Many of the athletes growing up in Oklahoma dream of becoming Sooners, but most will never make it on an OU roster.

A few do.

Sophomore gymnasts Madison Mooring and Hayden Ward are the only home-grown Sooners on OU’s roster this season. Though both entertained the idea of going somewhere else for college, they said they ended up where they really wanted to be.

“I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else,” said Mooring, who is from Sallisaw. “I always loved Oklahoma. It was my first choice.”

She also was recruited by Nebraska and visited the campus, but she said it didn’t feel right and she couldn’t escape the idea of being a Sooner.

“It was really cool to think that I could be [an OU gymnast],” she said.

Ward is a truly hometown athlete because she grew up in Norman.

Though being immersed in a school as much as Normanites are in OU can drive some people away, she said something about the university was stuck in her mind, telling her it was where she wanted to be.

“I grew up around Oklahoma gymnastics,” she said. “It was always my dream to be part of the women’s team.”

Although staying close to home can be a burden for some college students who just want to escape, OU coach K.J. Kindler said it can be a real benefit for gymnasts who go to in-state colleges.

“Their high school friends get the opportunity to see what they’ve been doing their whole lives,” Kindler said. “A lot of their friends probably have no idea what they’ve been putting their time into.”

Gymnasts train in club programs, so most of the time and effort they put into being gymnasts isn’t as visible as other high school athletes. But once gymnasts reach the college level, things are different.

“For [Mooring and Ward] to have the opportunity to have friends see them in the spotlight, I think, is very special,” Kindler said.

The pair said they feel the fans — especially young girls — are drawn to them a little more because they're Oklahomans.

"It's a big thing for them with us being from Oklahoma," Ward said.

In a way, they are proof to local kids who aspire to be college gymnasts that Okies can make it. Mooring and Ward are examples to kids about the rewards of working hard and pushing toward their dreams.

"It’s very important for us to have some hometown athletes," Kindler said.

The pair have another chance to be examples for Oklahoma kids this weekend. The Sooners face Iowa State and Southeast Missouri State at 7 p.m. Friday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City for the Perfect 10 Challenge, one of the marquee events of a health festival started by Bart Connor.

The former Sooner men's gymnast and Olympic gold medalist began the festival with his wife and fellow Olympian, Nadia Comaneci, to promote healthy lifestyles and gymnastics in Oklahoma.

“Our team definitely stands for being healthy,” Kindler said. “It’s something, I think, our athletes have lived their lives doing, and it’s something they would like to pass down to children. They want to be role models for children, to show them the right path and how to make good decisions to lead a healthy lifestyle.”