Favorite Routines of the Quad: Floor

Laurie Hernandez 2013 P&Gs Day 2

Remember when they didn't choreograph facial expressions into Laurie's routines and just let it come naturally? Remember when this was the routine everyone was talking about? Ah, good times.

Louise McColgan 2013 National Championships

This has to be some of the most creative choreography I've seen. It was wonderfully fun and playful for a little espoir gymnast, but it was still mature and unique. I could watch this routine every day and not grow tired of it.

Giulia Steingruber 2014 Europeans EF

Giulia's leaps are just works of art. She flies on them unlike anyone else. I just love the intensity of this routine.

Catherine Lyons 2014 Europeans EF

The modern dance masterpiece. She had any number of strong performances of this routine, but the way she got up from the floor before her third tumbling pass in this one really made this one stand out to me. This routine just flows so effortlessly, it doesn't have that separation of skills and performance you so often see.

Yesenia Ferrera 2014 Pan Am Championships EF

The tumbling in this routine was fab. It's a shame she disappeared the way she did, she was a brilliant gymnast. The choreography in this routine isn't super complex, but it was super enjoyable all the same.

Ruby Harrold 2014 Worlds Qualifications

I love the avant garde style of this routine. Ruby just works so well with the percussive music. I also really like the selection of tumbling- it has all the different styles of skills I like to see. It's just such a unique routine performed so well.

Celine van Gerner 2015 WOGA Classic

My favorite Dutch routine of the quad. It's just such a powerful music and presentation. I love the bit after her double L spin, it's just so well done. The tension in this routine is just fabulous.

Ellie Black 2015 Pan Ams EF

When it comes to gymnastics, one of the things I am most thankful for is Ellie Black's wonderfully unique and original tumbling. I'm also a sucker for combination tumbling passes, and so all of Ellie's tumbling passes being combinations is just like Christmas for me. Her choreography is also just so well done and beautiful.

Kyla Ross 2015 Jesolo PT

Yes, it's a cop out to use a podium training routine. But in this case, can you really blame me? It's just so beautiful, and after her crazy issue in competition, she never did it like this again...

Lisa Verschueren 2015 European Games EF

This routine is everything I never knew I needed. It's just so off-the-wall. I love Belgium on floor, their MO seems to be "let's win the prize for kookiness" and I can't get enough.

Giulia Steingruber 2015 Europeans EF

As always with Giulia, the tumbling and leaps are beautiful. This is just such a great modern routine, and her performance is so effortless. It's just so watchable.

Claudia Fragapane 2015 Europeans EF

I like out-of-the-box routines, in case you can't tell. Her choreography is just so different and cool. Her tumbling isn't pristine, but you can't deny it's exciting. Her DLO to wolf should by rights be hideous, but somehow I end up loving that connection. And that back spin to finish!

Bailie Key 2015 Secret Classic

This did not seem to be a terribly popular choreography, but this is my favorite floor routine of the quad. I like the swimming part! I don't know, maybe it's just Bailie's lack of expression, but she seems almost to be mocking the audience, and maybe I'm just weird, but I love when routines do that. And the tumbling's not shabby either. It was just such a different direction to go with Bailie, and I love it!

Marine Brevet, 2015 Worlds Qualification

First of all, "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" is one of my favorite floor music selections. Add to that a lovely DLO, great passionate choreography, and that ending pose, and bam, this routine is amazing.

Favorite Routines of the Quad: Beam

Anastasia Grishina 2013 Europeans AA

Remember when Grishy was looking like a star of the quad? Those were the days. The jaw-dropping moment of this is the lovely Onodi+illusion. This is just a gorgeous and lovely steady routine.

Norah Flatley 2014 Pac Rims EF

Norah Flatley on beam is just an otherworldly experience. She just looks so unhurried. She had two beautiful acro series, and her arabesque is such a beautiful touch.

Eythora Thorsdottir Hamburg 2014

A very weak dismount because she was coming back from injury, but this was a lovely elegant routine with so many unique combinations. Eythora just shows so much of the originality missing from beam recently in this routine. I just eat up her dance+acro combinations.

Kyla Ross 2015 P&Gs Day 2

Kyla Ross angry beam is basically all you need in life.

Pauline Schaefer 2015 DM EF

Pauline is such a gorgeous beam worker, and I love her original choreography. She has her lovely original mount and incredible original acro skill in this routine. I also love her dismount- it's been abused this quad, but when performed like this, it's magical. There's nothing out of place in this routine, and I just love it.

Maile O'Keefe 2016 P&Gs Day 1

Beam extraordinaire Maile O'Keefe. She's got the legendary Dudnik acro series and a layout series just to top things off. Her work is just so off-the-charts and steady. She will hopefully be a great addition to the arsenal in 2018.

Flavia Saraiva 2016 Anadia EF

Flavia is just so delightful. Beam is my favorite event of hers, especially when she hits like this. This routine is full to bursting- she's got her double LOSO series, her roundoff+layout, and the beautiful forward series. And add to that her charming choreography from her lovely 2014-2015 floor, and it's just a completely wonderful routine.

Ragan Smith 2016 Secret Classic

The errors in the dismount were sad, but it was super exciting to see after waiting with baited breath so long. But otherwise, it was about as perfect as she can get. I love her standing full and amazing stretched layout.

Sanne Wevers 2016 Nationals

The most uniquely difficult and smooth as butter routine in existence. I could watch Sanne work beam forever.

How do you solve a problem like America?

Not because the US is in bad shape at all. Because they're just so good. How the heck is a decision supposed to come together? The US is in the enviable position of not having a bad choice. Any combination of gymnasts going to the Worlds selection camp would stroll away with the gold. Martha is not needed this year- the US could just draw names out of a hat. But of course, this is Martha we're talking about, and there will be a long series of observations and calculations before coming to a decision. Ultimately, there are two strategies most people seem to be speculating: take all the top five AAers with a sixth member who may or may not be used, or maximize total medal haul since the team gold is fairly well in the bag.

In terms of the first strategy, I don't think it makes sense to have the sixth member compete in qualifications if all five of the top AAers are brought. It just doesn't make sense to bring Gabby, Bailie, or Maggie if she weren't to compete all around in qualification, and while Aly is the gymnast whose strengths would most suit competing as a specialist in qualification (especially if the standard strategy of bringing a bar worker for the sixth member is utilized), she makes the least sense to drop from the AA lineup, in my opinion. If the accepted strategy of bringing a bars specialist happens, it would also make no sense for Gabby or Bailie to drop bars, and Maggie makes the least sense to bring if she's not going to compete AA, in my opinion. However, I would rank Aly as more important than Maggie to compete AA, and if a bars specialist is going to compete, one of those two would be the choice to drop bars. In terms of this strategy, it just makes more sense to me for the sixth member not to compete. For this strategy, the team I would pick: Simone, Aly, Gabby, Maggie, Bailie, Maddie K, alternate Mykayla Skinner. I think this is probably the most likely scenario.

However, I have more sympathy with the second strategy. The US will have a strong second AAer regardless, and with the order changing every time they compete, putting them all up in qualification still won't meant that the gymnast competing in the final is the one who would score the highest that day. The US is head and shoulders above the rest in the team, any second AAer would be likely to finish with a medal, and even make it a 1-2 finish (especially with these rumors Aliya might not compete), and so it would seem that bringing home the most medals possible would make sense as a top priority. And ultimately, why bring Maddie Kocian to Worlds just to have her not compete her bars routine, but it still wouldn't make sense to bring all the top five AAers and cut one out of the AA. To pick gymnasts for this strategy, we need to look at the "open" EF spots. On floor, Simone and Aly pretty much have the two spots on lockdown. They have their names on the beam spots as well, though I think Aly could be kicked out of her spot. On vault, there's only Simone. On bars, Gabby I think would probably be able to scrape in, but she also might not if the US puts up a bars specialist. On vault, Mykayla is the only one who could step into the second spot, and she has a nice history of scoring better on vault internationally than domestically. She also has a killer floor which likely wouldn't make the final but could be a great addition to the TF lineup. However, she did also tie with Bailie at P&Gs, so that makes her floor less of a commodity. Maddie and Ashton would both be gunning for a UB final spot and could compete for a medal, but I don't see both on the team this year. Maddie has won domestically, though I think Ashton might be more favored internationally. If she can add upgrades into her routine for camp, that might set her over Maddie. However, we know Martha likes AAers. But, there are already lots of AAers who can fill in wherever. For beam, I think Alyssa Baumann has a good shot of beating Aly, as does Kyla if she competes like she did day 2. If Kyla can get her routines together for camp (PLEASE), she could definitely have an edge for her combination of bars and beam, which Alyssa can't provide. I do think beam will be the hardest place for a specialist to make it, though.
Of course, for this strategy to go through, not all of the top five AAers can go. Aly is set for the team, I'd say. Her floor is medal-worthy, she has an Amanar, she hits for the team, I'd pick her for the second AAer, and her experience and leadership is highly valuable. The other three become more tricky. Gabby has bars (Bailie was very lucky to get the bronze with her error night two, I'd say), but she'd be a second pick everywhere else. She has proven that she can stay on beam now, but she was fairly tentative both nights. Her vault is good but she doesn't have the Amanar, and her turns that count toward her D score on floor aren't always solid. Bailie might have gotten lucky to come in third on bars, but they are strong. Her scores are comparable to Gabby's there and she could have more sway with her total AA set. Her floor can be a top routine, and her beam can be stronger than Gabby's. However, if Mykayla goes Bailie's floor would be less valuable and her beam composition (the layout especially) is dragging her down and can cause hiccups for her. And then there's Maggie. She has an Amanar, though that's the only event where she'd really be gunning for top position. However, she has good utility player advantages. Her beam especially could prove to be useful in a team final setting. Her floor also has the potential to be usable, though Bailie has the upper hand of the top AAers, and Mykayla does of the specialists. I think I'd say that Maggie makes more sense than Bailie. She has an Amanar, her bars aren't as good but they're usable, and I trust her more on beam. Bailie is stronger on floor, but if Mykayla goes, her floor wouldn't be necessary. And then there's Gabby. Somehow, it seems much easier to compare Maggie and Bailie than to trow Gabby in the mix. Her bars are strong, but I'm not sure where else she'd be used. If she'd only be used on bars in the TF, Maddie and Ashton might as well both go and have Maddie do AA in qualification. Actually, I think that might make more sense to me.

