The Best of 2011

The year is finally coming to a close and we take a look back at some of the best athletes and moments of 2011 in our own opinions. Happy New Year!

Gymnast of the Year- Jordyn Wieber

(Photo Credit: Lintao Zhang)

Coach of the Year- John Geddert

(Photo Credit: USAG)

Leotard of the Year- WOGA Nationals Day 2

(Photo Credit: Melissa Peterson)

Vaulter of the Year- McKayla Maroney

(Photo Credit: Thomas Schreyer)

Bar Worker of the Year- Beth Tweedle

(Photo Credit: Anthony Devlin)

Beamer of the Year- Katelyn Ohashi

(Photo Credit: Brian Jones)

Floor Tumbler of the Year- Aly Raisman

(Photo Credit: Jessica Frankl)

Best Floor Choreography- Ksenia Afanasyeva

(Photo Credit: Elena Mikhailovna)

Best Club- Texas Dreams

(Photo Credit: Texas Dreams Gymnastics)

Breakout Star of the Year- McKayla Maroney

(Photo Credit: Everett Brown)

Most Artistic- Anna Dementyeva

(Photo Credit: Joern Pollex)

Best Interviews- Shawn Johnson

(Photo Credit: coolspotters.com)

Biggest Comeback Kid- Shawn Johnson

(Photo Credit: Dennis Grombkowski)

Most Anticipated Comeback- Nastia Liukin

(Photo Credit: irishblogs news)

Best Stage Presence- Amelia Hundley

(Photo Credit: Melissa Perenson)

Cutest Athletes- Yao Jinnan and Bailie Key

(Photo Credit: Lintao Zhang)

(Photo Credit: Jessica Frankl)

Highest Tkatchev- Gabrielle Douglas

(Photo Credit: Charlie Krupa)

Best Leaps- Viktoria Komova

(Photo Credit: Thomas Schreyer)

Most Improved Team- Great Britain

(Photo Credit: AP)

Magazine of the Year- International Gymnast

(Photo Credit: International Gymnast)

Blogger of the Year- Get A Grip Gym Blog

Thanks to everyone who has followed, liked, and subscribed to our blog this year! We've been doing this for about 2 months and we've gotten so much support! We hope everybody has a great new year and were looking forward to the next year of blogging!



A Look Into The Cincinnati Gymnastics Program

The Cincinnati Gymnastics  Academy is located in Fairfeild, Ohio and owned by one of the 1996 Olympic coaches, Mary Lee Tracy. The gym has been around for 30 years and is still going strong today. Take a closer look inside one of the top gym's currently in the United States.

A Look Inside The Gym.....

A Look At Training...

You can check out the girls in training on Mary Lee's YouTube Channel!

Meet Mary Lee...

Mary Lee was one of the coaches of the 1996 Olympic team and has worked with several top elite gymnasts throughout her career. She has coached 26 National team members, 2 of whom were apart of the "Magnificent Seven" who went on win United States first ever team gold medal. Cincinnati Gymnastics was ranked the number one national training center in 1997-1999. You can view more of Mary Lee Tracy's accomplishments here.

Meet The Elites...

Mary Lee is the head coach of the CGA Elite team which currently consists of 5 girls; Amanda Jetter, Lexie Priessman , Amelia Hundley , Brianna Brown , and their newest elite, Alexis Beucler. The girls train 30 hours a week in order to acheive their goals. Mary Lee is lucky to be able to work with such a talented group of young girls. "Amelia is fun, funny, and a very hard worker who makes the most of her talents. Lexie is very full of spirit and energy! She is a very talented athlete and is the most aggressive and efficient in our workouts. Amanda is our senior leader! Jett has been here since the very beginning and loves to condition, she is also very good when it comes to persevering through her injuries." Amanda Jetter has been dealing with injuries but that's nothing Mary Lee cant handle! "I work with our trainer on the right plan and then we all work together to keep the athlete in the best shape while she heals, and trains the events she is capable of. We try to come up with very creative plans!" If there's anything else Mary Lee knows from experience is how to prepare her girls for a big upcoming meet. "We do lots and lots of routines! And less number's if they hit the first one. We also do verification's, sometimes with a judge." There is a big season ahead of us..with Nationals, Trials, and the Olympics all around the corner, Mary Lee knows what she wants of her girls. "We want 5 national team members, and the 2 seniors at trials with the goal of the Olympics!"

We can expect to see big things coming out of Cincinnati Gymnastics in the future! Congrats to Mary Lee Tracy for having one of the most successful gymnastics programs in the last 30 years!

