Round trips from England to America aren't cheap, and they definitely aren't short. But time and money aren't a factor for Lyndy and Steve Cuff, especially when it comes to seeing their daughter, Gemma Cuff, perform as a member of the Penn State women's gymnastics team.

The Cuffs attended the Lions home meet against Massachusetts Friday night — the first they have been to this year. In a typical season the Cuffs attend two meets, but this year is special — it is Gemma Cuff's senior year, so they will be attending three.

Gymnastics has been a part of the Cuff household for a very long time. Gemma Cuff has been involved in it herself since she was six, and competing since she was seven.

"I was hyperactive when I was younger and my parents were fed up with me breaking everything in the house, so I joined a gym club," Gemma Cuff said in the 2001 Penn State Gymnastics' media guide.

And that hyperactivity has paid off.

She currently holds the school record on vault, scoring a 9.950 against West Virginia and Arizona in February 1998 and repeated that score again against Stanford in March 2000.

And with her parents in the stands Friday, Gemma Cuff showed them how her hard work at practice continues to pay off in competition.

Cuff scored a 9.975 on floor, which ties her for second place in the Penn State record books on the event and sets a new career best for the gymnast.

"Floor was definitely a gift," Cuff said. "I've been wanting to get a high score on floor for a long time. I was pleased. I managed to earn my spot and I worked to be last up."

Despite not competing in the all-around, the Nittany Lion co-captain earned high scores on the other two events she competed on. She scored a 9.925 on vault, placing first in the event, and a 9.775 on beam, after taking a step on her dismount.

"We sat right in front of the beam," Lyndy Cuff said. "When she was younger, I used to have to go out when she competed. Dad's the calm, cool one."

But as Steve Cuff says, after 15 years it's not as nerve-racking anymore.

"We're just so thrilled she's stayed motivated all these years," Lyndy Cuff said.

As for the gymnast herself, Gemma Cuff likes it when her parents get to watch her do what she does best.

"It makes me better," Gemma Cuff said. "I know they are there and they are watching."

Gemma Cuff's last season as a Nittany Lion is more than halfway over and with that, Lyndy and Steve Cuff's trips to America begin to get fewer and fewer.

But with the end of this chapter, a new one will begin. Gemma Cuff has her eye on a job in the medical profession after she graduates.

The memories created at Penn State however won't soon be forgotten. After all, they can't be. Gemma Cuff has made sure of that.

Her high scores remain in the back of the media guide reminding everyone who looks at them who the best gymnasts in Penn State history really are — Gemma Cuff's name appears more than once.