So, the team I'd pick (but which I doubt Martha will): Simone, Aly, Maggie, Maddie K, Ashton, Mykayla, Bailie/Gabby alternate (dang, what an alternate!)
VT: Maggie, Mykayla, Simone (quals: Maddie, Aly)
UB: Maggie, Maddie, Ashton (quals: Aly, Simone)
BB: Maggie, Aly, Simone (quals: Maddie, Mykayla)
FX: Mykayla, Aly, Simone (qals: Maddie, Maggie)

Six is starting to feel like an awfully small number.

What the heck was up with that floor?

Right, so I'm not even going to pretend I'm intending this post to be anything other than a USA debrief, so...

Not US

• I love Marine Brevet. That is all.
• Once again, Fasana's floor is life-giving. I'm calling it, she'll be on the all-around podium at Euros. You heard it here first.
• NO not a fall on beam!! But Ellie's floor connections are still glorious.
• And NO Enus not that crash on bars!! *Sigh* I was so excited for her to turn senior last year...
• It seems to be a trend to add jumps into the leap series now. What's the point, don't they specifically not count? Not that I'm complaining; I LOVE IT!
• Double Arabian bars dismounts!!! YAS!

And now to the meat of the matter, the US (the official team only pretty much because we saw almost nothing of Desch, Shild, and Skaggs):
The Great Simone Attacks Again!: Once again, OVER 62!!! AND 15 ON EVERY EVENT!!! No 16s this time, but two 15.950s!! She tied her vault score on floor! She qualified first into every event final! She won by over TWO-AND-A-HALF points! This competition was not at home!!! Her beam was absolutely perfect except for one tiny wobble! She almost stuck that Amanar! My response to her DLO 1/1 was "Oh, come on!" because HOW DO YOU FINISH A DLO 1/1 15 FEET OUT FROM THE CORNER?! THIS is why Simone always gets called in for extra drug testing!

I've figured out why Martha always sends a team to Jesolo: I can't think of any other competition which allows federations to totally disregard the format so much. Six-person teams! But, hey, if you want to send more, go ahead, they can compete as individuals. 6-5-4 format! But sure, put up all your gymnasts in the all around, why not? Martha basically gets to do whatever the heck she wants at Jesolo, which is precisely how she likes it.

What the heck was up with that floor?: Hey, I guess Kyla decided, If I'm going to fail, I'm going to fail EPICLY. Not just a casual fall for her, no sir, she needs to fly off of the floor and almost take out the photographer in the process. Followed up by a giant bound backwards on a double pike and a caught foot in her leap series. Seriously, who possessed Kyla before the fourth rotation, because that was NOT the Kyla Ross any of us knows. Ugh, I felt that one in my soul. A bad routine for Kyla is a bad competition for me. And the curse of strange mistakes that come out of nowhere and make no sense followed Maggie Nichols as she fell setting leap. Apparently she rolled her ankle, so that's actually pretty serious. Even Simone was not immune to the floor curse as her hand slipped on her final pose and she had to finish her routine sitting instead. At least her score wasn't drastically lower as a result. Seriously, that ended up being one of the strangest floor rotations I've ever watched.

Bailie's senior debut: *Sigh* Not as awesome as we all were expecting this time last year. Not even a single event final for her, though she did come close. Stupid injury! But, for a mediocre meet, what a meet! Easily got the silver, her lowest score was 14.400, very strong routine on her "weak" event, overall clean and precise gymnastics, just beautiful work. Her bars especially stood out to me, so clean and such an incredible improvement from last year! The Ricna+Pak is splendid! Just a bit of wonkiness on her Stalder full, but overall, it left a big impression on me. Can this meet finally push KZB to ditch the BHS+BHS+layout? It totally screwed up her beam! I'm campaigning for a BHS+LOSO+LOSO, but there are plenty of options. She also really needs to ditch her wolf turns. She's not Simone or Sarah Finnegan, those are not smooth and have form issues. Plus they messed up my favorite part of her floor!

They're BAAAACK: They being Aly and Gabby, of course. Gabby's bars were a bit disappointing (the backswing from the Chow- or was it a Moloney?- cam NO WHERE near horizontal) considering, and I'm not throwing my support behind the composition, and Aly still has wonky vault form and decent-at-best bars, but oh so strong! There were bumps in the road, but those were early-in-the-season bumps in the road, not coming-back-after-two-years bumps in the road. ALY DID THE SACRED FIRST PASS!!!! And killed floor in general, hi 15.200. I was pretty impressed with her bars. They were, well, Brestyn bars, but better Brestyn bars, methinks. Love the Moloney+Tkatchev, even though the Maloney has form breaks. I really liked the Kalinka floor, she's really found her niche in folk music. We NEED to talk about Gabby on beam! She was like a different athlete. She totally went out and just killed it without holding back. Not the easily flustered inconsistent gymnast from 2012. And that perfect standing full was LIFE-GIVING! Both had good starting-point competitions. I'd love to say they shut the haters up, and they rightfully should have, but we all know the fact they didn't end 1-2 means the haters will still be running at the mouth. Alas.

Dark horses?: Like I said, we saw almost NOTHING of Skaggs and Schild (and Desch, but she's pretty much put herself out of "dark horse" territory), but they both have that potential. I think that even though she had the bigger issues, Schild has the bigger chance of shaking up the national team. She had a good bars score and has a ton of power, so I think me just might see big things from her this summer.

Alyssa's beam: Alyssa did well for herself in this competition, but her one real standout was BEAM! She was such a diva up there, absolutely nailed it. I'm thinking she wants to connect the Onodi to the aerial, which would be divine. And I loved the Arabian!

New skills/combos: Like I said earlier, I love the Ricna+Pak for Bailie! It was so beautiful! And not a fan of the wolf turns, especially on floor. Gabby's Memmel wasn't fully rotated, but I'm absolutely down with the addition! Her inbar full was also lovely. I did get a bit bored with the Stalder skills on the low bar, and I don't really see the room for upgrading (it's only 6.3, right?) Kyla's opening bars combo was killer, though I would prefer it didn't open with the toe-on. It's just there until she gets the Bhardwaj down, that's what I'm telling myself! I still like my composition I came up with earlier but whatever. I'm definitely a fan of the double front dismount! I was getting concerns with the DLO last year, and she had a nice lack of cowboying. Definitely think it was a smart move.

New floor routines: Well, obviously Aly and Gabby both have new routines. Like I said earlier, love the Kalinka for Aly! I'm not sold on Gabby's new routine, though. The music-mashing seems kind of random as does the choreography. She was working it, though. We didn't get the best view of Kyla's routine today, but I was impressed with what I saw. It seemed to have a lot of variety and was really a mature composition. I do mourn the loss of the whip-whip, though! And still four passes, bah. I also am on board with Maggie's. Some of the moments of choreography I found a bit awkward, but in general she owns the floor and just looks like she's having SO. MUCH. FUN! I hope she's back for the domestic season, I really want to see this again without the curse of strange mistakes that come out of nowhere and make no sense.

Obscenely early and unnecessary Worlds talk: Looking at just the Jesolo scores, the three highest scores on every event were earned by just five gymnasts (or six, if we're going to count Gabby with her tie on beam), Simone, Kyla, Alyssa, Bailie, and Aly, so a potential team right there. The score they would have earned would have been over 3.5 higher than the US's team score last year. Alyssa got the third-highest vault score, which was kind of surprising to me. Just super strong and unbelievable depth.

Thinking About Kyla's Upgrades.... (and the rest of the Gym Max crew)

About a week and a half ago, Arabian Punch Front posted an awesome interview with the awesome Gym Max crew. Perhaps it's just my love for Kyla spilling into everything relating to her gymnastics, but I really like this group. Jennie and Howie are perfect and Kyla, Felicia, and Laney are the most randomly fabulous trio. But anyway, there was some talk of Kyla's upgrades (and some pretty cool ones for Felicia too) in the interview, and she's taking American Cup off to get in some good work on them, so of course I had to set to pondering what could be done with them....

Vault: She's keeping the DTY. She mentioned maybe doing the Amanar in the future, but I think we all know she's sticking with the DTY- heck, she even laughed about it when she said she might train the Amanar. My dream is for her to do a Nabstafina, but that's never going to happen....


Bars: The first goal for 2015 Kyla mentioned was making the most of her bars set, which is great to hear. If she works her routine right, it should really be a huge advantage for her. They seem do have done some restructuring,which is good because it opens some more room for connections. She's doing her full pirouette on the low bar now into her Maloney, which is a skill I thought was a great opportunity for easy CV in 2013. Also- a Bhardwaj!! *Heavenly choral noise* I really hope this makes it into her routine and replaces the bail.

Here's a composition I came up with:
Jump to high bar mount
Toe-on 1/2 (C)+Jaeger (D)
Bhardwaj (E)
Toe-on 1/1 (D)+Maloney (D)+Pak (D)+Van Leuwen (E) (+.4)
Double layout (D)
DV: 3.3 (E, E, D, D, D, D, D, C)
CV: .4
CR: 2.5
6.2

If Kyla got all her inbar skills back, this would be a 6.7 D score, and connecting the Jaeger to the Bhardwaj would add .2, so this routine maximizes at a 6.9, which would be absolutely huge for Kyla. Mounting on the high bar! This routine would switch up the composition a bit, but I think that's what Jennie and Howie are going with anyway.