(All Photo's belong to Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy)

8 Thing's We Are Looking Forward To In 2012

The Return Of Bross, Mustafina, Sacramone, and Liukin

(Photo from bostonherald.com)

With all the injury's in 2011, many athletes plan to return to competition in 2012. It will be interesting to see who is able to return to full strength along with upgrading. This includes Alyia Mustafina, Rebecca Bross, and Alicia Sacramone. Nastia Liukin is also set to make a return to competition. We cant wait to see these athletes back out on the floor!

Another Wieber-Komova Showdown

(Photo belongs to Jordyn Wieber)

There was a lot of talk about the "Wieber-Komova Showdown" and they finally went head to head at the World Championships. The results left Wieber fans satisfied and Komova fans unsatisfied. If Komova doesn't compete at the American cup, their next showdown will be the Olympics where they will fight for the ultimate prize of All Around Olympic Gold!


Nastia Liukin's New Floor Routine

(Photo belongs to Nastia Liukin)

Although we love Nastia and her grace,  her choreography always has the typical "WOGA" style. We were really excited when we found out So You Think You Can Dances Travis Wall was doing her choreography. We hope its the best we've seen in a while. (This could possibly be Nastia's new floor routine. She performed it at the 2011 Skating and Gymnastics Spectacular and has been seen doing it in training. You can watch it here! )

 

 

McKayla Maroney's New Vaults

(Photo from coastlinepilot.com)

McKayla Maroney announced in a International Gymnast Interview that she plans on upgrading her 2 vaults for the upcoming season. She would like to change her amanar to a triple twisting yurchenko and her laidout podkopayeva to a Cheng. Both these vaults have huge start values, (Cheng: 16.5 Triple: 17.2) and if she competes them both, she'll be untouchable.

 

 

Kyla Ross's First Year As A Senior

(Photo from Kyla Ross' Official Website)

Kyla has been a fan favorite in the junior division for the past 3 years. In 2012 she will finally have her chance to shine on the Senior stage. She dosen't have much international experience under her belt, so a meet like the 2012 Pacific Alliance might be Kya's only chance to prove herself on the international stage before the games. She will be fighting for one of the 5 spots on the olympic team and many think she has a great shot at competing in the all around in London. We cant wait for Kyla to be added into the mix!

 

 

To See The Final Upgrades

(Photo from UniversalSports.com)

There is no more "She can upgrade here." or "She needs to upgrade this." The routine's we see in early 2012 will most likely be the routines we see in London. It will be interesting to see who upgrades on what events and who can pull off their new routines heading into the Olympic year.

 

 

The Olympic Team Announcement

(Photo from  Polina Shchennikova)

Nothings more exciting than that moment when the Olympic team is announced. No more predictions, no more waiting, it's official! The 5 Olympic team members and 3 alternates will be named at the 2012 Olympic Trials in San Jose, California on July 1st.

 

 

The Olympic Games

(Photo from cces-ancient-greece.wikispaces.com)

Its the moment we've all been waiting for! The best athletes from around the world will battle it out to become the best in the world. This is where hard work will hopefully pay off. Who do you think will take home a gold?

Meet The Elite- Elizabeth Price

What is it like training at Parkettes?

I really enjoy training at Parkettes. My coaches and teammates are like my family. My coaches can be strict, but what coaches aren't? They're just trying their hardest to make us the best athletes we can be.

What is a typical day like for you?

In my typical day, I wake up around 7am, get dressed, eat a small breakfast, and leave home close to 7:30 (it takes 20 minutes to get to gym). I get to the gym early and hangout until 8:30am, when practice starts. My group warms up and conditions for an hour. And at 9:30 we do three events for an hour each before having an hour lunch break at 12:30pm. Then we do our last event at 1:30pm for an hour before going back to bars and beam for about a half hour each. At 3:30 we condition and stretch for about 30-45 minutes. When I get home I relax a little and go on the computer before starting schoolwork around 5pm (I'm home schooled). I do school until 8 or 9pm with eating dinner between and then take a shower and watch TV until 10pm, when I go to bed.

What are your goals for the future?

 My goals for the future are to be able to compete at the American Cup or Pacific Alliance competitions before gearing up for the Olympic training season.

Have you ever had any embarrassing moments during competition?

There have been multiple times where I would forget parts of my floor routine while competing, but I think that's as embarrassing as it gets.

How do you stay motivated through tough days in the gym or in competition?

I stay motivated by thinking of my goals and what I want to accomplish in the future, and the only way I can reach those goals is if I fight through my tough days.

What was the hardest skill for you to learn?
The hardest skill for me to learn was probably a yurchenko layout vault. I remember day after day having bad landings on that vault. It took me a shorter amount of time to learn to twist a vault and land nicely.

