, then practice from 2:15 to 5:15 everyday and Monday and Wednesday we have spinning after,” Young said. “I have tutoring at night if I need it, then go home and do homework.”

With practice, classes and studies, time management is crucial to stay level-headed and rested. Grades being most important of all, as the gymnastics coaching staff stresses its importance.

“Our coaches definitely put school first, they want us to succeed academically so much, so it’s always student before athlete,” Young said.

As do-able as the lifestyle is, it is inevitable for it all to catch up to you sometimes or even often.

“It varies day-to-day, sometimes i’ll feel super charged and ready to go,” Young said. “Then there are mornings where I’m super tired and I have to motivate myself.”

DIET: ATHLETE IN COLLEGE

Eating healthy in college is a prominent topic for universities everywhere. Specific to Iowa State, every dining center has the option to eat healthy just as much as the option to eat unhealthy.

In Young’s freshman year, she often ate at Seasons Dining Center where she balanced her meals to make sure she had the energy to perform while keeping her physique and health up to par.

“It was hard freshman year to go to the dining centers and find out what was healthy and what wasn’t since I didn’t have my mom to make me dinner every day,” Young said. “And I’m a teenager, so sometimes I ate some of the unhealthy foods. You can treat yourself, but you have to stay on track especially during season.”

Now living in an apartment, Young is fully in charge of having a proper diet.

“I’ll cook grilled chicken and steamed broccoli a lot,” Young said. “And sometimes I’ll go to Tropical Smoothie, I love it there. My teammates and I actually go to [Tropical Smoothie] before every home meet.”

FOLLOWING IN YOUNG’S STEPS

Young knows what it takes to be great and would encourage anyone striving to step in her shoes, that it is all worth it.

“It’s hard, it is hard your first year during preseason, but you have to know that season is so worth it because it is the most fun that I’ve ever had in my life,” Young said. “There are going to be hard days, but there are also going to be days where you do great, so you just have to look to another person and ask what they did to get through it. You’re here for a reason, so don’t doubt yourself.”