Beam: Beam is a bit more difficult to puzzle out. I'm thinking Martha's really pushing Kyla for the steady, consistent spot on the team this year. The aerial+LOSO has been canned for being too big a risk. The BHS+Arabian wasn't mentioned, but I have a fleeting suspicion it's gone now too. I'd love for it to make an appearance this season, but I won't be holding my breath. She's working a Girgoras, which makes me very happy. I wonder if it's maybe a sort of national-team-assignment thing like when the Chinese gymnasts were told to do a 7/2 on a trampoline since Simone's also working one now. I'm hoping it will replace the side somi- always nice to get rid of one of those! It will be great for Kyla to have an F skill, and seeing as she can keep her eyes on the beam, Martha will probably be fully supportive of it- it seems a less inherently fall-prone skill, but I could be totally off here. I'd really like to see Kyla do a forward connection for her acro connection. A world-class beam worker really shouldn't be doing a BHS+LOSO. The only problem is her side somi and aerial are the only skills in her routine not done in connection- maybe she could do an Onodi+front aerial and cut the aerial cartwheel? Or maybe she could do a BHS+LOSO+LOSO connection. But this is all just what I want and not what we got from the interview. However, changing the composition on bars seems to be in, so maybe it will happen on beam as well? But then it said it was mostly her elite routine with back-protecting adjustments, so maybe not...

Floor: Dance skill upgrades were the only thing mentioned for Kyla here. I'm assuming she did tumbling, but it was never mentioned. I wonder whether these were turns or leaps. She tried a double L turn in 2012, so I think that would probably be a logical idea. I'd love to see a Memmel, though! I'd think the Ferrari would likely also be back in training, which would be a good re-addition. Otherwise- perhaps a Gogean and/or a switch 1/1? That's all I really think there is to be expected. Oh, she also mentioned the whip+double Arabian. I wonder if maybe a whip+whip indirect combination might make more sense than a whip direct? The BHS might make it better for her to start the Arabian? Oh, and she's getting a new floor routine!! I loved this one in 2013, but I think the additions to the choreography in 2014 stifled her a bit and I'm glad to see her do something different. I'm really interested to see what Dominic Zito comes up with! I've been hoping for a three-pass routine for her since 2013, so I will keep hoping for this in her new one until I watch the dance-through and see the placeholders for four passes.



Felicia's work sounds very interesting. I think she's definitely up for Jesolo and maybe PanAms assignments. I don't think Worlds is very realistic for her, but I won't count her out either. Twisting seems to be where she's focusing most of her upgrade energy. She's working for an Amanar, and based on her DTYs, I'd totally see it happening for her. I see it happening for her. On floor, she's working 5/2s and 3/1s to replace the 2/1, which will be a big boost to her there. Her flight connection of Ray+Pak on bars is also super exciting. We haven't seen her on bars since the disaster that was 2013 P&Gs, so that should be very interesting. I'm interested as to what the rest of her routine will be. If she backs it up with smart Stalder elements and some Shaposh transitions, she should be able to get a good D score. Ultimately, I could see Felicia surprising this year.

Laney recently uploaded this video on YouTube, and it shows some really potential for her. No bars work, but everything else is amazing. I'm really interesting to see when her elite career will happen and where she will go. After all the hate she got for starting in cheer leading, I want her to slay internationally. Love the flexibility, I really hope she can incorporate a lot of that into her work! Especially on beam! I'm really excited to see the places she'll go!

MostepanovaFan-Style Rankings After Worlds

If you aren't aware of MostepanovaFan's YouTube channel, I suggest you go check it out. Lots of wonderful informative and entertaining videos for gymfans. One of the great kinds of videos is videos with the rankings of the most successful gymnasts by various categories. The rankings are done by individual medals from Worlds and Olympics, with Olympic medals taking precedence in ties.


Top Ten Most Successful American Gymnasts
10. Kyla Ross: 3 silver, 1 bronze
9. Mary Lou Retton: 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze
8. Chellsie Memmel: 2 gold, 2 silver
7. Kim Zmeskal: 3 gold, 1 bronze
6. Rebecca Bross: 2 silver, 3 bronze
5. Shawn Johnson: 3 gold, 2 silver
4. Alicia Sacramone: 2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze
3. Simone Biles: 5 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze
2. Nastia Liukin: 4 gold, 6 silver, 1 bronze
1. Shannon Miller: 6 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze

Simone is one of the top three decorated Americans after two Worlds. Not too shabby. Kyla has also overtaken Awesome Dawesome for a spot on the list.


Top Ten Most Successful Gymnasts Ever
10. Aliya Mustafina: 3 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze
9. Elena Shushunova: 5 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze
8. Nellie Kim: 6 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze
7. Daniela Silivas: 9 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze
6. Lavinia Milosivici: 5 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze
5. Gina Gogean: 6 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze
4. Ludmilla Tourischeva: 6 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze
3. Vera Caslavska: 10 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze
2. Svetlana Khorkina; 11 gold, 7 silver, 2 bronze
1. Larissa Latynina: 12 gold, 8 silver, 4 bronze

The first gymnast to make the list since Khorkina retired. Shows just how special it is not only to have longevity but to medal in multiple finals in the age of specialists.


Top Ten Most Successful Gymnasts of the 2013-2016 Quad (so far)
9. Vanessa Ferrari: 1 silver
9. Bai Yawen: 1 silver
7. McKayla Maroney: 1 gold
7. Yao Jinnan: 1 gold
6. Hong Un Jong: 1 gold, 1 bronze
5. Huang Huidan: 1 gold, 1 silver
4. Larisa Iordache: 2 silver, 1 bronze
3. Kyla Ross: 3 silver, 1 bronze
2. Aliya Mustafina: 1 gold, 4 bronze
1. Simone Biles: 5 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze

Simone is on top, duh. The only two gymnasts who have medalled this quad so far who are not on the list are Daria Spiridinova and Mykayla Skinner, who both have one bronze.

US Worlds Team

In case you somehow have managed to miss out on the official announcement but have stumbled upon my humble little blog, the US Worlds team was named earlier this evening. The seven gymnasts named were Simone Biles, Kyla Ross, Mykayla Skinner, Alyssa Baumann, Ashton Locklear, Madison Kocian, and Madison Desch, with an alternate to be named later, with Brenna Dowell the non-traveling alternate.

Of course, there has been a bit of a collective emotional breakdown in the gymternet at the naming of Madison Desch over Brenna Dowell. And while I obviously, along with the rest of the gymternet, was pulling for Brenna with all my heart, I do believe the outrage seems a bit disproportionate. Desch was the alternate named on the nominative list, so it's not like we had no idea Martha's mine was in that thought process. Also, though we have no idea what went down at camp, Desch has been able to hit more than one routine this season. While I was hoping against hope until the very last second before I saw the selection that Brenna would be named and back to full capacity, I can't say I was shocked or even highly surprised. Unfortunately, the cards have not been stacked in her favor this year.

Now, again, I claim no knowledge of what happened at camp. If Brenna was vaulting consistent Amanars, I would say that she was the gymnast who should have been chosen and the US should have swallowed the very small sacrifice of putting Simone on bars. But I don't know that she was, though I was so hoping she was over the past two days. Martha has named the best teams in times the gymternet doubted her judgement. And really, Maddie will be the alternate, and when have we actually used the alternate anyway?

However, even in light of this disappointment, this team still looks very strong and poised to defend their title. Simone obviously needs no explanation, so I won't even bother with her. Kyla's consistency, level-headed approach to competition, execution, and specialty on bars and beam make her a great member, and she is good enough for the team lineup everywhere. She is a team player but also a standout individual, which will be great for this team. Mykayla was also becoming more and more of an obvious choice as the season went on. Her super high difficulty on vault and floor means she can bring in high scores, even if her execution has been the cause of scorn among the gymternet. I do think she has cleaned up in this area, though, and her form in the air in generally pretty decent, especially on vault. Alyssa Baumann is being brought for her great beam, an unusual weakness for the US, and floor, where she will likely be used as the table-setter. Ashton Locklear and Maddie K are both bars specialists with great D scores and good swing. Ashton has a talent for sticking her dismounts, and Maddie K apparently showed all four events at camp, helping clear any doubts about qualification lineups with this team.

Ultimately, I found this decision a disappointing one, but not a surprise. Brenna had a rough season and her camp clearly wasn't enough to make up for it. Maddie Desch certainly hasn't been perfect this year, but she has been decent overall and is an all arounder, which is what an alternate really needs to be. This team is still the favorite for the title, and Martha knows what she's doing.

Post-P&Gs Worlds Team Situation

Right now, there are basically eight gymnasts in contention for the six gymnasts and one alternate on the US World Championship team. Those eight are Simone Biles, Kyla Ross, Maggie Nichols, Alyssa Baumann, Mykayla Skinner, Maddie Kocian, Ashton Locklear, and Brenna Dowell. People are writing Brenna off, but there's no reason she'd be named to the national team if she wasn't in Worlds contention. People are also being a bit sensationalist about Alyssa, but according to Landi, she'll be back for selection camp just fine. Simone and Kyla are locks barring their own health. Simone will contribute on vault, beam, and floor and be a backup on bars. Kyla would ideally only be used on bars and beam but would also be backup on the other events if we need her.

So, choosing the best combination of four of the other gymnasts means we have to consider how well their specialty events fit into the current slots. Maggie and Mykayla could both compliment Kyla's specialties well on vault and floor. Mykayla vaults a Cheng and Maggie had a gorgeous DTY day two of P&Gs. Mykayla could be backup on beam, and Maggie's a great all around team player. Alyssa's beam would be a great addition to the lineup and she did herself a big favor with her outings on floor at P&Gs. She could absolutely be used as the table-setter there. Maddie K and Ashton Locklear both share the same two-event specialty, bars and beam. Both have absolutely gorgeous bars sets to fill in the gaps on that event, so Pan Ams will be a critical performance for both of them. Brenna's said she will be coming back all around at selection camp, so if she actually does come back on all four events, she could be well in contention. Her vault especially could help the team outside of bars. I get the feeling Brenna isn't really alternate material right now, she's either completely on the team or completely off.

