Born in Tallahassee on February 6, 1982 and raised in Columbia, Maryland, gymnast Elise Ray spent five years on the U.S. National Team. She began gymnastics at the age of six, and just after graduating from Wilde Lake High School joined her teammates in fourth place at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The next fall she became a freshman at the University of Michigan. When not in training, Ray collects picture frames and hopes to become a veterinarian; her favorite actor is John Travolta and favorite band is the Dixie Chicks.