PERFECT FORM— Thirteen-year-old Carinne Gale of Simi Valley practices a routine on the uneven parallel bars under the watchful eye of coach Yelena Urusova at Monarchs National Gymnastics Training Center in Newbury Park last week. Carinne's abilities have earned her a monthly invitation to the USA Gymnastics' national training camp in Texas. Only about 25 of the country's top gymnasts are invited. She has her sights set on the 2012 Summer Games in London. JANN HENDRY Acorn Newspapers Walk into Monarchs National Gymnastics Training Center in Newbury Park on any given Saturday and you will find a hub of backbending, body-hurling activity.

The room, buzzing with the energy of gymnasts at play, is filled with mats of all different shapes and sizes, foam pits for soft landings, trampolines, balance beams and uneven bars.

In the midst of this circus are 16-year-old Alyssa Gale and her younger sister, 13yearold Olympic-hopeful, Carinne. For them, this a typical day of practice.

Born and raised in Simi, both Alyssa and Carinne attended Vista Fundamental School and Sinaloa Middle School. Carinne is now in eighth grade at Los Cerritos Middle School in Thousand Oaks, and Alyssa is a junior at Royal High.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers Alyssa and Carinne Gale The two are active in their church, Simi Presbyterian, which they attend with their parents, Darcy and Doug, on Sundays—the girls' only day off from practice.

Alyssa and Carinne initially got involved with gymnastics because their mother, a former competitive gymnast, coaches at Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District and at Monarchs.

After seeing her younger daughter's potential during classes at the park district, Darcy Gale took Carinne to Monarchs to be evaluated.

"Being that I am her mom, of course I thought she was wonderful, but I wanted someone else's objective opinion," said Gale, 45.

When Carinne, who was 4 at the time, got the thumbs up to start training at the center, 7-year-old Alyssa came too.

While it was perhaps a motherly push that got Carinne into gymnastics, it is her own passion for the sport that keeps her motivated.

"I'm just always trying to get better and trying to push myself to become the best that I know I can be," Carinne said.

In February, Carinne qualified to be junior elite, the highest level for her age. The title allows her to compete at international events.

Coach Yelena Urusova said Carinne's disciplined work ethic and professionalism has allowed her to succeed.

"She is a very serious and very mature 13-year-old," said Urusova, who owns Monarchs. "She's really realistic. If she sets the goal it's something she really can achieve."

Carinne's ability has also earned her a monthly invitation to the USA Gymnastics' national training camp in Texas. Only about 25 of the country's top gymnasts are invited, and those who attend are groomed for possible selection to the national team, which represents the U.S. at international competitions like the Olympics.

Despite her accomplishments, Carinne admits to still getting butterflies before a meet.

"I get really, really sweaty palms," she said.

Alyssa, a level 10 gymnast, has had similar success. This year she received a verbal offer from the University of Utah for a fullride scholarship, which she has verbally accepted. The university's gymnastics program is ranked second in the nation and is headed to the NCAA National Championships in April.

"Alyssa is expected to be national champion when she will go there, no less," Urusova said. "She has a very good technique."

Although Alyssa—a straightA student like Carinne—received 10 college offers, she chose Utah partly because of its nursing program. Alyssa hopes to work as a postpartum nurse after college.

"I love babies and little kids," she said.

While Carinne is not as certain about what life after gymnastics holds, she is clear on where she would like her gymnastics career to go.

"My ultimate goal is to go to the Olympics," she said.

For Carinne, each workout is a steppingstone to that dream. Urusova has every confidence that Carinne will make it, too.

"Her routines are actually one of the hardest in the nation," she said. "And she has quite a few tricks which we plan to put into the routines."

The girls have very different strengths. Carinne said the uneven bars, which once posed a challenge for her, have become her favorite event.

"I've gotten to know a lot of new tricks on bars recently, and so I've gotten a lot better at it," she said. "It's nice that all my hard work has paid off."

Alyssa, on the other hand, loves to tumble.

"Everything she does on the floor looks so easy and so light people don't think it is hard," Urusova said.

While it can be difficult balancing school, friends, practice and traveling to competitions, the girls said they have each other to lean on. They make it a point not to get too competitive with each other.

"It's actually really nice (practicing together)," Carinne said. "And when she's not here it's so much harder, because she's always there to encourage me and support me."

Alyssa agreed. "We're best friends," she said.