Carly Patterson

Carly Patterson is my hero because she is an amazing gymnast. She took gold in the all-around in the 2004 Olympics. She is an inspiration to me and other gymnasts. Whenever I have a bad day, or if I'm tired at gymnastics practice, I think of Carly. Ever since I was six years old, I have wanted to get a gold medal in the Olympics for gymnastics, and I train hard every day to be just like Carly.

Carly Patterson was born on February 4, 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her birthname is Carly Rae Patterson. She started gymnastics when she was six years old. She started at Elite Gymnastics and went there for five years until she moved to Allen, Texas where she currently lives. She is in 12th grade (2005-2006) at Spring Creek Academy.

Carly enjoys swimming, bicycling, and computers. Her mom was also a gymnast. Her role models are her parents, sister, and coaches. She would like to study dental hygiene in college. She also would like to meet gymnast, Yelena Produnova. Carly likes to listen to Christian music. Her favorite book is "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret." She likes to relax and watch t.v. before gymnastics competitions.

Carly had a stress fracture in her elbow, so she could not compete in most of the 2003 gymnastics competition season. After surgery on her elbow, Carly was able to come back and compete again. She won gold in the all-around at the American Cup in Febuary of 2004. Shortly after winning the US National Championships the following June, Carly was selected to compete in the 2004 Olympics. Mohini Bhardwaj, Annia Hatch, Terin Humphrey, Courteny Kupets, and Courtney McCool, were also selected to go to Athens with Carly.

All of the girls worked hard so they could win the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. The US team took the silver medal to the Romanians who received gold. Carly won the gold medal in all around. She received the silver medal in her favorite event, the beam. She also won several other medals. Carly Patterson is an incredible gymnast and an inspiration to gymnasts all over the country. Her hard work and dedication to the sport of gymnastics has shown how inspiring she is to many gymnasts in the United States. To me, Carly has worked very hard and she truly is a hero.