Haley Imel

Graduating a year-and-a-half early from high school with honors…starting her own business while still in high school  …winning enough competitions to pay for her first two years of college…Haley Imel is a model of success.

Imel, a cheerleader and dance marvel, finds her self-motivated, competitive spirit pays off.  Haley made the cheerleading squad at the University of Louisville. Then she tried out for the dance team, and made that too. Both are tough tryouts, but since she is leaning toward a profession in dance and choreography she decided to focus on dance.

"She has an inner drive," said her mom, Lynda.  "She was born with it."

Haley began cheering in kindergarten and was an "all star" by the fourth grade.  That involved a lot of travel and time away from home, but it all paid off.

Haley has her own cheerleading/dance instruction and choreography business. She appreciates that the younger athletes look up to her and respect her. She is described as a quiet person, but once she begins her routine, "a button clicks and she becomes a super performer," Lynda said.

The discipline and hard work involved in sports has spilled over into the rest of Haley’s life. She graduated from Norwell High school in Ossian, Indiana, with a 3.5 GPA at just 16 years of age. The Indiana native lives in Bluffton, a small farming community.  Her first two years at the University of Louisville have been paid for with scholarships won in competitions, including a record three Columbus Rotary Scholarships won at the Arnold Sports Festival. 

At the 2009 Arnold Sports Festival, she scored first in cheering and was second in the dance. Brian Hallam, director of the Arnold Cheerleading and Dance Competition, said that any athlete who excels above their peers has quantifiable statistics involved in their success.  Other measures are mental.

"Haley has the ability to filter out all the external distractions that might keep her from achieving her true potential," Hallam said. "Genetics and natural ability are definitely a factor in her success, but what is in her heart may be the difference. Her work ethic and drive to be the best coupled with her physically gifted athleticism puts her in a very elite class."
 
Because of her age, Haley is eligible to compete at the Arnold Sports Festival for two more years.  She loves the Columbus competition because the athletes are treated so well.  She also enjoyed meeting Arnold and getting a behind-the-scenes tour of some of the other Weekend events.

If it works into her busy schedule Haley would love to "be back."