Needham gymnast Alexandra Raisman, 17, is a contender for a spot on the US Olympic team this year.

''I see Aly as one of the important components of the Olympic team if everything continues to go in the same direction," said national team coordinator Martha Karolyi.

Raisman is completing her senior year at Needham High online because of her aggressive training schedule. ''I'm still going to go to the prom and graduation,'' she said, ''so I kind of get the best of both worlds.''

Raisman, an endorser for Ralph Lauren, has already declared herself a pro and is not eligible for a college gymnastics scholarship. "Not a lot of people get the opportunity to be a professional gymnast and be able to have sponsors,” she said. “I love fashion, so it's cool to be sponsored” by Ralph Lauren.

Raisman has a busy upcoming schedule, including the American Cup in Madison Square Garden on March 3, the Pacific Rim championships in Everett, Wash., two weeks later, the nationals in St. Louis in early June, and then the Olympic trials.

With her schedule, Raisman has little time to see her friends in Needham. ''Everyone makes more of an effort to see me because I don't go to school," she said. "People text me, and it's nice having them be so supportive.''

Raisman says the potential for competing in the Olympics motivates her. ''Every day I do think about it when I'm in the gym,'' Raisman said. ''When I think I can't do it any more, I think about the Olympics and just push myself to keep moving forward.''

But Raisman knows a spot is not certain. ''It's going to be a really big challenge because there are so many newcomers and so many of the girls from the 2008 Olympics,'' Raisman said. ''It's going to be a fight to get on that team, but whoever is on it, it's going to be an amazing team.''