When Haley Mustari reflects back on her extraordinary last couple of years, two moments stand out. The first is the Oklahoma state meet in 2022, where she scored her first 10.0 on beam. The second is nationals in 2023, where she scored her fifth perfect 10.0 on bars to win both the event and the all-around title. Both moments serve as reminders of how far she’s come in the sport.
Although Mustari is primarily known for her bar work, she considers beam her favorite event. Her routine is difficult; it includes a double Wolf turn, an Onodi and a double-twist dismount. In competitions leading up to the state meet in 2022 she’d had some trouble with beam, making her perfect score an especially fulfilling moment. “When the score came up the entire venue erupted and all I could do was cry,” she recalled. “It was a very emotional moment realizing that all my hard work and dedication to this sport paid off in that moment.”
Bars is a close second favorite event for Mustari, but it doesn’t come without its challenges. The smoothness of her routine — which includes a Maloney to Pak salto and a floaty full-in dismount — is the result of years of repetition and hard work. “I love the feeling of flying and I think bars is the single event that gives you…
