For Elly Jones, her favorite and strongest event is the beam. (Photo courtesy of iDEAL Photos, Inc.)

WEST BROOKLYN — Eleven-year-old Elly Jones of West Brooklyn has just finished her sixth year in competition gymnastics. She competes as a Junior Olympian, which includes the following events: vault, beam, floor and bars. Jones has been competing this season with Energym Gymnastics on the Level 5 USAG Team located in Sycamore.

She is the daughter of Doug and Nicole Jones and her brother is Andruw Jones, 13. She first fell in love with the sport when she was introduced to tumbling at 2 years old in Bettendorf, Iowa’s YMCA. When her family moved back to the area, Elly was enrolled with Gymnastics Devine in Dixon. That year the 2008 Summer Olympics was in China, and Elly’s eyes would light up as the she watched the Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team compete, and she would say “I want to do that.”

At that time the Saltos Gym in the Sterling Duis Recreation Center had coaches who worked with the apparatus’s vault, beam, floor, bars and had competition teams for gymnastics. Elly was signed up for the classes, and showed a determination to learn the skills needed to compete. Her first competition was in her birth state of Iowa, where at 5 years old she boldly stepped up to the bars in front of 200 spectators and performed her routine with no hesitation. After that, her parents knew she was going to be committed to this sport.

Elly Jones has won more than 90 medals, 45 ribbons and trophies all proudly displayed in the picture. (Photo courtesy of On3Photo)

Elly has since won more than 90 medals, 45 ribbons and trophies. She has also participated in Flip Fest Camp in Tennessee directed by past Olympians and attended a camp at Illinois State University. Her favorite and strongest event is the beam.

Last year, Elly was Level 4 State Champion on floor and finished sixth in the all-around. In 2015, she was seventh overall at state for Level 3. This year, she competed at Level 5 at state, and finished 10th in the all-around and placed third on the beam.

Elly has had a terrific run in gymnastics, and would love to stay with it and move on to Level 7, but it is time now to focus on other things. Her current gymnastics coaches were sad to hear the news of Elly’s early retirement, and in a recent email wrote, “She is a great athlete, hard worker, and easy gymnast to coach. However, we do know because of these characteristics we lose some of these athletes to other sports. We want to wish Elly the best in whatever she pursues. I know she will do well at any of them.”

Elly's entire family is very proud of all excitement and joy she has brought to their lives through gymnastics. They are even more proud of her ability to compete while maintaining her academics on the honor roll at Amboy Junior High School, and for having a positive attitude toward all the long rides and hours devoted to practices and meets. Her parents want to thank all of those who have supported Elly with rides to gym, attending meets, or by all the kind words of support and encouragement to Elly through the years.