Out with the old and in with the new. Hello 2013!

The Upcoming Elites

The talent in USA gymnastics just keeps rising! 2013 is finally here and with the new year, comes new faces. A name you may already be familiar with is Norah Flatley. She is a 12 year old, level 10 gymnast from Chow's Gymnastics who has an phenomenal beam set and large aspirations. "I want to become an elite gymnast and make the Olympic team in 2016." Norah won the gold medal on beam at the 2012 JO Nationals and tied for 3rd all around with her Chow's teammate Alexis Vasquez. Alexis is 12 years old, a level 10, and shares the same dream as Norah does "I want to be an all arounder on the 2016 Olympic team with Chow and Li." she said. Both girls will attempt to hop into the elite ranks this year. Another name that might sound familiar is Jordan Chiles. Although she is not eligible for the 2016 Olympics, the 11 year old  plans to turn elite in 2013 and would like to make the national team. Her long term goal is "to become an Olympic champion." Jordan is most known for her unique skills and major difficulty at such a young age. She trains at Naydenov Gymnastics and will try to qualify elite at the WOGA Classic in February. (Click here to read one of our interviews with Jordan) Last but not least is Ragan Smith, a 12 year old, level 10 from Northwind Gymnastics. For Ragan, gymnastics runs in the family. Her mother was an elite gymnast and competed at the University of Auburn and her aunt competed for the University of Maryland. (Both of them on full scholarships) Ragan will be competing in 2 elite qualifiers this season, one in March and one in June. Then it's off to the American Classic where she will start her elite career.

-Ashlee

The New Seniors

Gymnastics fans have watched junior stand outs Katelyn Ohashi and Lexie Priessman in action for the past 4 years. They've been on our radar since 2009 and everyone has wondered how they would hold up on the senior stage. Now is FINALLY their time. Lexie Priessman is the 2010 Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup champion, as well as the 2012 Junior National All Around Champion. Lexie has been throwing some big skills for quite some time now, including a huge amanar on vault, and a double twisting double on floor. Katelyn Ohashi is another one of Valeri Liukin's star protege's. She has a jam packed routine on balance beam where she boasts a 7.0 start value. As well as a beautiful bar routine (a place where the US is weak) with a 6.2 start value. Katelyn is the 2011 Junior National All Around Champion. Another relatively new face is Simone Biles. Simone placed 3rd All Around at the 2012 VISA Championships, as well as 1st All Around at the 2012 US Classic. Her most notable skills are her powerful amanar vault and sky high double layout on floor.  As far as the international competition goes, check out Sophie Scheder of Germany (Click here), Abi Caig of Great Britain (Click here), Nina Lou of China (Click here) and Ekaterina Baturina of Russia (Click here) 

Click here to learn more about ALL of the US gymnasts turning senior this year.

-Brittany

The National Team Additions

With the next National Team Training Camp set to take place January 21-25, many are wondering which athletes will be added to the National Team. With the Fierce Five currently out of training (with the exception of Kyla) the door is open for a few seniors to take their place. We have several juniors moving up to the senior ranks (such as Ohashi, Priessman, Biles, and Desch) who will most likely be filling those spots. As for the juniors, I think a healthy Nica Hults has a legitimate shot at making the team. Nia Dennis has also been working on several upgrades in the gym, such as an amanar on vault.


-Brittany


Juniors to watch at Nationals

With many new faces in the senior division, we should also focus on the extremely talented junior field that will take the stage at nationals. The latest addition to the junior national team is Polina Shchennikova who trains under her parents at Tigar Gymnastics. Polina is most known for her exquisite lines that resemble Olympic champion, Nastia Liukin. At last years nationals, Polina placed 2nd on bars and 10th all around. If all goes well, Polina can easily land on the all around podium this year. Another name to watch out for at this years nationals is the ever so fierce, Laurie Hernandez. Going into her second year as an elite, Laurie has some big upgrades in the works. She placed 3rd All Around at the Elite Qualifer, as well as 11th All Aroud at the 2012 US Classic. This year, Laurie looks to improve her ranking at Nationals and of course be on the junior national team. Click (here) to read our interview with Laurie! Amelia Hundley will be flying solo this year, as her teammates Lexie Priessman and Alexis Beucler will be turning senior. Amelia is super consistent and has been showing remarkable improvements every year. I know she has been training a double double dismount off bars for quite some time, maybe 2013 will be the year she debut's it. Regardless, I think now is Amelia's time to shine. Another fan favorite is the duo from Texas Dreams. Both Bailie Key and Nica Hults execute strong routines on every event, with beautiful form. Bailie is rumored to be training an amanar on vault, and hopefully will be adding upgrades to every event. Nica has been dealing with some injuries, but has said it's her goal to make it onto the National Team. With many of the past juniors moving into the senior ranks, the junior national title is up for grabs. And ANYTHING is possible.

