BUTLER TWP — For years, the Butler Gymnastics Club did not participate in the National TOPs Testing program.

TOP is an acronym for Talent Opportunity Program, which gives young gymnasts ages 7-11 a way to get noticed nationally.

“We don’t get kids with that type of potential talent all that often,” Butler coach Michelle Heasley said. “When we do, we like to get some eyes on them early.”

Enter Josie Ansell of Saxonburg, Sydney Mylan and Karly Laughner of Butler.

All three took part in the TOPs testing earlier this year in Virginia Beach and Youngstown. Ansell is among 85 8-year-olds and Mylan is among 89 9-year-olds headed to Bela Karolyi’s gym in Houston (Texas) for further testing the weekend of Sept. 30.

“We got back into the TOPs testing last year with the Landgraf girls (Joscelyn and Lindsay) and they both made it,” Heasley said. “That was the first time we’ve had anyone qualify for Houston since 2001.”

The Landgrafs, who live in Kittanning, now do gymnastics at X-Cel in Cranberry Township. Natalie Beilstein and Hannah Welker, who qualified in 2001, now compete in the Big Ten at Michigan and Illinois, respectively.

More than 3,000 gymnnasts did TOPs testing this year. They tested in nine categories — splits, 20-meter sprint, shoulder flex, leg lifts, handstand holds, press handstand, cast handstand, vertical jump and rope climb — with scores from each event totaled to arrive at each gymnast’s official score.

The cut-off score to head to Houston for national testing was 70. Mylan scored a 74 and Ansell tallied 73. Laughner fell just short at 65.

“This is the second straight year Karly just missed,” Heasley said. “It’s easy to get nervous during testing because you’re being so scrutinized. But she’s real close. I think she’ll eventually get there.”

Ansell has been involved in gymastics since age 2. Mylan and Laughner have been in the gym since age 4.

“I’m excited and happy,” Mylan said about qualifying for Houston. “ I’ll keep working harder.”

Ansell said she stays with gymnastics because “it’s a lot of fun.”

The girls invest plenty of time for practice. All three spend 17 hours a week at the Butler Gymnastics Club, doing three and a half hour sessions four days a week.

“They don’t get tired of it,” said Barbara Ansell, Josie’s mother. “Josie is singing and dancing in the car on the way to practice and she still has a big smile on her face when we pick her up.

“Michelle is great with these kids. She cares deeply for these girls inside and outside of the gym.”

Because the girls do invest so much practice time, Heasley said “we keep a good eye on them.

“We can tell when they’ve had enough and we stop pushing,” she said. “We’re always on guard for burn-out.”

Laughner even goes to soccer practice along with doing gymnastics.

There will be 250 gymnasts testing at Karolyi’s gym that Sept. 30 weekend. The top 100 will move on to the national training center for further testing Dec. 5-9.

“It takes a lot of unique qualities to succeed in the TOPs program,” Heasley said. “The kids have to like and respond to pressure, they need to be athletic and have high flexibility. They need to be able to be corrected and make corrections.

“All three of these girls have those qualities.”

Mrs. Ansell said she got Josie involved in gymnastics “so she could get a feel for working hard for something, to set and achieve goals while developing dedication and motivation.

“That’s clearly worked out for all of these girls.”