Senior Spotlight 2023-2024
We have seven graduating athletes this year at Gem City who are part of our team program or are staff here at the gym! Some of these athletes are new to us and some have literally been here almost their entire lives.
We love and appreciate all of them and cannot believe the time has come to say good-bye to some of them. We wish all seven of you the best of luck. If you see any of them over the next month, please join us in wishing them luck and congratulating them!
Aubrey Pool
Hi my name is Aubrey Pool. I’m a senior at Quincy Senior High School where I will graduate in May. I’ve gone to Gem City Gymnastics & Tumbling since I was six years old. I’ve been on the Gymnastics Team and am currently on the All-Star Cheer Team. I have also participated in JV and Varsity cheerleading at QHS all four years of high school. My favorite memory from the gym is probably going to Nationals in Florida last year for cheer where we placed third in the nation! My next favorite memory from the gym was when I was young and got to ring the bell! Next year I plan to attend the University of Northern Iowa to major in Biochemistry on the path toward Medical School.
Ashlyn Akerson
Hi, my name is Ashlyn Akerson, and I’m a graduating senior at Palmyra High School in Palmyra, Missouri. I am a current advanced athlete on the Tumbling Team and have attended Gem City since I was three years old. I started out in gymnastics classes and joined the Gymnastics Team in 2014. A year later, I joined the Tumbling Team. After reaching Level 7, I decided to retire from gymnastics and focus on tumbling. I have competed in seven state and national championships in tumbling— I placed in the top 10 at six of those national championships. This previous season I won an advanced state championship as well as an advanced national championship! I am so grateful for my experience and the coaches at Gem City for helping to shape me into the person I am today. I attend church at The Crossing in Quincy, Illinois, where I volunteer as a mentor for middle school girls to help deepen their faith. I have worked at Hebrews XI coffee for the last year and a half as a barista. In the fall, I will attend the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, where I have been accepted into their Masters of Architecture & Design program.
Haley Woodyard
My name is Haley Woodyard and I am a senior at Quincy High School! I will be graduating in May 2024. After high school, I plan to attend John Wood Community College. I plan to continue cheerleading there and study nursing. I want to be a travel nurse and specialize in labor and delivery!
I have been a part of Gem City Gymnastics & Tumbling since I was about two years old. I started in recreational classes and began competitive gymnastics at seven years old. I was an 8x state qualifier, Level 7 beam state champion, and 5x regional qualifier. After gymnastics, I decided to join the All-Star Cheer Squad at Gem City. I am in my second year on the squad; it is definitely a change from gymnastics! I love my teammates lots! On top of being an athlete at the gym, I coached recreational classes at the gym for a couple years. I’m very grateful for my time at the gym and am super excited for the many paths I’ll take and goals I will accomplish in the future!
Rylee Mellon
Hi, my name is Rylee Mellon. I have been attending Gem City Gymnastics & Tumbling when I was only two years old. I joined the Gymnastics Team at the age of six and competed for many years, reaching level seven. At the age of five, I also began competing on the Tumbling Team, where I won four state championships in the 13 years that I was on the team. Currently, I am a member of the All-Star Cheer squad and have been competing for three years. In 2022, our team won the National Championship in Pensacola, Florida!
I started working at Gem City in 2020, beginning with parties, and later in the year coaching recreational classes. In the fall of 2024, I will attend Quincy University and will also continue coaching at Gem City. Having grown up in the gym, my coaches were constant role models in my life. I am truly grateful for all the time, work, and knowledge my coaches have invested in me to help me achieve all my goals. Gem City is truly my home away from home.
Kaley Cowden
Hi, my name is Kaley Cowden! I’m a senior at Hannibal High School. I am on the All-Star Cheer Squad at Gem City— it is my first year on the squad. At my high school, I have been on the varsity cheer team for four years and am the captain this year! In the fall I will be attending Mizzou and majoring in Health Sciences to become a Nuclear Medicine Technician.
Amarra Nelson
My name is Amarra Nelson and this is my second year on the All-Star Cheer Squad, The Phoenix, at Gym City Gymnastics & Tumbling. I attend South Shelby High School and am so excited to attend college next year! I plan to go to the University of Central Missouri next fall and study health science. A big goal of mine in college is to cheer. My favorite moments at the gym are when we randomly dance between routines!
Miranda Hawley
My name is Miranda Hawley and this is my first year on the All-Star Cheer Squad at Gem City. I have been doing tumbling classes through the gym for almost two years. I gained my cheer experience through cheering at Clark County High School and a few seasons with a club team when I was younger. I am a third-generation cheerleader and have gained my passion for the sport from my mom! After high school I plan to attend University of Kansas where I will be majoring in biochemistry pre-med. I am excited to see where my next chapter in college takes me and, hopefully, I will continue my passion for cheer in some capacity in the future!