-Ashlee

Seniors to watch at Nationals

Going into Nationals, we have some clear front runners for the All Around title. It's going to be a tough battle, and gymnastic fans can't wait to see how it all unfolds. The newcomers, Katleyn Ohashi and Lexie Priessman are ready to make a splash onto the big stage. These two have gone head to head in their junior days, and I expect the next 4 years to be no different. The veterans, Kyla Ross and Rebecca Bross come into Nationals fresh off the Olympic buzz. Kyla has been in training for quite some time now, and so I don't see being in top shape by August a problem for her. Rebecca has yet to resume training (that I know of!) but she has participated in both the tour and Mexican Gala since Trials, which means she is is decent shape and could be un-stoppable by the time Nationals roll around. Other gymnasts to look out for, Elizabeth Price and Madison Desch. Elizabeth is fresh off her back to back wins at the World Cup events. She is a phenomenal all around gymnast, and a huge threat for that title. Madison may be new to the senior stage, but she is undoubtedly talented. She is best known for her beam and floor work, but has shown that she can also be an all around gymnast with a 2nd place finish at last years VISA National Championships. Nonetheless,  this senior showdown is going to be thrilling to watch!

-Brittany

The Fierce Five at Nationals

Gabby, Jordyn, Aly, McKayla, and Kyla have all qualified directly to Nationals based on their performances at the Olympic games. This does not mean that they all will compete. For Gabby, she has expressed in various interviews that she’s considering training for Rio, however she will not be competing at nationals in 2013. She’s taking the year off to do the Teen Choice Tour, a book tour, and other engagements. Jordyn will likely be competing at nationals. Although it is unlikely that we will see Jordyn at her full strength and on the worlds team, she has expressed interest in training and plans on having a coach with her on the Teen Choice tour. For Kyla, Nationals are a given. She returned to full time training shortly after the Olympics, and is a strong contender for her first senior AA title, as well as a spot on the 4 person world team. Aly and McKayla are the two that have left us speculating what they will do next – they both have said that they would like to continue training and work towards Rio, however neither has returned to training. Aly’s endorsements, and the Teen Choice tour are keeping her out of the gym, and McKayla’s recovering from an injury she got during the Tour of Gymnastics Champions.

-Patrice



The American Cup

The American Cup will be the first big meet of 2013, and after such a quiet end to an exciting period after the Olympic Games, I expect it to bring some big names and lots of excitement for gymnastics fans. We will likely be seeing some big international names (Ailya Mustafina or Viktoria Komova of Russia, Victoria Moors of Canada, Larisa Iordache of Romania) at this event who have already returned to training, as well as some of USA’s new seniors. Kyla Ross is a likely contender to be competing at the American Cup, as is Lexie Priessman, Katelyn Ohashi, and 2012 Olympic Team Alternate and two time world cup champion Elizabeth Price. With the strength and depth of the USA team, it’s hard to predict who will compete, but it’s guaranteed to be a fierce and interesting competition.

-Patrice

The World Championships

Aside from the Olympic games, the World Championships are the most anticipated gymnastics meet of the season. With a bunch of new seniors on the rise and a few returning faces, the fight for the 4 spaces on the 2013 World Championships team will be a tough one. Lexie Priessman is the current junior national champion and has plenty of upgrades in the works. (Click here to read them.) Simone Biles is also a newcomer who plans to upgrade her routines on all 4 events in order to say in contention for one of those 4 spots. Former junior national champ, Katelyn Ohashi is also in the conversation too. She is a strong all arounder and has a world class beam routine that could easily win her the gold at Worlds. The "veterans" Kyla Ross and Elizabeth Price are far from done after their Olympic bids. Both girls have continued to train and attend the monthly national team camps. Ebee has already won 2 world cup titles in the past month.

-Ashlee

End of Speculation 

With the end of the Olympics, we have spent the past 6 months wondering what the Fierce Five will do next, and how the Fierce Five will fare with such strong juniors. We’ve also wondered who will win the 2013 World AA title, who will make the teams, and what we can expect from the next quad. We will also get our first look at the new Code of Points, which means big changes to the gymnastics world. 2013 will answer all of these questions for us. With a sport like gymnastics there is one thing that is certain – anything is possible.

-Patrice

Happy New Year!