By Laura Finley, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State gymnast Sharaya Musser positions herself at the corner of the practice mat, waiting for her cue to start. Eyes focused with a steadfast look of determination, she begins her floor routine, gliding through each turn and floating through the air on each combination.

Musser makes it look easy, completing her routine with the utmost precision.

"She comes into the gym and she has the mindset just to get it done," said associate head coach Rachelle Thompson. "I don't know if it's her work ethic or her God-given talent, but she knows she can come in here and knock-out the routines and make it look easy."

With this work ethic, Musser has become a standout gymnast, catapulting herself to the front of every competition. In her third season, she is undefeated in the all-around competition, taking the title in each of the six meets that Penn State has competed in. With these performances, she has also picked up four Big Ten Gymnast of the Week awards.

Musser is humble when asked about the recognition she has received, but has her sights set on the future, and attaining the ultimate goal. She wants more for the team.

"Two of my biggest goals for the team are winning the Big Ten championship and qualifying for nationals as a team," said Musser. "I want to do whatever I can to help the team get those positions. Individually I would like to win a Big Ten championship again in all-around, and to qualify for Nationals and hopefully place in the Top 5 individually."

This motivation and determination pushes Musser day in and day out during practice and at competitions. She will stop at nothing to improve herself and her routines.

"Even when she thinks she has a bad day, no one else notices," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "That's how good she is. She's been very successful this year. She's had less of those mental breaks and she's really close to being able to do every routine in competition like she does in practice. Once she gets there, the kid is unstoppable."

And Musser knows this. She acknowledges that the key to her success lies in performing in competitions just as she does in practice. It is all about finding the right mentality when competing, and this is something she is working to perfect.

"My mindset is going into each workout and being efficient," said Musser. " I need to make every turn count and act like this is my competition setting. I have to put myself in a competition situation and really just try and make the most of every turn."

Musser will tell anyone that finding the right balance between practice and competition has been a struggle for her in years past. As a high school student, she used to practice under the direction of former Olympic competitor Jaycie Phelps, who Musser acknowledges has instilled in her, the physical and mental aspects of gymnastics.

"Back when I was in club, I couldn't for the life of me hit a beam routine in competition," said Musser. "In practice I would never fall, but in competitions, I would just fall apart. Jaycie worked with me on it, and really helped to develop my mental toughness. That was one of the biggest challenges for me. Learning how to compete is all mental."

Musser's ability in finding this competition mentality and completing each routine with precision has not gone unnoticed by her fellow teammates. The team knows it can rely on Musser when it comes to her routines.

"We all know she can hit her routines," said sophomore Kristin Blades. "That's one person we're always confident in and it motivates us because we want to work just as hard as her. Last year when I first got here, I didn't really know her, but when I saw how hard she worked, I wanted to be just like her. She's always a big motivation."

The team's confidence in Musser, has allowed Penn State to excel at its meets, as each gymnast works harder to reach her fullest potential. But it is not just team confidence that has gotten Penn State to where it is today. Self-confidence is where the true power lies according to Musser.

"Coaches used to tell me 'You need to have confidence, you need to believe in yourself'," said Musser. "People can tell you you're great, but if you don't believe it, it's not going to happen. I would tell anyone it's really just believing in yourself and knowing that you can succeed in practice and in competition."