Shayla Worley
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Shayla Worley (born September 2, 1990 in Orlando, Florida) is an American gymnast. She has been training at Orlando Metro Gymnastics since she was a level 6. She is coached by Jeff Wood and Christi Barineau. Shayla competed level nine in 2001. She placed second all-around at the Florida State Championships. Her final meet of the season was the Level 9 Eastern Championships. This is the highest meet a level nine can advance to. She placed second all-around. Shayla finished off the junior Olympic levels by placing second all-around at the 2002 Level 10 Florida State Championships.
In 2002, Shayla became a child national elite. This level is one below the elite level. Today, it is referred to as pre-elite. She won the all-around title at the American Challenge. Shayla also placed well at the US Challenge.
She advanced to junior international elite in 2003. At the US Classic, Shayla placed high enough to qualify to the US National Championships. A few weeks later, she dazzled the crowd and the judges at the US National Championships. She finished fourth all-around. This also placed her the US National Gymnastics Team.
Shayla continued on competing as an elite in 2004. She helped the USA win in a dual meet against Japan. At the American Classic, she finished fourth all-around. Shayla qualified to the US National Championships. A few weeks later, she was named to the Pacific Alliance Team. At the Pacific Alliance Championships she finished fourth all-around. She also competed at the US Classic, where she placed second all-around. She finished second all-around. In the fall, she won the all-around at the USA versus Canada meet. She was named to the Junior Pan Am Games team. Unfortunately, she could not compete because of a back injury.
Shayla's final year as a junior was in 2005. She started off her season at the International Tri Meet. The USA won the competition. She also went on the European tour which included meets against lower ranked Great Britain and Switzerland. The USA won both. Her next competition was the US Classic. A potential winner, she finished fourth all-around after falling on floor. The next month at US Nationals, a fall on bars kept her down in the standings on day one. She battled back and tallied the highest all-around score on day two, eventually finishing third overall behind Natasha Kelley. In her final meet of the season, the Massilia Cup, Shayla only competed on bars. She finished second.
Shayla turned senior in 2006, and her first senior meet was the Tyson American Cup where she finished second all-around behind reigning national champion Nastia Liukin. Her next competition was the Pacific Alliance Championships. Shayla finished second on bars, the highest placed American, and also helped the US to the team title.
Injury prevented Shayla from taking part in further competition in 2006. As a national team member who had scored well in the first half of the year, she had a strong chance of being named to the US team for the world championships in Aarhus, but it was not to be. However, she was ready in time for the 2007 American Cup. A fall on her bars dismount meant she narrowly missed qualifying for finals, but the new routines she showed were promising and her scoring potential is high. Shayla hopes to continue competing in the future.