The Pan Ams team was clearly strategically selected as a trial for Worlds. Simone and Kyla don't need any more observation from Martha, so they are at home preparing to arrive at camp as strong as possible. Brenna has already had plenty enough international experience, and apparently she, Al Fong, and Martha agreed she didn't need the exposure and it would be better to stick to training and let her ankle heal as much as possible. All the other hopefuls are in Canada except for Alyssa, who was supposed to be. I think that if she shows herself well at camp, she should have no problem snagging a spot, but Pan Ams wasn't as critical for her anyway. It will be important for Mykayla and Maggie, and absolutely critical for Ashton and Maddie K. Martha will definitely want to see what the Pan Ams judges do with Mykayla before officially naming her to a Worlds team, and she'll want to be sure Maggie won't repeat her errors from Tokyo earlier this year. Also, Maggie needs to prove her events are worth taking. Pan Ams is most critical for Maddie K and Ashton, who will almost certainly be fighting for the same spot unless Maddie K shows she can do other events at least in qual, and even then I'd be surprised to see them on the same team. Bars will be the clutch event for these two. If Ashton can outscore Maddie K by as much as she did at Classics and night one of P&Gs on bars, she would look to be the obvious choice. However, beam will also be of note for Martha- she will likely want to have a team player who could go backup on beam if needed if she can have one. If both can put up decent beam sets, bars really should be the big deciding factor. And, of course, Martha wants to make sure neither will crumble under the international pressure.

Right now, I'd say four spots on the team are practically set. Simone and Kyla are going. Ashton or Maddie K will go as a bars specialist. Mykayla will compliment Kyla on vault and floor, though Maggie might be able to overtake her. This leaves two spots for Ashton or Maddie K, whoever doesn't make the first bars spot, Maggie, Alyssa, and Brenna. Alyssa will, I think, likely be on the team as our table-setter on beam and floor. Her routines will definitely be a good place to start on both events and beam especially is a place the US needs to target this year, so her prowess there will probably be her ticket to China. As our third-best all arounder, Maggie would seem to be the obvious choice, but she really is just better alternate material. Her abilities just aren't the best fit for the team's needs. However, if she needs to be named to the official team, it certainly wouldn't hurt the US team's chances any. She just serves the team better as an alternate. As I said earlier, Maddie K would have to show she could do other events in quals for her and Ashton to be on the same team. Vault in particular would be a good event to have a backup in case anything weird happens with Mykayla's Cheng. Even if she just has an FTY and a super watered down floor, those events would basically only be there as a backup in qual. If she shows that at camp, she could be a very good addition. In an ideal situation, Brenna would be my pick for the final team member, as her vault and bars complement Alyssa's beam and floor nicely and could both bring in very good scores. A third 6.3+ D score vault would be a huge asset and so would her jam-packed bars routine, though I think she maybe needs to just do the routine without trying to connect the Church to the Pak and maybe even straddle the Pak. Plus, she could get the piked double front named the Dowell!! (No, it is not named after Veronica Wagner). While her errors on night two could not have helped her, her determination and the way she fought through the routine could not have hurt her, either, so I hope she's given a fair shot. If Brenna isn't back and ready, both other options are good though and will still be gold-medal worthy barring implosion.

Right now, with the uncertainties of Brenna's competitive potential and Maddie K's all around status, I'd name Simone, Kyla, Mykayla, Ashton, Alyssa, and Maggie:
VT- (Alyssa), (Maggie/Kyla), Maggie/Kyla, Mykayla, Simone
UB- (Alyssa), (Simone), Maggie, Kyla, Ashton
BB- (Ashton), (Maggie), Alyssa, Simone, Kyla
FX- (Maggie), (Kyla), Alyssa, Mykayla, Simone

But, as we all know, it's not over 'til the fat lady sings.

P&Gs Wrap Up

The women's competition at the P&G Gymnastics Championships finished last night with some of the best gymnastics in the world on display. After the conclusion of the competition, the junior and senior national teams were named and the Pan Ams team as well.

Junior National Team
Jazmyn Foberg
Nia Dennis
Norah Flatley
Jordan Chiles
Alexis Vasquez
Emily Gaskins
Bailie Key

Senior National Team
Simone Biles
Kyla Ross
Maggie Nichols
Alyssa Baumann
Mykayla Skinner
Amelia Hundley
Madison Desch
Madison Kocian
Ashton Locklear
Brenna Dowell
Felicia Hano*

Senior Pan Ams Team
Alyssa Baumann
Madison Desch
Amelia Hundley
Madison Kocian
Ashton Locklear
Maggie Nichols
Mykayla Skinner
Felicia Hano*

*Felicia Hano replaced Alyssa Baumann on the Pan Ams team and was added to the national team then

Juniors
Jazmyn Foberg was able to make it a full eight for eight with a clean competition to take the title. She placed in to top five everywhere except beam, where she placed ninth in a very deep field, and took the title on bars due to her clean performance in a junior championships marked by errors on the event. She has a very nice DTY with a great laid out position. Her block looks like it could use a little work, but pretty secure. Jazmyn's lowest score came on beam day 2 where her front foot on her LOSO was off line and she had to wobble to secure herself and she needed a large step on her dismount. Jazmyn is a very complete and even gymnast. Her talent is pretty evenly distributed, and she doesn't have any real standout or weak event. She could be like the Maggie Nichols of the junior ranks, but a better all arounder. In the MG Elite interview with The Gymternet, coach Maggie Haney said she did not have a long-term plan for Jazmyn, which shows just how surprising her surge has been! The plan had better be mapped out soon, because Jazzy is right on track!

Nia Dennis counted three falls to her two-day total, which kept her from the junior title. On day one, Nia peeled off too quickly on her DLO dismount and ended her routine in a fall. I wonder if maybe she should try for a different kind of dismount, like a double Arabian or maybe even a twisting flyaway. Double backs seem to give her issues. Nia also fell on her standing Arabian both days of competition, which is worrying since she was so. dang. solid. on it. Nia had a great vault on day one which she stuck, but she lacked a lot of her height and power day two. Her bars day two were amazing. Nia was able to put Pac Rims and Classics behind her and killed floor both days, and I love her routine so much! It's just a party! With her raw power, high-flying releases, and inconsistency, it's hard NOT to compare her to Gabby, and next year could be AMAZING.

Chow's Norah Flatley came in third after some uncharacteristic errors. Vault maintained the improvement from Pac Rims, but it still needs some work. Norah placed second on bars, where she has nice clean lines. Her score was lower day two due to missing handstands, but she moves through the routine easily and drills the DLO dismount. Norah needs just a little bit of refinement because occasionally she bends her arms on her kips a bit, but she could absolutely be a team player on bars or even better. Norah was able to score a 14.000 on floor both nights. On day two she went out of bounds, but had higher execution than day one. The most memorable thing about Norah's performance- in a negative way- is that she fell both days on beam. Day one Norah missed her feet completely on her sheep jump and she fell on her layout night two. Norah was always a rock on beam, so it's really abnormal for her to have had those big errors.

P&Gs was an overall good competition for Chow's gymnasts. Victoria Nguyen had a good outing for her first national championships. She vaults a pretty good FTY. Her block is a bit scrappy, but she got good distance day two. Victoria, like a true Chow's girl, whips around in el grip, but her bars definitely need refinement and her swing needs improvement. Day one, Victoria had a bad outing on beam and earned only a 12.600; on day two, she received the high score of the championships, a 15.200, for a gorgeous routine with just one medium wobble and a couple small ones. Victoria's best result was third on floor for an incredible routine. Victoria has time on her side and just needs to keep it up for her senior career. After last year's disaster on bars, Alexis was able to place fifth for a national team spot. I can't quite figure out what Chow's plan is for her. I wonder if they're focusing more on a college spot than successful senior international career. Alexis had very nice FTYs both days, easing them around. Her bars, which I prefer to Norah's, were very nice but lacking in difficulty, and she, like Rachel Gowey, often misses handstand. On day two, she had to muscle a bit and stall on a handstand, which cost her a couple of tenths. Alexis has a new, more fun floor routine this year. Her half in-half out is beautiful and her execution was so clean. The big surprise of the meet for Alexis was winning the title on beam after being clean and consistent- scoring a 14.700 both days- when her biggest competition, including teammate Norah, faltered. Her routines were beautiful and I love her choreography. I just love Alexis's gymnastics and am so happy she made the national team this year!

Jordan Chiles's two days of competition were about as different as they could have gotten! Day one was pretty bad, landing Jordan in 19th. Her vault was great and her floor was fine, though not as good as she could do, but bars and beam were really troublesome for her. Jordan's biggest error on beam day one was balking her first attempt at her BHS+LOSO+LOSO connection, but it was an unsteady routine all the way through. Bars was definitely Jordan's worst event on day one, and she scored only an 11.400. She stalled a handstand which resulted in empty swings, fell after casting to far over after a transition, fumbled her grip before a half turn which required her to recast, and lost a full point in neutral deductions when her coach touched her spotting a Jaeger. Day two was a total turnaround and back to Classics form, however, earning Jordan the highest day two total of the competition and allowing her to claw her way back to fourth. Her DTY was better than day one's and she just had to buckle her knees a bit on landing, causing her to take a small hop. Bars were still her trouble spot day two, but were a huge improvement. Her only noteworthy error was a stall before her toe-on on the low bar. Her only real problems day two on beam were a large wobble on her tour jete 1/2 and a low front tuck. Jordan was able to bear her day one score on floor by .750 with an incredible routine. I love the way she doesn't cowboy her skills! Jordan is really almost the ideal gymnast, and I really hope she keeps her routines as they are now for the next couple years and none of the gymternet's worries about burnout come into being.

Gymternet favorite Emily Gaskins placed sixth to take the final spot on the national team. She ended day one in second after just about the best she could have done. She debuted her DTY in competition day one. It's not a great vault, and she loses a fair bit of her block twisting early. Bars were definitely Emily's worst event of the competition. It was her lowest scoring event day one despite being a clean routine due to her low D score. Day two, Emily only scored an 11.000 after going over on a Stalder full and missing the bar on her Tkatchev. She also fumbled her grip before a half turn. It's sad that she came to grief day two, because Emily could really be beautiful on bars. After an incredibly steady routine day one, Emily was obviously flustered on beam after bars on day two. There were several big bobbles and she lost a fair bit of difficulty. Her beautiful floor, however, went well both days, and was a highlight of the competition.

