Emma Rochleau’s favorite place to be is in the air.

Watching her soar through the air above the trampoline, one would never know that when she was adopted from China at 13 months old, she weighed 12 pounds.

At that time, pediatricians told adoptive mother Rhonda Rochleau that the little girl was developmentally delayed in both fine and gross motor skills and significantly malnourished.

Emma Rochleau, now 10, has come a long way since then.

In 2010, the Maple Valley resident became the first and only gymnast in Washington state to be selected for the USA Gymnastics National Jump Start Team, a program that identifies and trains talented 7-12 year olds in the sport of tumbling and trampoline. This program also serves as a fast track for athletes who hope to compete at the international level in the future.

She  was selected for the National Jump Start Team again this year, along with one other gymnast from Washington. Emma will perform in an exhibition with the Jump Start team during the tumbling and trampoline nationals in San Antonio, Texas in July.

Soon after her adoption and arrival in the US, Emma started physical therapy. With hard

work and good nutrition, she caught up to her peers within months. In fact, her motor skills

improved so much that when Rhonda Rochleau caught her diving headfirst off of the couch, she enrolled the toddler in classes at Summit Gymnastics in Maple Valley.

Emma has been bouncing, tumbling and flipping ever since. She now competes in her age group for the Summit Gymnastics Tumbling and Trampoline Team, a sport that includes

three events: power tumbling, double-mini and trampoline.

“Emma loved gymnastics from the beginning,” Rhonda Rochleau said. “In fact, when she was little and acted up, the threat of missing a practice was enough motivation to make her behave.”

Debbie Johnson, Summit Gymnastics coach and gym owner, noticed Emma right away.

“Emma had so much raw talent it wasn’t even funny. She was just ferocious,” Johnson said. “She would try anything. She was fearless.”

International competition trampolines are powerful. Elite athletes can reach heights of up to 30 feet — and then they perform multiple flips and twists in the air.

Being selected for the National Jump Start team is a good step for a gymnast who hopes to compete internationally.

Emma and her coach, Kelly Israel, participated in the annual Jump Start Training Camp last year and this year.

This training camp is held at a U.S. Olympic Training Center located at legendary gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi’s ranch in Texas. At the camp, both athlete and coach were instructed in proper training techniques by U.S. Olympics coaches.

“I got to train with national coaches and meet Bela Karolyi—it was pretty awesome,” Emma said.

After the training camp, National Jump Start Team gymnasts go on to give exhibitions at state, regional and national championships.

A year ago during the Junior Olympic Tumbling and Trampoline National Championships, Emma participated in an exhibition during the grand march, where she performed in front of thousands of people.

A former competitive gymnast herself, Israel has been coaching gymnastics for twenty years and has coached Emma for the last five.

“Emma is a very bright and talented athlete,” Israel said. “She’s also starting to set goals and is figuring out how to reach those goals. She’s turning into a very focused athlete.”

Emma is definitely focused.

Rhonda Rochleau related a story about a moment during the 2011 Jump Start camp during which the athletes were asked to step forward onto a stage of mats in front of coaches and teammates and state their goals.

“Many gymnasts described a gymnastics skill. Emma said that her goal was to compete in the Olympics,” Rhonda Rochleau said.

Gymnasts must be at least 18 years old to try for the U.S. Olympic Trampoline team, so, Emma won’t be eligible until 2020.

But aiming high isn’t anything new for Emma.