Mon Henglin, age 11, of Newton, MA, has been named to USA Gymnastics’ 2006 Future Stars National Gymnastics Team, which was selected based on performances at the 2006 Future Stars National Championships at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“For Mon to qualify for the Future Stars National Developmental Team is an incredible accomplishment because it means that he is one of the country’s top athletes in his age group,” said Levon Karakhanyan, who coaches Henglin. “He is a dedicated, hard-working gymnast, and all of that hard work paid off.”

Henglin, who attends Oak Hill Middle School and is in the 6th grade, recently returned from the Future Stars National Championships.

Celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2006, the Future Stars National Championships features the best 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds in the United States who perform special Future Stars competitive routines. Gymnasts must obtain a predetermined qualifying score at the regional level in order to compete in the National Championships. Based on the results at the championships, USA Gymnastics identifies the Future Stars Developmental Team, which includes the top 18 gymnasts in both the 10 and 11 year old divisions and 14 gymnastics in the 12 year old division.

The Future Stars program uses a special competitive routine format to evaluate the skill, strength and flexibility development of the athlete. These routines are progressive, developmental and educational in nature. The intent is to identify talented athletes and to get them started on the right developmental path to national and international success. The Future Stars program and routines are also designed to enhance and be complimentary to the age group competition program.

The Future Stars National Championship is the cornerstone of the Future Stars program, USA Gymnastics' talent identification program for men's gymnastics that focuses on education and preparation for the future. Participant athletes begin with a regional evaluation. Qualified athletes progress to the Future Stars National Championships, held in conjunction with the Men's National Coaches Workshop. The National Coaches Workshop provides the opportunity for hands-on development sessions with the athletes and educational sessions for both coaches and parents. This "team" approach of working with athletes, coaches and parents provides positive information to assist the athlete's proper development and future success. Through the workshop, the participants hear presentations from some of the country's best coaches and specialists in the sports science field.

Men's gymnastics has had a talent identification program since the late 1970s. In 1996 the talent identification and development program, then called the Olympic Development Program, was reorganized and changed to the Future Stars Program. The goal of the Future Stars Program is to identify talented athletes, their coaches and clubs and to provide them with educational and training support. The first year the Future Stars program targeted the 10-11 year-old age group; in 1997 a 12-year-old age group was added; and in 1998 an 8-9 year-old division was included.