The adorable Ragan Smith missed the national team by one placing and .05. Bars was easily her worst event. Day one she fell on a Jaeger; on day two, she finished her Stalder full way past handstand and had to take an extra swing and was way to far over the low bar on her Pak, and she ended up hitting her feet on the ground. Even though it's her weak event, Ragan's swing has improved a ton and her Stalder work really suits her. I still think her bars could be decent for her all around in the future. Ragan is another gymnast who added a DTY to her repertoire this year. Day one it was super messy and had poor body position, and day two's had plenty of issues but was much improved. Like Emily, Ragan twists early of the table and has to fix her technique. On beam, Ragan placed second after two very steady routines. She had messy wolf turns both days, and I kind of think they should try another high difficulty turn. She scored a tenth higher day two with a slightly more stable wolf turn and a bit smaller hop on landing. Ragan also placed second on floor, which makes me so happy because I love her floor! She seems to go just a bit too far on her BHS into her triple full in her first pass, and lacks a bit of height because of it. She displayed great musicality and performance quality! A lot of people were upset she wasn't added to the national team with her great performance.

Deanne Soza had a hard championships after a great Classics. Vault was her best event where she had two powerful DTYs, though she had somewhat scrappy landings on both when she stepped out night one and had a bit of a jarring impact on vault. Bars was unfortunately rough for Deanne, who fell on Tkatchev day one and overshot her Ezhova day two and her hips fell to the bar. Beam day two was a highlight routine for her, for which she earned a score of 14.350. She had a nicely confident routine with really nice skills and combinations, though she broke her front aerial+front aerial+aerial cartwheel series. Floor was troublesome day one for Deanne when her double tuck out of a 1 1/2 fell to her hands and knees. She had a nice routine day two, though, for a 13.750.

Christina Desiderio was in position for a national team spot going into the final rotation, but she sadly had a disastrous final bars routine. She stalled in a handstand and had to take two empty swings and then had the same error when she repeated the skill. She then had a fall on a forward giant. She was obviously flustered before remounting, and then crashed her dismount. Unfortunately, Christina had three other falls, two on beam and one on floor. Her vault on day two was very nice and she didn't underrotate it like she has before, and I loved her floor day two.

Olivia Trautman placed second on vault with scores of 14.800 and 14.900. Her vault day two was super powerful and had great height. Lauren Navarro was able to place second on beam with scores of 13.900 and 14.800. She has a gorgeous jump to split mount and very unique skill selection.

Seniors
As of right now, only two of the gymnasts who competed at P&Gs are not on the national team, Nica Hults and Macy Toronjo of Texas Dreams. Nica only competed two events at P&Gs, bars and beam. She had low difficulty on beam and missed some handstands on bars. Lots of gymfans are sad that Nica's elite career isn't highly successful, but she will be a great Bruin. Macy Toronjo placed lowest out of the gymnasts who competed all around at nationals. She had very low difficulty, only reaching a 5.5 on floor as her highest D score. Macy's bars lacked swing, and she placed last on the event. She vaulted two clean FTYs and her floor was enchanting to the music "Feeling Good." Floor was her highest scoring event, where she received a 14.050 night two.

Felicia Hano was left off the national team originally last night after only competing three events, vault beam and floor. Her difficulty also is a bit low, having a 5.6 potential on beam and 5.2 potential on floor. She stuck both DTYs and scored 14.900 night two. Felicia scored higher on every event night two than night one and improved her score by almost a point. Her DLO was one of the best she's had night two.

Madison Desch has sadly once again been unable to fulfill the potential she displayed as a junior. She lost at least half a point in OOB penalties both nights on floor. Maddie's best event was vault, where she vaulted two nice DTYs which both scored 14.500. I personally think her night one vault was a bit underscored. Maddie had a good bars routine night one, but came close to the bar on the dismount. On night two, Maddie fumbled her grip on a Stalder half and had to add two extra giant swings. Maddie's best scoring routine (vault doesn't count as a routine) was her day two beam which scored 14.200 and was very steady. Maddie was named to the Pan Ams team but likely won't be able to compete at a higher level competition.

Amelia Hundley came in sixth after an up and down competition. Amelia vaulted a DTY on night one and nominated one for night two, but something must have gone wrong because she went with an FTY instead. She had a bounce out of it, so it looks like she was going for the double. Amelia was good on bars and tied Kyla Ross's two-day total after Kyla made uncharacteristic mistakes. She increased her score six tenths from day one to day two, and seeing as her first routine had not major errors, the discrepancy seems a bit large. Amelia was also pretty good on beam. Though it was a bit shaky, she held on well and scored above 14.000. Amelia has a very enjoyable floor, but she made errors both nights. Night one she rolled backward out of the floor, and on night two she had uncontrolled landings on both her double pike and double tuck.

Madison Kocian and Ashton Locklear both only competed bars and beam. Madison's two day two-event total beat Ashton Locklear. Maddie was able to finally overcome her inconsistency on her standing Arabian and had no falls at P&G. She had problems with her double pike dismount both nights, underrotating it night one and overrotating it night two. Maddie's bars score increased by .250 from night one to night two. She connected her Pak+Chow 1/2 night two and stuck her dismount. Ashton had issues with her aerial cartwheel+LOSO connection both nights. She had a sizable wobble night one and fell on it night two. Her night one bars scored a monster 15.850 for her very difficult routine with most of her form errors from Classics fixed. On night two, she scored 15.200, having missed her inbar full+Komova II connection, though I still think the difference was a little harsh. Both are on the Pan Ams team, so this should give Martha a great opportunity to compare the two before Worlds selection.

Brenna Dowell only competed bars both nights to drastically varying results. On night one, Brenna scored the second-highest score on bars, 15.400, for a hit routine. She missed her toe-on full+Maloney connection, but hit her Tweddle+Ezhova and Church+Pak connections with no major error, and downgraded to a double layout dismount. On night two, she had a very rough routine. Brenna missed the half turn on her first Tweddle attempt and did just a Ray before hitting the Tweddle+Ezhova; however, her toe full turned into a toe 1 1/2 when she was over in her handstand. She also broke her Church+Pak connection before tucking her legs and hitting her feet on the ground. However, to quote Tim Dagget, "If it's all about fight, I want her in a foxhole next to me." She is still on the national team, though, and she plans on competing all around at selection camp, so there is still a glimmer of hope.

Mykayla Skinner hit eight for eight and scored above 14.000 on every routine on vault, beam, and floor. Bars was obviously her lowest scoring event. She is basically allergic to handstand, and her form wasn't perfect either. Beam was a decent event for Mykayla. She wobbled on her BHS+tuck full both nights and was very off split in her switch 1/2. She will never be great on beam, but she was definitely consistent. Mykayla went out on her Moors night one, but it was fairly well laid out. Her body position on the Moors was not as good night two, but she stayed in bounds. She also overcooked her 2 1/2 a little bit at the end of her routine. Switching the passes seems to have been the trick for her. I really wish she had kept her old music though, dramatic just doesn't work for her. Vault was a great event for Mykayla. Her half-on block was still a little wonky, but- and I may just be seeing what I want to see here- she seemed to block better night two. What happened since Jesolo?! Her DTY also definitely looked like it could have been an Amanar night one, so I have a sneaking hope she can bring it back during selection camp.

Alyssa Baumann overall had a good first senior nationals. She scored a 14.800 and 14.900 on vault for two nice DTYs. Bars was definitely her worst event. Her form was scrappy night one and she had lots of leg separations. Night two, Alyssa fell on her Maloney and hyper extended her elbow. She is out of Pan Ams, and there hasn't been any official word as to whether she will be back for selection camp. Alyssa tied with Simone for second on beam with two very confident routines which both scored 15.150. Alyssa also doubled her scores on floor with a 14.450 both nights, which was definitely great for her.

Maggie Nichols was one of the few gymnasts who hit eight for eight to place third. Her vaults were very nice, especially night two which was gorgeous and got a ton of air. Bars was the best she's performed this season night two, the only of her three performances where she didn't stall after catching her Pak. She was able to place third on bars after errors by Kyla Ross. On beam, she also had two strong routines, but cut her Grigoras. her front aerial+sissone+split was amazing night two. Maggie also placed third on floor. She really enjoys her routine, you can tell she loves performing it! She had two great double layouts and stuck her 1 1/2+double tuck night one. I especially love the way she spots her turns! Maggie is a great team player.

Kyla Ross and Simone Biles decided to remind us that they are human at P&Gs this year, just in case we were wondering. Or maybe it's all part of their master plan to lull us into a false sense of security, who knows. Both gymnasts counted falls over the competition. Simone fell on her aerial cartwheel on night two after breaking her connection out of her wolf hop. Kyla fell, as I suspected she might, on her whip+double Arabian night one, which she replaced with her normal pass night two and completed well. Kyla also fell night one on her DLO bars dismount which she appears to have had trouble adjusting to her new height this year. Kyla's vaults were both beautiful, and she scored above a 9.2 in execution on both. Her bars were gorgeous on night two, and she earned a 15.000. She made up for falling on her dismount night one by almoooost sticking the landing. Seriously, I had to take a second look to tell that her feet had moved. If this were the 80s, the judges would just have said "eh, close enough" and given her a 9.95 anyway. As much as I love Kyla, her E scores on beam were laughable. Day one, she had a large break after her front tuck and cut her wolf jump. One thing I love about Kyla is she knows where her value comes from. When she breaks a connection and the second skill doesn't count to her D score, she doesn't do the second. For the large break after her front tuck, she still received a 9.2 E score. On night two, she had a fair wobble after her switch ring and it was a fairly jittery routine, especially for Kyla, but she got a 9.35 E score. On floor, Kyla had a very clean routine and scored 14.800. I think the new choreography that's been added this year actually makes her performance stiffer and wish they'd go back to what it was like last year.

