Joscelyn Roberson, a 21-year-old American gymnast, is making waves in the world of competitive gymnastics. With her unique blend of physical attributes, technical skills, and mental fortitude, she has quickly become one of the most promising talents in the sport.
Physique Perfected for Gymnastics
Standing at approximately 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm) tall and weighing around 120 lbs (54 kg), Jocelyn’s stature is well-suited to the demands of gymnastics.
This perfect storm of physical attributes shines through in Joscelyn’s routines:
- Vault: Roberson’s explosive power is on full display in her Amanar vault, where she showcases a roundoff back handspring entry and 2.5 twists, scoring a massive 15.4 for execution.
- Uneven Bars: Joscelyn’s command of challenging releases like the Komova II and Tweddle demonstrate her impeccable timing and air sense, skills honed by her optimal build.
- Balance Beam: At the 2023 U.S. Championships, Roberson wowed with a triple wolf turn on beam, a testament to her core control and precision.
- Floor Exercise: In her signature floor routine set to a Beyoncé melody, Joscelyn opens with a sky-high double-twisting double layout, followed by a front layout to Rudi and a double pike, electrifying the crowd with her unmatched power and grace.
Prodigious Talent from a Young Age
Jocelyn’s gymnastic gifts were evident from an early age. She began lessons at just 3 years old and was competing by age 6. As she progressed rapidly through the junior ranks, her trophy case began to fill:
- 2017 U.S. Junior National All-Around Champion
- 2018 Pacific Rim Championships Junior All-Around Gold Medalist
- 2018 Junior Pan American Championships Team, All-Around, and Floor Exercise Gold Medalist
Since moving up to the senior level, Jocelyn has continued to impress. has quickly established herself as a formidable competitor on the international gymnastics stage. Here are some of her most notable achievements:
- Cairo World Cup 2023: Roberson won three medals, including two golds, making a strong statement about her potential as an international contender. Her performances were particularly noteworthy on the vault and floor exercise.
- Pan American Championships 2023: At this prestigious event, Roberson was a key member of the U.S. team that took home the gold medal. Individually, she excelled as well, adding to her growing collection of medals on the international circuit.
- DTB Pokal Team Challenge: Roberson helped lead Team USA to victory in this German competition, securing another team gold. Her performance in the all-around and on individual apparatuses like vault and floor helped solidify her status as a rising star.
- U.S. National Championships: Domestically, Roberson has been a consistent performer at the U.S. National Championships, regularly placing among the top competitors in events like the vault and floor exercise.
Signature Style and Skills
What sets Joscelyn Roberson apart isn’t just her physical gifts, but how she translates those gifts into gymnastic artistry. Her routines are a masterclass in melding power, precision, and performance:
Vault
Roberson’s Amanar vault is the crown jewel of her apparatus arsenal. With a 6.0 difficulty score and near-flawless execution, it’s a vault that rivals even Simone Biles’ legendary performances.
Joscelyn’s block off the vaulting table is textbook, generating incredible height and distance. Her air sense is impeccable as she tucks tightly for 2.5 controlled twists, before opening up and sticking the landing with just a small hop. This vault alone often seals her all-around victories.
Key aspects of Roberson’s Amanar:
- Exceptional block strength, allowing for maximum height
- Perfect body positioning throughout the twist
- Consistent landing control, minimizing deductions
Floor Exercise
Roberson’s floor routines are a spectacle of tumbling might and artistic flair. Her opening double-twisting double layout is stratospheric, showcasing her raw power and placing her in an elite group of gymnasts capable of this skill.
But it’s in the small moments – a perfectly arched back during a leap, a coy smile during a saucy dance passage, a defiant fist pump after nailing a tumbling pass – where Joscelyn truly shines.
She has a rare gift for blending explosive acrobatics with expressive choreography, creating routines that are as emotionally stirring as they are athletically jaw-dropping.
Highlights of Roberson’s floor routine:
- Powerful tumbling passes, including the double-twisting double layout
- Seamless transitions between acrobatic elements and dance
- Expressive performance quality that engages the audience
- Innovative choreography that showcases her personality
Uneven Bars
While the uneven bars have historically been Roberson’s least consistent apparatus, recent upgrades have transformed her bar routine into a force to be reckoned with.
At the 2023 U.S. Classic, she unveiled a new bars set that includes a Komova II transition (Stalder Shaposhnikova with 1/2 turn to mixed grip) directly connected to a Tweddle (Shaposhnikova to immediate Stalder Shaposhnikova).
This high-flying combination showcases Joscelyn’s increased comfort with release moves and positions her as a legitimate bars medal threat.
Key improvements in Roberson’s bar routine:
- Increased difficulty through complex transition elements
- Improved execution and consistency
- Enhanced flow and rhythm between skills
- Strategic composition to maximize scoring potential
Balance Beam
Roberson’s beam routine is a study in precision and poise. She opens with a unique press to planche mount, immediately showcasing her strength and control.
Her series is as solid as they come: back handspring, back handspring, full-twisting layout step-out, landed with just a slight balance check. Her triple wolf turn is a thing of beauty, a testament to her impeccable air sense and core strength.
Joscelyn navigates the 4-inch wide apparatus with the confidence of a seasoned vet, proving that big things can indeed come in small packages.
Standout elements of Roberson’s beam performance:
- Innovative mount that sets her apart from competitors
- Complex acrobatic series executed with minimal wobbles
- Impressive turn elements demonstrating exceptional balance
- Confident demeanor throughout the routine, minimizing mental deductions
Roberson’s ability to excel across all four apparatuses, each with its unique demands, showcases her versatility as a gymnast.
Battling the Twisties
Roberson’s gymnastics journey hasn’t been without challenges. Like many elite gymnasts, she has battled the dreaded “twisties” – a mental block that causes spatial disorientation during twisting elements, often described as a gymnast’s worst nightmare.
For Joscelyn, this manifested most prominently on floor exercise, where her double layout – a skill she had previously executed with confidence – became an anxiety-inducing nemesis. The once-routine movement suddenly felt foreign, with Roberson losing her sense of position mid-air. This not only affected her performance but also posed significant safety risks.
But Roberson’s response to this challenge exemplifies her determination and resilience. Through dedicated work with a sports psychologist, she developed some mental strategies:
- Visualization techniques to reinforce proper body awareness
- Breathing exercises to manage competition anxiety
- Positive self-talk to combat doubt and fear
Her coach also implemented a methodical approach to rebuilding Roberson’s confidence:
- Breaking down the problematic skill into manageable components
- Utilizing spotting techniques and safety harnesses during practice
- Gradually increasing difficulty as Roberson’s comfort level improved
Joscelyn’s experience with the twisties has had a profound impact on her approach to gymnastics as a whole. Her mental fortitude is now as much a signature skill as any physical feat.
The Road Ahead
The road ahead for Joscelyn Roberson is full of promise and opportunity. With her talent, determination, and passion, she’s well-equipped to face the challenges and successes that lie ahead in her gymnastics career. As she continues to grow and evolve, both as an athlete and an advocate, the future looks bright for this rising star.