Wesley Stephenson is an outstanding gymnast from Legacy Elite in Illinois, is the reigning Region 5 Beam Champio
n in her age group and a multiple time JO National Qualifier. Stephenson, who started gymnastics at 4 years old, has college on her mind but has not made an official announcement of where is is going yet. However, I do know that what eve college she choses they will be lucky to have this Region 5 All-Star! Wesley will be with us here in Region 5 for one more year and I cannot wait to see what her senior year holds for this exceptional young lady. As we head into summer lets get to know Wesley a little bit better.
How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I was always a very active 
kid and I had the tendency to drive my mom crazy. I would never want to sit still and watch a TV show, so my mom put me in a class to satisfy my constant need to be moving around. I took my first class at 4 years old.
What is your favorite event? Sometimes my favorite event changes, but right now I’m loving beam.
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? Hitting a great routine at meet fills you with a sense of pride and accomplishment, especially when you’re competing with your teammates and sharing the positive vibes with them.
What college do you plan on attending? I haven’t officially announced anything yet, but it’s a great one! 🙂
What is your favorite meet to compete at? I like competing at the LGA Lucky Invite in March because it’s a fun, stress-free meet that lets you get out any kinks just before State..
Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? A couple years ago I made the Region 5 All Star Team and we took a trip to the Dominican Republic, which was an amazing experience. I probably would have never gone there if it weren’t for gymnastics!
Favorite skill to train and/or compete? One of my favorite skills to do is my double layout dismount off of bars.
Dream skill? It would be so cool to compete a double layout on floor!
Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics? Anyone who stays motivated no matter who’s watching. They do what they do for themselves and work 
hard to make themselves proud.
What is your all-time favorite leotard? Do you still your very first leo? I used to have a leo that was lime green with a design that was black and fuzzy and looked like a fish net on the leo. My very first leo was one of those that had shorts connected to it, but I don’t think I have it anymore.
What is your favorite movie? I don’t have one favorite, but I’ll watch Grease any time.
What is your go to playlist or song before meets? I have a few options… This season I listened to a WIDE range of music before meets: J.Cole, Rihanna, Troye Sivan, and two of my favorite Spotify playlists, “Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra” and one I created and named “groovy.”
What do you want to be when you grow up? After going through the process of having braces, I like the idea of being a dentist or an orthodontist. Doing something in politics would also be pretty cool.
Where do you go to High School? Neuqua Valley High School
What is your favorite color? Purple!
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? I like to read, ride my bike, be outside, spend time on social media, hang out with family and friends, and cook. I love to look up new recipes, get the ingredients, and try them out!
Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? I had a freaky warm-up turn in level 8 at the Twistars Invitational. I was on the high bar and one of my hands slipped off on my free-hip, leaving a frantic me trying to do a one armed giant and failing. I ended up crying for a few minutes afterwards.
If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try? Track and Field or Lacrosse
Favorite Vacation Destination? I would love to go to Europe! Going to France is on 
my bucket list.
If you could have lunch with anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? I would have lunch with Barack Obama. First, I would just want to become friends with him because he seems like a pretty cool guy. I would want to talk to him about how it feels to be a part of history and ask him about his life journey and what he has learned over time from his life and his presidency.
Tell me something interesting about yourself…. I’m Blasian!
Check out Wesley’s 9.525 bars routine from the 2017 JO Nationals