Simone went seven for seven before her last routine, but still won by four points. And came in second on beam, tied with Alyssa Baumann. Bars was her lowest scoring event, scoring a 14.550 and 14.750. It was the only event where she didn't score above 15. It is also the only event where she has a D score below 6.0. Both nights were hit routines and she planted the landing on her dismount night two. Vault was her highest scoring event, where she received a 15.900 both nights for super explosive vaults with just a tine hop back. Her Lopez was also beautiful and totally secure both nights. She had a great layout position and just landed a little to the side with a teensy hop. Simone's night one beam brought in a huge 15.700. She had a little correction after her second LOSO and front tuck, and a larger wobble after her wolf hop. It started with one of the best wolf turns she's done in complete control and ended with her beautiful BHS+BHS+full-in dismount combo. Floor was of course where she shone the most at nationals. I'm pretty sure she got downgraded both nights, on her switch 1/1 night one and Gogean night two. Night one she stuck her double layout perfectly. I mean, what really is there to say about this routine? It's perfect and she will destroy everyone this year. It's almost scary how strong Simone is when you know she still has wells of talent.

The white leo curse is most definitely over as Jordan Chiles, Simone, and Kyla all wore white leos one night and had falls the night they didn't.

Classics Wrap-Up

Last night was Classics, the official start to the US Elite season. Finally! As with tradition, many gymnasts randomly scratched, such as Madison Kocian who decided to only compete bars and beam, we had two last-minute dropouts in the form of Peyton Ernst, who somehow was able to injure herself between arrival and the first training, and Lexie Priessman, who tore a ligament on her beam dismount in the evening practice, we had splats, and some big surprises to take titles. Overall, it was a fun day of gymnastics viewing!

Juniors
Despite the absence of Bailie Key, the junior fight was a major battle and explosive gymnastics was still on display. Plus, it led to a much more interesting battle for the title.

Classics displayed the huge well of talent the US has in its gymnasts who won't be old enough for this Olympic cycle. The US really has perfected a system to run out super-talented little ones who just need to make the improvements that come with time experience.

Jordan Chiles surprised by taking the title last night, despite not being age-eligible for Rio's 2016 Olympics. Jordan made waves this summer when this training video was released from the ranch showing huge upgrades in the works. Many worried for little Jordan's safety. However, Jordan only displayed her double Arabian and BHS+LOSO+LOSO series at Classics, so hopefully these are more long-term upgrades. She shows incredible talent and potential and is definitely one to watch. Jordan had a clean meet last night, with one of the top DTYs of the juniors. She is definitely a powerful gymnast, but has nice elegance and some nice basic dance displayed in her beam and floor which could definitely be built upon. Jordan shows potential on all four events, and we just hope her pacing is well handled.

Deanne Soza, who tied for third in the all around, is another exciting gem in the US junior landscape. She also boasts a DTY on vault, which is nicely performed. Deanne was the junior silver medalist last night on the uneven bars, which is a key event for the US. Her routine includes an Ezhova, which makes me very happy! Her Pirates of the Caribbean floor music makes her a gymternet favorite, and she performs nicely on the event. Her lowest scoring event last night was beam, but Deanne shows great potential there as well. She already has a front aerial+front aerial+side aerial connection, and she just shuffled on her front tuck and BHS+LOSO. Her BHS+BHS+double tuck dismount connection was stuck, but landed in a squat. She shows the grit needed for beam, she just needs more experience.

Twistars's new phenom, Delanie Harkness, made a great showing for herself last night. Her vault needs some work- she blocks at the very back of the table and has to pike down the landing. She shows great potential on all the other events, though, and Geddert has lots of time to work on vault. She was first in her age group on bars at JO Nationals this year, and she definitely showed promise yesterday. On beam, she fell on her aerial cartwheel, but otherwise looked very strong. Her floor was also clean, and I just love her ending choreography! Mostly, Delanie just needs to upgrade and gain experience.

Morgan Hurd, the adorable bespectacled little gem from First State, also was great on the podium last night. She showed wonderful composure. Her FTY was a bit wonky on the block, but she pulled it around. Her main problem on bars is missing handstands. Morgan also doesn't have a high bar to low bar transition, so she loses CR there. On beam, Morgan received a high 8.9 execution score. She had some wobbles throughout the routine but remained calm. Her floor was also beautiful and to the Game of Thrones music Grace Waguespack used last year! Her biggest problem was an uncontrolled first pass. Like Delanie, Morgan just needs to use her time wisely.

Maile O'Keefe also showed strong routines yesterday, despite not becoming senior until 2018. Her beam was one of the greatest of the night, and she placed sixth on the event with a 14.350. Maile also placed second on floor with her routine to Canadian favorite music "Torn." Maile placed sixth in the all around.

Plenty of other juniors from the first session put up memorable routines. Alexis Vasquez of Chow's turns senior next year and only competed on two events. Her FTY was very nice, but lacked distance from the table. Her bars, which I personally prefer to teammate Norah's, were solid and nicely executed. We will look forward to watching Alexis at Nationals later this month. Sydney Johnson-Scharpf was one of the fan favorites of this Classics. She didn't seem to have the same spark to me this year, especially on floor. Her beam had all her lovely skills, but a few wobbles throughout. Sydney's appearance at Nationals will be much anticipated. Christina Desiderio didn't have the meet of her life last night, but still placed eighth all around last night and there was plenty commendable. She competed a DTY on vault, which was landed with a significant knee bend which resulted in a step out of bounds, but it definitely looks workable. Bars has some work to be done, but she has a huge Tkatchev and good swing. Christina came to grief on beam last night here she had an uncharacteristic fall. She also debuted a new floor last night, and it was performed very well! I believe Christina has it in her and will make her splash in two years!

Some of the best juniors for 2016 competed in the senior session last night and had great performances. Emily Gaskins is another gymternet favorite due to her beautiful balletic style. Unfortunately, Emily fell in her floor routine, which she also showed inconsistency on in Jesolo earlier this year. Emily did not debut her DTY shown in her camp video, but received the highest score for an FTY of the juniors. Beam was her best routine of the night. She has a very nice Y-spin in the works, but wobbled on it last night. Other than that, it was a nice routine. She definitely has great potential on beam. Emily also did well on bars. She began with a shaky start, missing handstand on a Stalder full and struggling through a dead hang on a hecht transition, but she cleaned up afterward to have a nice rest of her routine.

Jazmyn Foberg was the surprise of the juniors last night. She placed fifth in the all around last night. Bars was easily her weakest event, where Jazmyn was too far on her Pak. She almost pulled it off as a cool Pak-clear hip connection, but she missed handstand and lost swing. She also needs to work on her handstands. Jazmyn also competed a DTY, but she underrotated the salto and had to stumble out of it. Her beam was her best routine of the day, and she scored a 14.250.

Ragan Smith is my personal favorite of the juniors from the senior session. She best embodied the splat-fest testing ground nature of Classics. Ragan tried a DTY on vault, but she was brought to her knees. Ragan also fell on a BHS+BHS+layout connection on beam. She also successfully added a double wolf turn and dismounted with a BHS+BHS+double pike connection, which was landed low. Ragan has shown great improvements on bars since last year. Her swing is much better. She still has some work to do, but I think she could turn into a good bar worker. Ragan was the junior floor champion last night with her adorable routine to "Puttin' on the Ritz!" It's very well choreographed and she completed all her skills successfully. She will definitely be one to watch at Nationals!

Gymternet favorite Norah Flately came in tied third last night. One thing that impressed me from Norah's gymnastics last night was her vaulting! She only compete an FTY, but it was much improved from her vault at Pac Rims! Her bars were solid, but she missed several handstands. I think she's ready for inbars, though! That is definitely a place where she could upgrade. Her floor also was a good effort and nicely performed, but she received a .3 OOB penalty. Norah won the beam title with a 15.100, but the really exciting thing is it wasn't a very good routine for her. Norah can do so much better, having broken many connections. That 15.100 could absolutely be shattered by Norah!

Nia Dennis, who was considered by many to be the favorite for the title, came away with the silver. She had a fall on floor, where she also had a fall at Pac Rims. She never had problems on floor before, so this is a bit worrying. Nia was in the top two on the other events, however. Her DTY resulted in a large hop back, but was very secure. She also came in second on beam, despite stumbling on her opening double wolf turn. her standing Arabian was, as always, flawless, and she also had a beautiful BHS+layout series. She showed great flexibility and maintained good fluidity and connections. Nia won the title on bars with her high-flying releases and great connections. She also upgraded her dismount to a double layout, which is great since she turns senior next year! Nia is definitely a shining star in USAG.

Seniors
Brenna Dowell had a really rough go of it last night. She only competed bars, and made major errors there. She has changed the composition of her routine, and I prefer this to her previous composition. She bent her knees on both her Ezhova and Pak. She chose not to finish her routine. It will be a red flag next to her name she really doesn't need. Her performance at Nationals will be critical for her.

Nica Hults only competed bars. She put up a solid routine, but placed sixth on the event. Her execution wasn't perfect, but since she has had some inconsistency on this event, it's probably best for her to have lots of experience. Beam will be the important performance for her.

Alyssa Baumann did not compete her full potential beam routine and scored only a 14.300. She missed quite a few of her connections and did not attempt her aerial front+aerial front+aerial cartwheel series. Beam was considered her ticket to Worlds, and so she will need to provide a more solid routine at Nationals. She did upgrade her vault to a DTY, so that is great for her.

Maddie Kocian only competed bars and beam last night because of her ankle injury. She scored a very high 15.400 on bars and placed second on the event. She had some leg separations, especially on her transitions, but was otherwise very clean. She also had a great stuck landing. This was definitely a great statement to make for Maddie. Beam did not go quite so well. As like last year, Maddie fell on her standing Arabian. She also had a large wobble on her front aerial, but settled down after there. She has beautiful work on beam but a lot of times she lets her mind get to her. She should really only compete bars and beam at Nationals if her ankle is this big a problem.

Amelia Hundley had a mixed senior debut. She of course had surgery, and so she did not have all of the work of before. Amelia was strongly downgraded on vault and floor. Her vault was only an FTY. None of her D scores reached a 6.0. Her best event was floor, where she scored a 14.250 to place fourth. She had a beautiful opening double layout. Amelia has also changed her floor music from last year. Sadly, Amelia's injury came at an inopportune time for her senior debut.

