Jana and Andrea Bieger at the 2006 World Championships

Her mother, Andrea, an Olympic gymnast competing for West Germany. Andrea is also Bieger’s gymnastics coach.

“It’s great because she knows me the best out of anybody,” Bieger said. “I can tell her anything, but most of the time, if there’s something wrong, she knows what’s going on before I even tell her. We just have a great connection.”

Living up to her mother’s reputation isn’t as difficult as many would think, Bieger said.

“(My mother) made it to three Olympics, and that’s a great achievement, but I can’t really focus on that,” Bieger said.

While many high school seniors are preparing to graduate, Bieger, who is home-schooled, is trying to get healthy—she injured her foot at the 2007 American Cup in February—and is preparing for the 2007 World Championships.

And qualifying for the World Championships isn’t easy, Bieger said. The top two finishers at the 2007 National Championships automatically qualify for the 2007 World Championships. The remaining five gymnasts are chosen from the participants of the National Championsips based on team need and results from international competitions.

“The Olympics is my dream, but I have to get healthy and make the 2007 World Championship Team before I can do that. The World Team is what I’m focused on right now,” Bieger said.

Bieger, who first competed when she was six, said her love of the sport keeps her motivated through injuries and hard times. There is little she dislikes about the sport, she said.

“I don’t have a least favorite event. I enjoy all of them pretty much equally,” Bieger said. “I think if I had to choose one it would be beam or floor, but I love them all.”

Beiger, who moved to the United States when she was seven, attributes her love of the sport to one thing: she was never pressured into competing in the sport by anyone.

“In Germany I was always playing around in the gym, and I started doing it on my own,” she said. “When I came over here, I started taking classes and getting serious about it.”

The lack of pressure and support from her family helps her success, she said.

“My dad always tells me that no matter what happens, everything happens for a reason,” Bieger said. “He always supports me no matter if I’m last place or first place. And my mom, she’s proud of me whether I make the Olympics like her or not.”