What gymnasts do you look up to?
There isn't really one gymnast I look up too. I really look up to all the gymnasts that have been successful in their careers and gone to the Olympics or won a World Championships.

Are you working on any upgrades?

I'm working on a yurchenko 2 1/2 twist on vault. On bars I'm working on connecting skills for more bonus points. On beam I'm working a double pike dismount and a handspring layout full series. And on floor I'm working on harder tumbling passes like a tucked double twisting double back and a full twisting double layout.

(Photo from Elizabeth Price's Offical Website)

The Hardest Skill In Gymnastics....

"Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy. For it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one's liberty." - Henri Frederic Amiel

What's the hardest skill for a gymnast to conquer? We asked some elite gymnasts from around the world to see what was their toughest skill to learn.

Cassie Whitcomb (4 Time National Team Member, Freshman at UCLA)

"The hardest skill for me to learn was my stalder pike hect on the the uneven bars."

(Photo from Cassie Whitcomb's Official Website)

                                        

Samantha Peszek (2008 Olympian, Sophomore at UCLA)

"I think the hardest skill in gymnastics for me to learn mentally was a round off back handspring, but physically was a front giant."

 (Photo from insidegymnastics.com)

Erika Fasana (5th All Around at the 2010 Junior European Championships)

"Every single skill on uneven bars I'm a bit afraid of!"

(Photo from Erika Fasana)

Briley Casanova (2 Time National Team Member, Freshman at University of Michigan in 2013)

"I would say one of the hardest skills for me to learn would be a standing arabian on the beam."

(Photo from Briley Casanova's official website)

Kristina Vaculik (2011 Canadian World Team Member, Sophomore at Stanford)

"I think one of the hardest skills for me to learn was the kip. That one is tough."

(Photo from International Gymnast)

Elizabeth Price (2 Time National Team Member)

"The hardest skill for me to learn was probably a yurchenko layout vault. I remember day after day having bad landings on that vault. It took me a shorter amount of time to learn a twisting vault and land nicely!"

(Photo from Elizabeth Price's Official Website)

Brandie Jay (2 Time Pan Am Gold Medalist, Georgia Freshman in 2013) 

"I guess the hardest thing for me was a double back off beam....it was just the scariest thing for me to learn."

(Photo from sports.yahoo.com)

Kim Zmeskal (1991 World Champion, Owner of Texas Dreams Gymnastics)

"The skill that gave me more trouble than any other skill in my career was the '96 compulsory bar dismount, a skill that many around the world have learned easily- a toe on front 1/2 dismount. Being an 18 year old when starting to learn it with no toe circle basics as well as the fact that I wanted to do the 1/2 turn before flipping forward made this skill my "hardest skill"... I wish I could say it was something... umm, harder."

(Photo from wikifeet.com)

Read our other question posts:

How to balance elite gymnastics, school, and have fun?

What's the difference between college and elite gymnastics?

What are you thinking during your routine?

What's in your gym bag?

What goes into making a floor routine?

Have a question that you'd like to see answered in our next segment? Shoot us an email through our contact page!

One To Watch...Super Sage!

Sage is the name of a talented young gymnast you may want to remember! She started gymnastics in 2009 at the age of 6, and just 3 years later she is 8 years old and competing as a level 8 gymnast! Gymnastics has always come naturally to Sage. She skipped level 4 and went straight to level 5, then she skipped level 6 and went to level 7. As a level 5 gymnast, Sage was the youngest competing in the state and got 1st or 2nd all around in every meet she competed in. She placed 2nd all around at States. As a level 7 she was still the youngest competing in the state, winning several gold medals on bars, beam, and floor throughout the season, she then went on to place 3rd all around at States. Sage has consistently scored in the 9.0's at every meet.

Sage salutes the judges to begin her routine

                              

Sage has qualified for TOPS National Camp two years in a row and is currently on the TOPS National "A" Team. She is shooting to compete as a level 9 mid season and is certainly ready! She has all her level 9 routines except on bars. Becoming an elite is definitely a goal in the future and Sage is on the right track, she plans on testing for HOPES in the spring. Maybe one day she will be like her idols. "I like Nastia Liukin because she won the gold, Nadia Comeneci because she got the first perfect 10, and Shawn Johnson because she is brave on beam, which is my favorite event!" Sage said.

Sage (left) got to work with Valeri Liukin at a TOPS Camp

                     

Like we said, beam is Sage's favorite event where she competes many level 10 and elite skills, such as a front aerial into a back handspring layout stepout, a side aerial, a switch leap into a split jump back tuck, and a back handspring full twist dismount. "My favorite event is beam, because I like being brave and I'm not scared to try hard tricks." Sage says. On bars she is working on front giants, blind changes, shoot halves, and a double back dismount. On vault, Sage has her piked yurchenko and is working on her yurchenko layout. On floor,  she does a 1 1/2 punch front, a full twist into a layout stepout, and a front hand spring front layout punch front. She can land her double back on floor with a mat.