Mykayla Skinner had some issues yesterday on her pet events. On floor, Mykayla fell on her dismount, a full-in. After her Moors and double double, Mykayla did a 1 1/2 to double full. This seems a bit out of character, both the fall and the downgrade. We'll just have to wait and see with her. Mykayla also had a new floor routine. On vault, Mykayla one-armed her Cheng again. MYKAYLA, YOU HAD A CREDITABLE BLOCK EARLIER THIS YEAR! GET BACK TO THAT POINT!! She also no longer has her Amanar from Jesolo. Something seems fishy.... In stranger news, Mykayla was solid on bars and beam. Her bars were rife with deductions, but she did have nice swing. Her beam was solid, with only a few small wobbles. If she can get her strong events solid, Mykayla might be able to place in the all around at Nationals.

Maggie Nichols had a surprise third place finish at Classics. Her consistency was her key. Maggie's high score of the day was surprisingly a 14.700 on bars, despite an unusual stall on her Pak where she held a handstand-ish shape. However, she placed best on floor, where she came in third with a score of 14.300. One upgrade did sneak its way into her set, the Grigoras on beam.

The biggest surprise of the night was Ashton Locklear of Everest. Ashton only competed bars and beam, but made a huge splash on those events. She was the champion on bars last night with a monster score of 15.700. Her d-score is a 6.8, and last night she received a stick bonus for her impeccable landing. She also placed fourth on beam. This could put her name in the mix for Worlds, and I'm sure it got Martha talking!

Kyla Ross had a strong showing yesterday to come in second, but she still has room to improve. The big news regarding Kyla coming into Classics was an upgraded whip+double Arabian pass on floor, which Kyla competed without the following stag jump. However, she also competed it at the beginning on her competition, so one has to wonder whether her endurance will hold when floor is her last event, as it will most definitely be if she qualifies to the all around final at Worlds this year. Kyla had a very clean and stuck vault, but not as well executed as last year. Kyla also had a beautifully executed bars routine, but without her inbars. She has said that is a goal for Nationals. She also tied with Simone for the top score on beam. Kyla placed in the top three on every event, and definitely looked ready for the season.

Simone Biles cemented herself as the favorite for Worlds this year. She opened her competition with her official announcement that she is in fact not human with her floor routine. Her passes were a double double, Biles, double layout, and full in. Normally I would whine that now she had to add an aerial to her routine, but I legitimately don't care when those are the tumbling passes. She is seriously not human. Simone was able to score a 15.800 for her routine. Seriously, even with domestic overscoring, that is the Frankenstein of monster scores. Simone also places first on vault and beam. Her Amanar doesn't get quite the height of last year it appears, but it is still like a rocket off the table. Her Lopez was underrotated last night, so that will be something to watch for at Nationals. Simone displayed her packed routine on beam, but had a bit of a stumble on her BHS+LOSO+LOSO. This definitely has Worlds potential if it can be done cleanly, though. Her wolf turn was the best I've ever seen it. Simone had some trouble on bars, and she told us coming in at had taken a hit with her shoulder. She had a stall on her Weiler and didn't swing to horizontal on her Maloney, but she does appear to have worked on the little things such as keeping her legs together and her toes pointed. Even with some weaker bars work, Simone smashed the competition and the 60 barrier, scoring a 61.700. Also, like with Norah's beam, Simone has more to give, which is super exciting.

The biggest mystery coming into Classics was Rachel Gowey's performance. Would she blow everyone away with her Chow-trained upgrades? Would she crash and burn? Ultimately, she did neither. Rachel had a good performance, not astounding in either way. On her first event, Rachel stumbled back on her BHS+LOSO+LOSO, but calmed down for the rest of her routine to place third. Her triple twist dismount wasn't quite fully rotated, but the interior of her routine was great. On floor, Rachel debuted her 3 1/2 twist. She got it safely around, but she was also uncontrolled on the landing. She did have a beautiful Gogean, though, and the rest of her passes were well controlled. It was a bit low on difficulty though, but if she can control the 3 1/2, she should still score well. Gowey's bars were nice, but she did not score well. Her biggest problems were missed handstands and flexed feet. She will still go into Nationals as the wild card.


Looking ahead to Worlds...
Ultimately, Classics doesn't mean that much in the grand scheme of things. However, that doesn't mean they are inconsequential. Brenna now has a red flag by her name she didn't need, Mykayla has to prove herself when many thought she didn't before, and Ashton Locklear basically just threw herself a giant coming out party.

Simone and Kyla are locks for the team barring their own bad health. Simone has monster routines that will bring in huge scores and will likely walk away with at least one individual gold. Heck, she has the potential to walk away with three individual golds and a team gold. Kyla will bring stability, especially a stable beam routine, which is the weak spot of this year's US team.

On vault, the US could potentially be finding itself looking for strong workers. Simone should bring in the top score on vault both individually and of the team final, so that's definitely a great place to start. Earlier, the US was looking to be overrun with safe high-difficulty vaults. Now, that doesn't seem so strong. Rachel fell on vault last night, but if she can perform it consistently, it can definitely be an asset for selection. Mykayla has to BLOCK OFF BOTH HANDS AGAIN (seriously, what is up with her? why have her block and difficulty both devolved from last year?) but can put herself back into the top of the running again. Brenna didn't vault at Classics, but she was another potential strong vault this year. I will be an important event for her at Nationals, assuming she does compete the all around.

Bars was pleasingly strong at Classics. Kyla is of course glorious on this event. She will bring in a great score and her experience will be huge for Martha. She likely will take the team captain spot this year. Ashton Locklear now definitely has to be in the discussion and the back of Martha's mind. Her huge d-score can definitely help the team a ton. Maddie Kocian is also in great shape for a bars specialist spot. If Maddie doesn't end up doing the all around, I think it will be unlikely for both to make the US team due to Martha wanting to put up the maximum number of gymnasts per event in qualifications. If it is only one or the other, beam could make the difference. Peyton also could swing well on bars, and if she does well on beam, could take a UB/BB specialist spot for Worlds. Assuming she is okay for the rest of the season? Brenna did not do herself any favors yesterday, but if she can do her bars routine without imploding and competes well and vault, Brenna should be in good standing. Rachel had nice bars, but if she can't hit her handstands, she will be slaughtered, unfortunately, because this could be an event where she could contribute well otherwise.

Beam will be interesting. Kyla will again provide consistency here among a crop of some new gymnasts. Simone has proved dependable on beam, so she could definitely help the team this year on beam. With her upgrades, if she gets everything under control she can bring in a monster score. Rachel Gowey performed a strong routine last night despite a slight stumble on her acro series. If she can keep improving and pull it all together, Rachel could definitely make a strong statement for herself on beam. Alyssa Baumann needs to bring her difficulty back up and be consistent to make Nanning if the others will continue performing the way they did last night. Ashton Locklear made a case for herself on this event as well last night. A few more consistent performances on these two events and she could find herself on the team. Peyton also is one who could be brought for good beam work if she can prove consistency.

Floor is super strong for this team. Remember Kyla made the floor final in Antwerp! Simone likely won't be able to hit 15.800 internationally, but a score above 15.000 would absolutely be likely. She, at this moment, looks poised to repeat as floor champion. If Skinner can compete her set without major errors, she will be able to bring in a high score as well. Kyla scored well at Classics and made finals last year, so she could definitely be a team player her as well. Brenna could also be a good team player on floor if she does come back to do all around at Nationals. Rachel also has the potential for a good score despite low difficulty if she can bring her landings under control.

Alright, I feel like this will be wildly inaccurate, but here's a Worlds team prediction:
Biles, Ross, Gowey, Kocian, Skinner, Dowell
VT: Gowey/Dowell/Skinner, Gowey/Dowell/Skinner, Biles
UB: Dowell, Ross, Kocian
BB: Biles, Gowey, Ross
FX: Dowell/Skinner/Gowey/Ross, Dowell/Skinner/Gowey/Ross, Biles

Ultimately, unless Kyla and Simone both are physically unable to compete, the US should be able to stroll away with the gold.

Classics Guide

The beginning to the US elite season, the Secret US Classic, is almost upon us! Some of these gymnasts we have yet to see in 2014, and there are lots of big names. Classics is traditionally an unsteady meet for lots of gymnasts who use it as a testing ground for upgrades for the season. This year, there are just SO MANY juniors that nine- including Bailie Key, Nia Dennis, Norah Flately, Emily Gaskins, and Ragan Smith- will compete in the senior session! Sadly, Laurie's out with a new knee injury. So, here's who to watch, where to watch them, and the burning questions we will seek to answer on the second!

Juniors
Bailie Key: Obviously the junior with the biggest hype, and for great reason! Famously won every competition she entered last year and is set to achieve the same this year. One of the best beam workers in the world. The super exciting thing about Bailie is that everything she does looks incredibly easy. Tons of upgrade potential! Not to be missed ANYWHERE! Her routines are those to be re-watched on the USAG YouTube channel over and over again.
Questions to be answered: By how much will she win the junior title? Will we see the double layout and/or Dos Santos I we saw in her training videos?

Nia Dennis: Like Bailie, Nia is in her last year as a junior. Has beautiful work everywhere. Her DTY is among the best of the junior ranks. The air she gets on her releases rivals that Gabby got. She has the best standing Arabian on beam- ever! She also has gorgeous tumbling on floor and engaging choreography. The one thing that mars her performances is inconsistency. Not to be missed on vault and bars!
Questions to be answered: Can she keep it all together mentally? If she does, how close can she make this competition? Will she upgrade that double pike bars dismount?

Alexis Vasquez: Alexis is a junior from Chow's. She turns senior next year. She stands out from her teammates for having a nice block and her FTY is much better than teammate Norah's. Her beam is beautiful, and has a beautiful scale! She has nice bars work, but her routine is fairly simple and she had a meltdown on the event at last years Nationals, scoring only an 8.6. We will hope to see her with renewed confidence and fulfill her potential this year. Not to be missed on beam!
Questions to be answered: Will she still be competing an FTY with her imminent senior career? How well can she place on beam?

