By Brandon Penny - USOC
Courtesy of TeamUSA.org
Photo by John Cheng

Two decades ago, when pint-sized Joey Hagerty saw his three older sisters tumbling around in a gym, he could not help but get in on the action.

"I was in the gym anyway, so I just followed suit," recalled Hagerty.

Many parents usually picture their sons doing sports like football, basketball or soccer, but when they found out Joey wanted to do gymnastics, the Hagertys were more than supportive.

"They loved it. That's why they had the three girls in it, because they thought it was so unique and so spectacular. My mom and dad aren't very big. Obviously, I'm tiny, so they said ‘It's perfect, let's put him in this sport where he could excel at being small too.' "

Yet in actuality, Joey is the first to admit gymnastics was not his first choice.

"If it was up to me, I would've been a football player, but probably would have died."

Twenty one years later, Hagerty remains pint-sized, at a whopping 5-feet 4-inches, a perfect height for a gymnast. However, dedicating one's life to any sport is not easy, especially gymnastics. For most of his career, he has had to worry about the monthly cost of participating in a club program. Although he is on the national team now, Hagerty still faces the costly travel expenses that come with competing at the elite level.

Joey easily admits he would not have made it this far in the sport if it weren't for his parents.

"It's hard to support yourself, that's why you have to have a good backing, which my parents absolutely were. They did so much for me and my three sisters growing up, and it's hard to pay back what they've done."

Joey's father, Mike Hagerty, owns a door company in Rio Rancho, N.M., where Joey is from. While running his own business consumes much of Mike's daily life, he still made time to watch Joey compete.

"He was so busy doing that, so my mom would take us back and forth to practice, but he loved it. He loved watching us do gymnastics and stuff," Joey remembers fondly.

As all gymnasts do, Joey dreamed of competing at the Olympic Games. When he made the senior national team in 2005, he was one step closer to fulfilling his dream. That year, Joey moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to devote all of his time and attention to his training, with the hopes of making the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

In 2008, Joey was one of the best in the nation and on track for one of the 6 coveted spots on the U.S. men's gymnastics team. Everything was going as planned until he received a phone call just a few weeks before the 2008 National Championships, and a few months before Olympic Trials.