Background
Uzelac was born on June 27, 1986 to parents Donnie and Brenda. Her mother, aunts and grandmother are all gymnastics coaches. Uzelac began gymnastics at the age of two at her mother"s gym, Turners.
Uzelac was born on June 27, 1986 to parents Donnie and Brenda. Her mother, aunts and grandmother are all gymnastics coaches. Uzelac began gymnastics at the age of two at her mother"s gym, Turners.
She also played baseball and was a wrestler, but ultimately chose to dedicate her time to gymnastics.
When she was eight, Uzelac began training at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she made rapid progress. Uzelac"s first major competition as an elite gymnast was the 1998 United States National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. The gymnastics community began to take notice of Uzelac, who stood barely over four feet at the time, as her second day balance beam score was the highest of the field, and her overall total was just over a tenth away from capturing the title.
In 1999, Uzelac began her domination of the junior ranks.
Uzelac also competed in two dual meets: United States of America versus Canada in Toronto, and United States of America versus
France in Normandy, France. She competed at the 2001 American Cup, where she placed third in the all-around and beam and second on floor exercise.
Uzelac was named to the American team for the 2001 Goodwill Games, but was replaced by fellow Parkettes teammate Tia Orlando after spraining her knee in training.
In 2002, Uzelac was eligible for senior competition. She competed at the 2002 United States. National Championships, but injuries forced her to withdraw from three events on the second day of competition. The 2002 Pacific Alliance Championships was Uzelac"s last major international meet.
After leaving elite gymnastics and taking a year-long break, Uzelac returned to compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association gymnastics for Penn State.
Uzelac graduated from a therapeutic massage school in 2006.
Uzelac was a member of the American squad for the junior competition at the 1998 International Team Championships, where she placed second with the United States. team and fifth in the all-around.