BUTLERTWP— Natalie Beilstein has reached the top of the national gymnastics world.

It's a place she's quite familiar with.

The Knoch High School sophomore successfully defended her USAGymnastics Level 10 Junior Olympic floor exercise crown in Mason, Ohio, recently.

Beilstein scored a 9.70 in the event to top the other 57 gymnasts in her division.

"Natalie's floor routine is way out there right now,"said her coach, Steve Heasley. "She performs four E-level elements during her performance and has three additional E skills in her repertoire.

"There are other Level 10 gymnasts who can perform one or two E skills. ... Nobody else can do four in a routine on the national stage. Nobody."

E-level skills are the highest level a gymnast can perform at Level 10. And Level 10 is the highest level of gymnastics before elite.

Heasley knows Beilstein's abilities better than anyone. He has been her coach since she was 2, when Beilstein entered the Tiny Tumblers program at the Butler Gymnastics Club.

"I've worked with Natalie for 12 years, the longest I've coached any athlete,"Heasley said. "Watching her develop over the years has been an incredible experience.

"I've come to expect just about anything from her. She is so remarkably consistent."

Beilstein's dedication to the sport has been incredible as well. She works out from 4 to 8 p.m. at Heasley's gym Sundays through Thursdays. She also attends dance class three days a week at Lee's School of Dance in Butler.

"I do tap, ballet, jazz — I enjoy dance, but I mainly go there for my gymnastics,"Beilstein said. "It helps my balance and coordination."

There is no time for vacationing in Beilstein's schedule. Her trips to out-of-town tournaments fill that void.

"Igot to compete in Cancun (Mexico) last January,"Beilstein said. "How many people get to do that?"

Besides winning in floor exercise at nationals, Beilstein placed seventh in vault with a 9.625.

She has aspirations of stepping up to the elite class, perhaps as early as this summer. Toward the end of this month. she will attend gymnastics camp at Heasley's from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a week, then head to Michigan State University for another camp.

To become an elite gymnast, Beilstein must travel to the Parquettes gymnastics club in Allentown, the nearest club that offers the elite level.

"I'd have to go through testing to prove I can perform at that level,"Beilstein said.

No problem there in terms of skill, Heasley said.

"In floor and vault, Natalie can match collegiate gymnasts right now," he said. "She's especially gifted in those areas, and her and her family's commitment to the sport have been unparalleled around here over the years.

"But elite gymnastics is a different world. Sure, there's more national exposure and a bigger stage, but there is a lot more travel involved for the family and gymnast alike, and almost all elite gymnasts are home-schooled, train six to eight hours a day and stay with host families."

Beilstein said she hopes to continue training and working out at Heasley's gym if she does bump up to elite.

"It would be do hard to leave, but I do love the sport and it's all I want to do,"she said. "It's a decision I'll make before too long."

Being a gymnast for so many years means learning how to deal with pain. Beilstein broke her ankle just before regionals two years ago or she might have contended for a national title then.

She deals with bruised ankles, sore heels and back pain often.

"You perform through it. You learn to ignore it, basically,"she said. "My coach and parents have been great motivators for me that way. When my body's hurting, they keep me going."

Beilstein's goal is to attain a Division I scholarship in gymnastics. Heasley's facility opened in 1974 and only six of his female gymnasts have reached such heights.

"That is the reward for the hard work and dedication,"Heasley said. "Very few kids will end up with that prize."

She will assuredly join them.

Kent State, Michigan, Penn State, Auburn and Alabama are among Division I schools that already have corresponded with Beilstein.

"If she stays healthy, she'll get (a scholarship),"Heasley said. "She'll be able to choose where she wants to go."