Kristal Uzelac

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Kristal Dawn Uzelac (born June 27, 1986) is a former American gymnast. She is best known for her junior years in the sport, where she dominated the ranks and often took home top honors at competitions.

[edit] Early Years

Kristal was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to her parents, Donnie and Brenda Uzelac. She is the third of four children (younger sister to Brandy and Alan, and older sister to Donnie). Kristal began gymnastics at her mother's gym, Turners, in 1988, at the age of two. Her mother, aunts, and grandmother were all involved in coaching the sport. As a child, Kristal also played baseball and was a wrestler, but ultimately chose to dedicate her time to gymnastics. She began training at Parkettes Gymnastics in Allentown, Pennsylvania and quickly rose to the top of the sport. At the age of 11, she became the Level 10 National All Around Champion and qualified to the elite level soon after.

[edit] Junior Elite Career: 1998-2001

Kristal's first major competition as an elite gymnast was the 1998 US National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. She won the all around bronze medal (behind Morgan White and Ashley Postell) The gymnastics community began to take notice of Kristal, who stood barely over four feet at the time, as her second day all around score was the highest of the field (and her overall total was just over a tenth away from capturing the title). Kristal finished out her 1998 season by competing in some international competitions and gained some valuable experience.

In 1999, Kristal began her domination of the junior ranks. She captured the all around title at the US Classic in Rochester, New York, and the American Classic in Ponoma, California. She then went on to her biggest title of the year, the US National Championships in Sacramento, California. Not only did Kristal win her first national all around title, she also captured three of the event titles (all but uneven bars, where she finished third). Internationally, Kristal also had a lot of success during the 1999 season. She was a member of the winning team at the International Team Championships in Richmond, Virginia (while also winning the floor exercise title). She also competed in two dual competitions: USA vs. Canada in Toronto and USA vs. France in Norman, France. Kristal won team, all around, uneven bars, and balance beam titles at those meets.