When she was very young, Montana Muller had already decided that she didn’t want to play the usual sports. She wanted to try something out of the ordinary.

At age 5, she began to venture into the world of gymnastics. Nearly 10 years later. Muller has never looked back.

The Catasauqua freshman has developed to where she has been a regular state and state regional area qualifier among the top-10 performers in her categories over the past few years.

It’s easy to see how it has been a perfect fit.

“I think that it clicked for me right away,” recalled Muller about her beginning in the sport. “I was pretty flexible back then and I really liked the coaches I had when I started.

“This was something that a lot of people weren’t doing and I wanted to do something different. I didn’t pay much attention to everything when I was really young, but I knew I had to become more focused. It really has worked out.”

Muller began her career at the then Lehigh Valley Sports Academy, which changed names and owners to the present Force Sports Academy in Nazareth. Like any other sport, though, fundamentals and concentration were the initial keys.

“I had to get the basics down first,” noted Muller. “The more that I worked at it, the easier it became to me. As a result, I gained more and more confidence along the way.”

Muller quickly developed and became a regional qualifier at the prestigious 7, 8, 9 and 10 levels. She began this year as a returning Level 10 state and regional qualifier from Region 7, facing competitors in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington.

Over the previous two years, Muller also reached a Level 8 in the balance beam, in which she finished fifth; reached Level 9 in the floor, also finishing fifth; and also Level 9 in the all-around with a sixth-place finish, marking her highest achievements.

“It is demanding,” said Muller, who practices 24 hours a week on average. “At the meets, there are over a hundred girls there and it is pretty competitive. That’s what keeps me going. I am a very competitive person.”

Muller’s determination and drive also has helped her parlay the onset of a potentially effective cross-country career. She ran for the Roughies this past fall and was one of the team’s higher finishers on a consistent basis. It proved to be a perfect extension for the 4-foot-7, 92-pound Muller, as the gymnastics season typically begins in the winter and ends in the spring.

“Coach (Kyle) Rusnock convinced me to try and run for him,” said Muller. “I always liked to run and thought it would be good for my gymnastics. I knew it would keep me in shape and I enjoyed it. It is a sport like gymnastics where I can set goals for myself. This is something I know I’ll keep going as well for the my high school career.”

“Montana is a great athlete,” stressed Rusnock. “She really progressed for us this year. She seems to have a natural knack for the sport and was among our top girls all season.”

“Montana has a bright future in running and I know she is an outstanding gymnast. We have never let cross-country stand in her way, and I know she works hard on her own with running.”

One of her biggest supporters has been her mother, Andrea, who was a four-year letter winner for the Roughies.

“I have always run with my kids,” said her mother. “Montana and I started running this summer and it is a great feeling to see her enjoy something that I enjoy so much. It (running) gives her a nice change of pace from gymnastics.

“Running is something she can do that has a completely different mindset. But I know how competitive she is and she wants to be able to run the same time as I did in high school (an eight-minute mile. Once she gets there, she’ll want to go even lower.”

“My mom has been great,” stressed Muller. “She has really helped me along the way with running and I want to be able to run her pace. It has been a lot of fun being involved in running and cross-country.”

Muller did reach her goal when she was the Roughies’ top finisher in the District 11 meet with a time of 26.04.96 that translated to a pace of an 8.40 mile. She has managed to maintain a 99.0 and an “A” average in her classes while often juggling practices for both sports.

Her current goal is to further excel in the bars, an objective that should be reached considering the season is just underway.

Whatever the final outcome, Muller likely will be satisfied.

“I am always looking to set goals and I want to win,” she added. “This is something that I would really want to do in college. Right now, though, I really enjoy all of my coaches and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”