TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) – Joscelyn Roberson is bound for the 2024 Paris Olympics as an alternate for the USA gymnastics team.
It’s a journey that started in Texarkana.
“When she walked in the gym as a five-year-old, even then, she was extremely confident about everything that she did,” says Lloyd White, who, along with his wife Amy, is the co-owner of North East Texas Elite Gymnastics, Dance & Cheer.
He was also one of Joscelyn’s coaches up until she was 16-years-old.
He says he could immediately tell there was something special about Joscelyn from her very first evaluations.
“She was actually shorter than the beam.” White recalls, “And so, we told her that she could get up onto any beam that she wanted to get on, and she walked over to the highest beam that we had with the fewest number of mats, put her hands up above her head on the beam and pushed herself up on the beam.”
Her coaches say it was several years later that they could tell Joscelyn started to believe her Olympic dreams could become a reality.
Kory White-Pemberton, another of her gym coaches, tells the story about the time she won Most Improved at a USA Gymnastics camp.
Her prize was a jacket, which she wore for the rest of the day, despite 90-degree temperatures, and even to bed that night.
“I always knew she could do it. We as a team always knew that she could do it,” says White-Pemberton, “But I think that was her moment of going. They see me, and they see what I’m capable of. They see that I can do this. And I mean, she was just super, super proud of herself.”
Her coaches say that while she was always physically gifted, her determination and work ethic set her apart.
“She basically was here six days a week, somewhere in the average of about 35 hours a week training,” says White.
She took the time and put in the work to prove that she deserved a chance to compete for her country.
“Knowing where she came from—knowing all the obstacles that we had to face—knowing that we were, you know, the underdogs for a very, very long time. And knowing the ins and outs, the tears, the blood, the sweat, and the working through obstacles. I mean, just, I’m proud of her.” says White-Pemberton.
They hope Joscelyn’s story can serve as an inspiration to other young athletes.
“One of the things that we’ve always told Jocelyn is every four years, somebody is going to the Olympics. There is no reason why it cannot be you, somebody’s going be there. All you have to do is put your mind to it and work for it, and you can achieve it.” says White.
The USA women’s gymnastics teams begin competing on July 28th on NBC 6.