Norah Flately: Norah is another Chow's student. She has placed third in the all-around at the City of Jesolo Trophy and Pac Rims this year. She is known for her incredibly difficult and solid beam, the event on which I believe she is the best in the world. She also does lots of el-grip work on the uneven bars, showing a ton of potential for the future. She also has a gorgeous straight double layout. Her weak spot is vault, where her block keeps her work on that event from matching her other events. Not to be missed on beam especially, it will be one of the routines of the night! Her floor is one to watch as well.
Questions to be answered: Will any seniors be able to touch her beam score?

Emily Gaskins: Emily is the bright new star of CGA. She began in ballet, but switched after she saw gymnastics. Her background gives her gorgeous carriage and choreography. Her video from camp displayed a DTY, upgrading her vault from last year. Her floor made waves last year for it's wonderful balletic style and technique. Bars can be a weak spot for her, with problems with handstands. Not to be missed on beam and floor!
Questions to be answered: Will she have a new floor routine? If she does, will her style remain intact in its pure form? With a DTY, could she topple Norah in the all-around?

Ragan Smith: Ragan recently transferred from Northwind gymnastics to mega gym Texas Dreams. Based on the camp footage we see (I'm not a Gymnastike Gold member, so I don't know what she looked like in Jesolo) the change was great for her! Her bars have made huge improvements and she showed nice stalder work. Last year she had a super-duper cute floor routine to "Puttin' on the Ritz." She shows great potential to have a strong senior career. Not to be missed on beam and floor!
Questions to be answered: How will her standings improve after the gym change?

Christina Desiderio: Christina, a 2000-born, is a great new face for Parkettes. Unlike recent Parkettes prodigy Ebee Price, she has a weakness on vault. Her bars also leave a lot to be desired, but she has a gorgeous Tkatchev. Beam and floor is where her potential can be most clearly seen. Christina has the goods for a successful senior career, it all just has to come together. Not to be missed on beam!
Questions to be answered: How well can she do on beam?

Sydney Johnson-Scharpf: Sydney is famously daughter to former US gymnastics great Brandy Johnson. She is known for being a firecracker performer and really drawing in the crowd. The performance events are where she really shines. She was known for saying vault hurt her feet because she was so small! Not to be missed on beam and floor!
Questions to be answered: Have her bars improved at all?

Jordan Chiles: Jordan is a 2001 born, and as such, is not eligible for the Rio Olympics. She does, however, have difficult and stylish gymnastics. She has the potential to be a strong all-arounder, but lots of concern has been expressed regarding burnout. She showed huge upgrades at camp, including a 3 1/2 twist. She made the vault final at Jesolo this year. Not to be missed on vault and beam!
Questions to be answered: Will she actually show the crazy upgrades from her camp video? If she does, will she survive them without major injury?

Delanie Harkness: Delanie also is not age-eligible for Rio. Delanie comes from Twistars, the gym which gave us Jordyn Wieber. She took home the junior all-around, bars, and floor titles from JO Nationals this year. Her bars routine currently contains a standing transition, which will need to be changed for elite. She could definitely be part of a bright future for USAG! Not to be missed on floor!
Questions to be answered: How will her bars be now she has to change them for the elite Code? How will she be able to place on bars?

Shilese Jones: Another youngling, Shilese made a name for herself at JO Nationals after she performed the 1 1/2 twisting double tuck. This skill is super exciting and has yet to be included in to elite Code. Not to be missed on floor!
Questions to be answered: How will her new skill on floor help her on that event?



Seniors
Simone Biles: Simone is the reigning World all-around and floor champion, and so comes into this competition the odds-on favorite. She has, however, been struggling with her shoulder this year, and word is her bars will be less difficult than those from last year. Her vaults are unbelievable and she is stellar on floor. If she hits, no one can touch her. Not to be missed ANYWHERE!
Questions to be answered: Will her shoulder affect her performances? How strong is she heading into Worlds this year?

Kyla Ross: Kyla is known for her clean, precise gymnastics which lacks the difficulty of her competitors. She was a triple silver medalist at Worlds last year and is the nation's best bars and beam gymnast. Kyla had a back injury earlier this year which forced her to downgrade and caused her to be a bit sluggish earlier this year. In the private training video posted in May, a toe-on was seen directly connected out of her Pak. Not to be missed on bars and beam!
Questions to be answered: Will her difficulty be back to last year's level? Will she be able to hold onto a second-place spot? Will that toe-on amount to anything?

Brenna Dowell: Brenna earned attention last year when she debuted a new Tweddle in her bars routine, which she has now connected to an Ezhova! A new floor could be seen for her in the camp videos, and a change from "Sabre Dance" will be one welcome to many. She has an Amanar on vault and an awesome pike double front on floor. Beam is her vice, and she scored in the low 13s at American Cup this year. Not to be missed on vault, bars, and floor!
Questions to be answered: Will she be able to be strong enough on vault and bars to make a strong statement for herself in the running to Worlds? Can she get her beam together?

Peyton Ernst: Peyton is a strong all-arounder with talent on bars and beam. She has beautiful back flexibility which she displays in her floor. Peyton really doesn't have a weak event. She has a layout which may not be credited on beam. She has very elegant gymnastics and performs everything with ease. Peyton was last year's Classics beam champion. Not to be missed on bars and especially beam!
Questions to be answered: Can she make a strong enough showing on bars and beam to make a statement for Worlds selection?

Mykayla Skinner: Mykayla is known for her highly daring gymnastics though she often sacrifices execution. However, she has made great strides in this regard. She performs the very difficult Amanar and Cheng vaults and a laid out double-double. Bars and beam can cause big difficulties for her, however. If she can put it all together, she can definitely be in the top three in the all-around. Not to be missed on vault and floor!
Questions to be answered: How good will her block on vault be? Will she stay on bars and beam?

Madison Kocian: Madison makes her name among the American seniors for her strong bars set. She won the event earlier this year at Jesolo. She also has nice beam work, but can be dogged by inconsistency. Word from camp is that she has beaten Kyla earlier this year, but Brenna also beat Simone and Kyla last year, so who knows what that means. Not to be missed on bars!
Questions to be answered: If Kyla comes with her inbar stalders back, will Madison be able to take the the title ahead of her?

Alyssa Baumann: Alyssa is considered a contender for the Worlds team this year due to her strong beam, where the US has weakness this year. She won the silver on the event Jesolo this year. Alyssa also has a strong floor which could potentially take the first spot on the event in the team final. Alyssa came from nowhere last year to be in strong running this year. Not to be missed on beam!
Questions to be answered: Can she win the beam title? Can she have a strong enough showing on floor to make a case for the first TF floor spot?

Lexie Priessman: Lexie caused a stir earlier this month by leaving longtime gym CGA to train at Perfection Gymnastics. We last saw Lexie at Classics last year, and she was taken out of Nationals running due to injury. Lexie is known for powerful gymnastics on vault and floor, but also having slightly messy form. She had an Amanar as a junior, which she competed in Jesolo last year but not Classics. Her floor last year exhibited both a full twisting double layout and a double-double. Not to be missed on vault and floor!
Questions to be answered: What will Lexie display on vault? How has the gym change influenced her gymnastics? Can she make a strong statement for Worlds selection?

Amelia Hunley: Lexie's longtime teammate at CGA, Amelia is finally a senior this year after having been on the junior level for seemingly ever! Amelia also displays powerful gymnastics on vault and floor, but without the big-name skills of Lexie. She also has a very strong bars set, the event on which she won the National title last year. Beam is her weakest event, but she can score in the 14s when she hits. Not to be missed on bars and floor!
Questions to be answered: Despite her strong potential and talent, will Meals be left behind in the pool of talent? How will her bars fare against the likes of Kocian?

Maddie Desch: Maddie came in second in the all-around at the 2012 Nationals as a junior, but had a lackluster first senior year in 2013. In January, her camp video displayed many upgrades, such as a whip+double Arabian+stag pass and a Downie! At Jesolo, she came in last of the Americans who competed all four events, making several costly errors. She displayed her Arabian combo, but not the Downie. If she cleaned up, she could be scoring significantly higher. Not to be missed on floor, and her bars may be interesting!
Questions to be answered: Can she put together a solid performance and up her all-around standings? Can she put herself in Worlds contention?

Felicia Hano: Felicia made a gym switch earlier this year to Gym-Max. This makes her performance at Classics rather interesting. Last year at Nationals, Felicia had a terrible go of it on bars day 2 and had to pull out of the rest of her performances. She also has a new floor this year choreographed by Dominic Zito. Felicia displayed a strong DTY last year. Not to be missed on vault!
Questions to be answered: How has her gym change influenced her gymnastics?

Maggie Nichols: Maggie Nichols was a first year senior last year. Maggie was on the Jesolo team and came in third in the all-around. Maggie also competed in this year's Tokyo Cup. In her May camp video, Maggie displayed some very exciting upgrades, including a Seitz on bars and a Grigoras on beam. Her floor also displays a double layout. Not to be missed on floor, but an eye should be kept open for her upgrades!
Questions to be answered: Will she throw her upgrades from her camp video? Will they help her move up the standings and possibly help her Worlds chances?

Nica Hults: Nica has been a gymternet favorite for years, and is finally a senior this year! Nica is hunting for a bars and beam spot on the Worlds team this year. She can show inconsistency, somewhat surprisingly usually on bars rather than beam. On vault, she's not capable of high difficulty.Not to be missed on bars and beam!
Questions to be answered: Can she put up a strong performance on bars?

Rachel Gowey: I intentionally kept this Chow's pupil for last. Rachel made her international debut earlier this year at Jesolo and will be making her national debut at Classics! Rachel is the wildcard of the team without a doubt. At Jesolo, Gowey had some problems in her performances but was able to place fifth in the all-around. What makes her a real possible dark horse is what we saw in her camp video. Rachel had huge upgrades, including an Amanar and 3 1/2 twist on floor (however, these particular upgrades I would rather not see on a competition surface). If Rachel hits in the US season, all Worlds predictions go straight out the window. Rachel has the potential to really shake things up this year! An eye should be kept out for her everywhere!
Questions to be answered: Will she throw her camp upgrades? Will her knees survive if she does? What the heck will she do to Worlds contention?