The theme for ASU gymnast Ashley Kelly's balance beam routine, "some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this," may be an inappropriate one. Because Kelly has seemingly already had a plethora of once in a lifetime performances as a Sun Devil.
After recording the highest all-around score in the nation and earning five of the top eight all-around marks in ASU history as a freshman, Kelly said she was "scared" she wouldn't be able to improve this season as a sophomore.
"My brother said to me to me, 'How are you going to outdo your freshman year?' And I was like, 'I don't know. I'll find some way,' " Kelly said.
With all but just a trip to the NCAA Championships remaining in the 2004 campaign, Kelly has not only surpassed her freshman year, but leaped over it.
To end the regular season, Kelly tied a school record with five consecutive all-around victories from the UNO's Classic on Feb. 20 through a March 12 victory over Minnesota. After the run, Kelly finds herself ranked as the No. 3 gymnast in the nation.
"I always looked at the girls that were top three, and I was like, 'I wish I could be like them,' " Kelly said. "One day I came in the gym and (assistant coach) Shelly (Eaton) was like 'you're top three,' and I was like, 'that's not supposed to be me.' "
And so it goes for the soft-spoken Tulsa, Okla. native. Since arriving in Tempe, Kelly has developed a reputation for bringing a tough-girl attitude to the competition floor and having a startlingly modest demeanor off of it, particularly for a gymnast with experience competing for Team USA.
Ask her about some of her atmospheric scores, and the "aw-shucks" manner kicks in. Chances are, Kelly won't even know what records she has obliterated - Kelly never knew she was about to win her fifth-straight all-around until it was announced before the meet, and it made her "kind of nervous."
When told she has accomplished the shocking statistic of recording more perfect 10 scores this season (five) than scores under 9.8, Kelly gasped, "Really? I never knew that. That's kind of...wow.
"I don't count my scores or anything. I feel like if I worry about it, it's not going to happen."
But ask her to salvage an event for the Sun Devils after a teammate has suffered a fall, and Kelly will put a smile on her face and respond to the challenge with uncanny consistency.
And while she may hate talking about herself, Kelly has no trouble being the anchor for her team and making up for one of her elder's mistakes.
"I will tell you that Ashley is the impact athlete when it comes to a kid that can just get it done when it counts," ASU head coach John Spini said. "What does she mean to us? Its kind of like if you were hanging a chandelier. She would be the bolt that holds the chandelier together."
Spini's remarks come as no surprise when Kelly's entire résumé is revealed. She is the only gymnast in school history to earn a perfect 10 in all four events in which women gymnasts compete. Kelly is a two-time All-Pac-10 performer, holds the highest all-around score in ASU history and already has seven 10s in two seasons - on pace to break senior Maggie Germaine's record of nine.
Could such a shy girl really do so much?
"I really am surprised by what I am doing," Kelly said. "I guess I don't think I'm that good or something.
"I didn't really know if I wanted to do college gymnastics so I try not to take anything for granted. I'm just glad that I'm here, and now that I'm doing well, it's just icing on the cake."
Kelly's career has not only proven sweet for her, but also for the entire Sun Devil team. While Kelly made a quick splash with gymnastics fans when arriving in Tempe last year, she is now constantly mentioned with ASU elite athletes and has been featured in The Arizona Republic and on Fox Sports Net.
Spini believes Kelly's skills and recognition will continue to increasingly benefit the program.
"Ashley is somebody that can change the focus of our program to another level," Spini said. "We've always been a nationally ranked team, but I think she can get us to a national championship if we give her enough of a supporting cast.
"She has a good relationship with a lot of great recruits."
As expected, Kelly takes a more conservative view of the situation.
"Hopefully I can help them out for years to come, and they'll get better recruits and everything, but I don't know if I'm good enough to do that. But, maybe."
But when the subject switches to her level of confidence competing on the floor, Kelly perks up to say she has come a long a way, and she has the accolades to prove it.
While in most sports, athletes reach their peak in their 20's, gymnasts are known to max out potential from the ripe ages of 14 to 16 years old. But Kelly attributes a boost in self-esteem as the reason for an even better sophomore season than freshman season.
"When I was on the U.S. team I had lots of skills, but I didn't know how to calm my nerves," Kelly said. "Here, we compete every weekend so you get in the routine and get in that mindset that you're doing it as a performance to have fun and not be nervous.
"I've learned a lot from the college scene. It's not so nerve-racking if you make it fun."
Then, finally the subject hits about this weekend's NCAA Championships in Los Angeles, and Kelly's responses reach a crescendo. Her words go from unsure and wavering to point-blank, and the confidence of a floor leader emerges.
"I want to make it to [individual] finals on beam because I love that event and I feel I work so hard on it that I should be able to make it," Kelly said. "As a team, I think we should make it to the Super Six, definitely, and reasonably we could place in the top four."
The confidence then turns to motivation for Kelly when she remembers the Sun Devils' experience at nationals last season - a thought she would like to replace. With a number of her teammates already suffering falls, Kelly could not carry the Sun Devils against the best the NCAA had to offer.
In her final event, the uneven bars, Kelly executed what she felt to be one of her best routines of the year until the dismount. She didn't rotate enough and broke her toe on the landing.
"I was very upset about that," Kelly finally says with a stern tone. "I just want to show the judges and everyone that I could do so much better than that. I think all of us can."
If Kelly's performance at nationals shows the same upward curve as her confidence and scores this season, the event just may turn into the moment of a lifetime.
Reach the reporter at christopher.drexel@asu.edu.
