Two local gymnasts used strong performances at national events this summer to cement their places among the nation's best young athletes.

Shealyn Farley, a junior at Hempfield, and Sabrina Garcia, an eighth-grade cyberschool student from Lancaster, won national titles in balance beam while excelling in all four events that comprise the all-around competition.

Farley placed seventh on vault, fifth on floor and fourth on bars in her second place overall result at the Level 10 National competition in Dallas. Garcia, a Level 9 gymnast, won the All-Around title by finishing first in beam, third on floor, fifth in bars and sixth in vault in a competition held in early May in Charleston, W. Va.

"These two girls train together and are both so talented. They like to please and win for others," said Jen Fatta, head coach at Prestige Gymnastics, where both of the girls train. "Shealyn is a great role model for the younger gymnasts and Sabrina is already setting the stage for the future by being on time and ready for practice very day."

Farley has excelled at the highest level of competition. "Anything over Level 10 is considered elite," explained Fatta. At nationals she faced the top gymnasts across the country, all of whom are expecting to compete in college.

One key for Farley was her balance beam routine, which she had been perfecting for months.

"I saw it was strong in practice, but she never did as well in meets as she did at nationals," said Fatta. "She did not wobble and performed the entire routine only 12 feet from loads of college coaches. She had no nerves, amazed the coaches and stuck the dismount."

Farley's performance earned a trip to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs June 30-July 4 to train with the Junior Olympic national team. This camp gave Farley even more experience that will help her compete at the collegiate level. She is still looking at colleges, but is being recruited by 12 Division I schools, including names like Penn State, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Auburn.

Farley also was chosen as the representative from Region 7, which includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and New Jersey, to attend the World Championships in the Netherlands Oct. 12-18. She will train with the Dutch gymnasts and watch the entire competition, rounding out her experience further.

"The future is so bright for Shealyn. She can go anywhere for college for free. We will soon start testing her at the elite level, which is even more intense than Level 10," said Fatta, who has been Farley's coach since she was with the mini-team at age 5. "She is one of the most successful gymnasts ever to go through our program. Most Level 10 gymnasts get college scholarships, but none get as many offers as her."

Garcia has also been training with Fatta since she was 5. "She was so cute when she started in the sport and progressed from there. She is super-gifted and a hard worker," said Fatta.

Garcia's victory was in the Eastern Nationals, for all gymnasts east of the Mississippi. Level Nine awards all-around titles to winners on the East and West Coast.

Her first two events were the bars and the beam, which Fatta said are the most nerve-wracking. "If you fall on those, your competition is over. You have two chances on the vault and very few mess up on the floor."

Fatta saw Garcia was in first place after her bars and beam thanks to two powerful performances. "The bars worked great for her and then she tried a new dismount on the beam. It was amazing as she did not wobble, stuck the dismount and then excelled on the floor and the vault."

The win earned her a spot at Bela Karolyi's Ranch in Huntsville, Texas for gymnastics camp in late October. "When she found out she won, she was almost in a daze. She had such a big smile on her face," said Fatta. "Sabrina might be young, but the coaches who looked at Shealyn are already interested in Sabrina. They will remember her name and keep her on their radar. The camp will be another experience to add to her repertoire."

Fatta said Garcia will move up to Level 10 this season and will also do some elite testing.

Two other Prestige Level 9 gymnasts also medaled at the national meet. Carli Gohn, a ninth-grader, placed fifth on beam, and Aubree Horn, a tenth-grader, placed third on the beam, second on the vault and fourth in the all-around.