South Elgin's Behles excited to compete at OSU

Growing up, South Elgin High School graduate Mike Behles was your average kid.

An avid soccer and baseball player, Behles turned his attention to gymnastics at the age of 6.

Today, more than 10 years later, Behles finds himself walking the hallowed halls of Ohio State University as a freshman gymnast.

Those same halls have, and continue to host gymnastic greats and Olympic stars Morgan and Paul Hamm as well as Behles' childhood hero, Blaine Wilson.

Wilson, a former Buckeye (1994-97), won his first World Championships medal at the 2003 Worlds when he helped the team to a silver-medal finish. He is the first man to win five consecutive national titles since USA Gymnastics was named the sport's National Governing Body, and the third man to win five consecutive U.S. all-around titles (or more) in gymnastics history.

"I grew up watching and admiring Blaine Wilson," said Behles. "I look where I am today, I've seen Blaine walking around campus, and I realize that my dreams have come true so far.

"It's pretty cool to be at his home."

Perhaps, Wilson became an even more important mentor this past January when Behles broke his femur landing a Yurchenko vault in the Windy City meet while competing with the Bartlett Gymnastics Center, the facility which Behles both started and completed his pre-college career at.

At the 2004 Visa American Cup, Wilson tore his left biceps tendon, and vowed to return for the 2004 Olympic Games. His hard work and determination earned him a spot on the men's Olympic Team, a team which battled for a silver medal victory in Athens.

Behles, who had never been injured previously, also staged a quick recovery and while he was limited to parallel bars and the pommel horse while competing at this year's Level 10 Junior Olympic National Championships in May, he managed to finish seventh on still rings and 13th on horse.

"You never know how anybody is going to react to an injury," said Behles' coach of 10 years, Chris McKee.

Behles began his career with McKee in Bartlett, followed him to Warrenville and returned with him to Bartlett before moving on to Ohio State.

"Mike still had drive, and he still wanted to push forward," McKee said. "I think another important factor with Mike was that nobody gave up on him. His family has always been and continued to be supportive, and Ohio State never quit on him either. They wanted him to be part of their program."

Now officially part of the Buckeyes' long-standing elite program, and competing at 100 percent, Behles is ready to take it to the next level.

"The transition was tough for the first week," Behles said. "Adjusting to new guys, new coaches and the college atmosphere in general was a lot to take in. But, once you are comfortable, everything is easy.

"Getting accepted to a school with this atmosphere has just been unbelievable."

The 5-foot-7 freshman brings with him a long list of accolades including a 2007 all-around, floor and rings Illinois State championship title. A two-time Junior All-American on vault, Behles finished sixth overall in 2007 and fifth in 2005. He was also a member of the 2005 Bartlett Gymnastics Center regional championship team and has competed at the 2005, 06 and 07 U.S. Qualifier.

"Mike is an extremely talented gymnast and a great kid," said McKee. "He might not admit this, but he is an excellent all-around gymnast. He is strong in every event. A four time regional selection, Mike has been an All-American on rings at least four times. That is out of 330 kids. To be an All-American, you have to be among the top six among 330 kids. Mike has got the physical strength that helps everything, but primarily, he just wants it."

Slated to swing into action on Friday, December 12 with Ohio State, Behles hopes to continue his reign at the top.

"I'm looking to contribute as much as I can," Behles explained. "I want to be a scholar athlete. I want to be as good a student as I am a gymnast, and I want to walk away from this experience with a great future ahead of me."

And there isn't a doubt in his mind that he has found the perfect place to achieve that.

The Buckeyes are led by 4-time assistant Olympic coach Miles Avery, who has led Ohio State to an NCAA title, five Big Ten championship crowns and holds a program record for three consecutive conference titles (2005, 06, 07).

Avery joined the Ohio State program in 1989 as an assistant and became head coach in 1998. He has produced three NCAA all-around champions, eight NCAA even champions, 18 All-Americans who own a combined 55 honors and set a program record 22 years consecutively placing in the Top 3.

Under Avery, the Buckeyes have never finished out of the Top 3 at the Big Ten championships. And the list goes on.

"Coach Avery is remarkable," said Behles. "He's a fairly quiet guy in the gym, but he knows what he's talking about. Already, Miles has helped me a lot. All of these coaches (assistant Doug Stibel and assistant Dmitri Bilozertchev) make us better athletes and better teammates."

Both Avery and Stibel were in attendance the day Behles broke his femur while competing.

"The first thing Miles and Doug said to us when Mike went down was, 'Take care of Michael, this changes nothing for Ohio State,' " Mike's mother, Cindy Behles, recalled. It was such a relief to hear those words."

For Cindy and her husband Rich, seeing Michael at Ohio State is a dream come true.

After all, he's come along way from his childhood stomping grounds.

"Mike used to climb my door jams at home and was always jumping on the couches," Cindy said. "We decided we had to get him into the gym to work this energy out."

Considering Rich Behles was a hockey player and Cindy was a figure skater, the two figured he might take an interest on the ice.

"We tried hockey and we tried T-ball and soccer, but Mike didn't seem impressed," she explained. "Then one day, he simply asked to go back to the gym. That's where it all started."

Now the question is, where will it end?

For Behles, it is a day-to-day process.

"The way I approach my gymnastics and the way I think about it has changed since coming here," he explained. "It's not quantity, it's quality. This is a new way of thinking entirely. Everybody here wants to achieve the same goal, and that makes it a better atmosphere to compete in."

Listed as an all-around competitor, if he had to choose, Behles would say that his favorite event is the rings.

"I like the strength involved and the power you need and have in an event like the rings," he said. "It is a key event in gymnastics which makes it a greater challenge. You really have to push yourself."

Those who know him best will tell you that when it comes to that push, Behles excels.

"Mike is a phenomenal worker," said McKee. "He has goals for himself and he has always done what it takes to achieve those goals. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he is going to do an amazing job for Ohio State. He is definitely going to be a big part of that team."

As Behles prepares himself for the 2008-09 campaign at Ohio State, the proof is in the pudding.

"Mike was bound and determined to do this, and there is nothing we wouldn't do to support him," said Cindy Behles. "This is where he wanted to be, and he did what he had to do to get here. This is his accomplishment."

In Behles' mind, the best is yet to come.

"I'm very much looking forward to competing here and seeing what I can bring to this team," Behles said. "I am surrounded by very talented athletes who are all here to showcase that talent, and it is going to make me a better athlete and a better person all around."

Considering that Ohio State men's gymnastics and Olympic Men's Gymnastics can and have often been used synonymously, does Behles foresee the possibility of hopping onto two rings for the blue, yellow, black, green and red ones in the future?

"I'm taking the sport day by day and thinking about my team," said Behles. "We will see how I progress, and should it ever go further, it would be amazing. Right now, it is about the team, and what I can do for the team. "

For his parents and his siblings, older brother Rich and younger sister Amanda, he is already an inspiration.

"Ohio State has been icing on the cake," Cindy said. "Mike is happy and that is all we ever wanted for him. At this level, he is among the best of the best and we are all very proud of him. "We won't miss a meet."