Legacy: To have your name on the minds and lips of folks for generations to come. Many people want to create a legacy – few people are able to actually achieve it. One way to accomplish it is to have something timeless named after you. Teddy Roosevelt and the Teddy bear, Rubik and his famous cube, even Sir John Harrington with his early model of the flushing toilet. At this year’s Olympics, most observers will be introduced to a legacy with a local connection.
Jade Carey is a 24 year-old gymnast who will be a senior at Oregon State University this fall. Before she returns to the Corvallis campus in September, she will be representing the United States as a member of an experienced U.S. Womens Gymnastics team. Simone Biles, her much more well-known teammate, is entering her third Olympics. Carey and two others, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, will be headed to their second summer games. Hezly Rivera is the lone Olympic newcomer on the team.
Carey has been carving out her own reputation for the past few years. She won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and is looking to add more medals this summer. Prior to her Olympic experience, Carey had much success at the Junior Olympic level.
In a national competition in 2016 she completed a vault maneuver and was subsequently honored by having the move named after her when scoring all future junior tournaments. Offically named ‘The Carey’, this legacy building maneuver is an intense double flip with a twist off the vault.
Look for it this summer but she is more focused on doing whatever it takes to bring home more medals for the United States. Noted Carey, “Winning team gold would mean a lot to us girls who do make the team.”
Carey, a Phoenix native, enrolled at OSU in the fall after the Tokyo games. She felt very welcomed by the team and the whole campus there. “From the minute I stepped on campus and met the gymnastics coaches, I felt connected and cared for,” Carey said in an interview with OSU’s Athletic Communications (osubeavers.com).
Carey revealed in a recent interview with Elle that after several years of success in the gym, her return to the prestigious tournament in Paris follows “probably my worst year in elite gymnastics ever” (osu.beavers.com), referring to her relatively poor performance at the National Championships’ all-around event in 2023, where she ranked 15th place.
Carey has worked hard to build her legacy and she is not finished yet. With over 350,000 followers on Instagram, Carey looks to increase her loyal following in Oregon and throughout the USA.
Her Name Image Likeness (NIL) opportunities are by far the most lucrative of any Oregon State athlete. Signing with Amazon Fashion, Reebok and OZONE Leotards have only helped her brand (on3.com)
Carey isn’t sure what her plans are for after completing her Bachelor’s degree in Digital Communications Arts from OSU, but she knows that first she has some unfinished Olympic business.
Look for her to compete in the individual and team gymnastics events together with her fellow experienced Team USA members: Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Olympic newcomer Hezly Rivera. beginning on Sunday, July 28.
Carey will be the unmistakable 5’2”, pony-tailed blonde young women completing incredible gymnastic feats with elite skill and grace.
Self-described Carey groupie, Traci Wheeler, from Beaverton, has traveled the country over the past few years, rarely missing an event in which Carey is participating.
Wheeler says, “She (Carey) did all of Beaver Nation so proud at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She is strong, consistent, talented and one bad-a**. Now she’s going to Paris!”
Join Wheeler and so many others, including myself, in supporting Jade as she strives to add to her legacy and the legacy of US Women’s Gymnastics in Paris beginning on Sunday. Go Team OSU! Go Team Jade! GO TEAM USA!
