Cherish McCann never needs to be nagged to finish her homework. If the homework isn't done, well, then, no gymnastics for her.

And the 13-year-old gymnast certainly requires no prodding when it comes to committing time to the sport. Her passion is reflected in the effort she puts forth in practice and the results she produces during competition.

"She's an excellent gymnast," said her coach and Fairgrounds YMCA gymnastics director Shawna Cutuli. "She works hard, she's very dedicated."

McCann, who lives on Fort Drum, started gymnastics at age 3 in Lawton, Okla. Since then, she has not only developed the necessary skills, but also the mental strength, to be competitive.

"It takes courage," McCann said. "And you have to believe that you can do it and don't give up."

As a result of her hard work and discipline, McCann has earned favorable results. She placed fourth overall in the level 5 division at the YMCA National Gymnastics Championships on June 26-28 at Sheboygan, Wis. McCann, who was 12 at the time, became the first gymnast to represent the Watertown area YMCA at nationals.

"We didn't know what kind of level of competition she would be going against," Cutuli said. "So we were very pleased and very excited that she placed in the top."

There were more than 1,300 young gymnasts, representing levels 2-10, at the meet. McCann's results included first place in the balance beam with a 9.0 score, third in the vault (9.15) and fifth in the floor event (9.0). She didn't place in the uneven parallel bars (7.95) but still produced a 35.10 overall score.

The balance beam portion of competition is McCann's favorite of the four events.

"I think it's the most challenging," she said. "The beam's only four inches across."

She considers the vault as the most difficult and the event she needs to work at the most.

"It takes a lot of power throughout your whole body, and the slightest thing you can get a point off, because if you arch your back, that's a lot of points off."

McCann placed third in the state competition, and second at the regional competition in Maine, to advance to nationals. Two others on her team also competed at regionals. Breanna Secor finished fourth in level 5, and Brenna Chisamore competed at level 7, while Watertown's level 5 placed seventh as a team, and level 7 took second place.

The results produced by the team have helped fuel more local interest in gymnastics. The size of their team has increased from 14 to 20.

"It's good for the sport because everybody sees gymnastics on a downward trend, and we see our numbers continue to increase," said Fairgrounds YMCA branch director Tammie Miller. "Something like this kind of brings attention to that, and that's the neat thing. It's still a great sport, and we're seeing success in it."

McCann has been competing on the Fairgrounds YMCA team only since January. She and her mother, Cecilia, a property book officer for the U.S. Army's 2nd Brigade, have experienced a number of relocations. Cecilia, who is originally from Geneva, has been stationed at Fort Drum since 2005, but prior to January she was deployed to Iraq for 15 months. During deployments Cherish lives with her aunt and uncle, Kelly and Richard Kennerson, in Altus, Okla. While there, she competes in a United States of America Gymnastics (USAG) league.

"We're very proud to be a part of her gymnastics growth," Miller said. "And we are fortunate to be at the center of it right now, where she's excelling so well."

McCann wouldn't have been able to compete at the national meet without a coach present, so Cecilia is grateful the YMCA funded Cutuli's trip so Cherish could perform.

"She would not have gotten the nationals opportunity if not for the YMCA's support," Cecilia McCann said.

Cherish McCann is attending the International Gymnastics Camp this week in Stroudsburg, Pa. While she's away, Cecilia will be recording the Olympic gymnastics coverage, so they can watch it when Cherish returns. Cherish expects watching the Olympic competition may help her own performances.

"It'll motivate me, and I can get some tips from it," Cherish said.

McCann has advanced to level 6 this summer, so her immediate goals are to meet the higher expectations.

"Because she did so well at the nationals, Shawna has moved her to the next level, and so day-to-day she's just trying to complete a new task," Cecilia McCann said.