Michala Stanley won an All Around silver medal on March 28 at the state gymnastics finals in Winston-Salem.

Stanley, an eighth grader at Southeastern Middle School, trains 20 hours a week at Salem Gymnastics in Winston-Salem, has been in gymnastics since age 5 and started competing at age 8.

She is on the optional team, which is levels 7, 8, 9 and 10. The higher the level, the riskier the skills. At this level, most gymnasts are looking to compete at the college level or go on to the elite (11,12,13,14,15). Olympians are a level 15.

Each year the USA Gymnastics State meet is held for each level. This year the Optional team USA Gymnastics State meet was hosted by Salem Gymnastics in Winston Salem.

All the gymnasts from all of the gyms in North Carolina who qualify to compete in the state meet were at the event. Stanley won the silver medal for All-around), scoring a 36.700 total for level 7 Senior B Division. She scored 9.150 on vault, 8.900 on the parallel bars, 9.325 on the balance beam, and 9.325 on the floor routine.

She competed against 15 girls in her division and this is Stanley’s second year winning a silver medal in the All Around.

Stanley has competed at Orlando, Fla., Virginia Beach, Va., and Gatlinburg, Tenn.