So what's Sage's favorite part of gymnastics? "Being able to do lots of cool tricks, instead of just standing there, doing nothing, and being bored!"

 Sage with her family. Fun fact: She is a triplet and has an older brother!

                      

You can watch Sage in action on her youtube channel supergymnastsage! Her account was created a little over a year ago and already has 1,800 subscribers!

We would like to thank Sage and her family for their time. We wish Sage the best of luck in the future!

*For privacy and saftey reasons we did not include any of Sage's personal information. (Last name, gym, etc..)

*All photo's belong to Sage's family.

Written By: Ashlee

A "Perfect 10" With Erika Fasana

Erika Fasana was born on February 17, 1996. (Making her eligible for the 2012 Olympic Games) She lives in Como, Italy and trains at Brixia Brescia Gymnastics under coaches Enrico Casella and Laura Rizzoli. At the 2010 Junior European Championships, Erika helped her team win the bronze medal. Individually she earned a bronze medal on vault and placed 5th in the all around. At this years European Youth Olympic Festival, Erika contributed to Italy's team gold medal. She went on to place 2nd in the all around, 3rd on vault, and 3rd on bars.

(Courtesy of Erika Fasana)

1. How did you get your start in gymnastics and how old were you?

I started gymnastics when I was 4. My mum decided to take me in a gym because I was very lively.

2. When you were growing up, what gymnast(s) did you look up to?

My favorite gymnast is Shawn Johnson, but the gymnast that inspires me most is my teammate Vanessa Ferrari. She always trains very hard and she never gives up!

3. What was the best advice you were ever given?
Always try my best and I can do it! 

4. What keeps you motivated through tough days in the gym or in competitions?
I'm very focused on my goals which are the test event in January in London and, of course the Olympics.

5. What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
 My biggest accomplishments are the medals that I won at the Europeans in Birmingham and at the EYOF in Turkey.

6. What are some of your specific goals for 2012? 
My 2012 goals are the test event, the Italian Nationals and hopefully the Olympics.

7. Are there any upgrades that your working on that you are willing to share?
 I'm working on some new skills on beam and on floor.

8. What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I love to surf the net (facebook, twitter), and go out with friends!

9. What was the hardest skill for you to learn?
Every single skill on uneven bars, I'm a bit afraid of!!!

10. What would you like to do when you are done with gymnastics?
I haven't really thought about that... but I have time to think too!

(Courtesy of Erika Fasana)

                               

Watch Erika in action at the 2011 European Youth Olympic Festival

Watch this impressive beam routine from training (Reminds us of Ally Raisman!)

Good Luck to Erika in 2012!!!!

Interview With Madison Kocian

Q: You didn't compete at Classics or Visas this summer and there were rumors that you were competing level 10, is that true?

A: No, I'm still elite! My next meet will be the WOGA Classic.

Q: Who are your coaches?

A: I have two coaches- Laurent Landi and Natasha Boyarskaya.

Q: Are you training any new skills for the upcoming season?

A: Yes, I'm training a few new skills on bars.


Q: What's a typical day like for you?

A: During the school year I train in the morning from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Then I go to school from 12:30pm till 3:00pm and come back to the gym from 3:30pm to 6:00pm. 

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I like to swim and hang out with my friends when I'm not in the gym.

Q: Do you have a favorite leotard from any previous competitions you've been to?

A: I don't really have a favorite leo! 

Q: Out of all the country's you've traveled to, what has been your favorite so far?

A: Italy! I went there for 12 days during spring break for the Jesolo meet and I had so much fun!

Q:  What is your favorite event?

A: Bars! It's also my best event, If you couldn't tell that already!

Q: What's it like training along side Nastia Liukin, and how is her training going?

A: It's wonderful training with Nastia! She is a great, hard worker and very inspirational. Her training is going wonderful!

Q: What are your goals for the future?

A: Just to train hard and get ready for this season!

(Photo from Madison Kocians Offical Website)

Former Elite Gymnasts....Where'd They Go?

Shantessa Pama

Junior Elite from 2003-2006

Age Now: 20

Shantessa sat out the 2007 season due to injuries. She dropped back down to level 10 in 2008. Her plan was to compete at the level 10 states, regional's, and nationals. Then she wanted to try and qualify to elite again her senior year of highschool. Shantessa failed to qualify to the J.O. Nationals and decided to stay level 10 and train for college. She wanted to compete for UCLA, Georgia, or Standford. There were rumors of Marta Karolyi not liking her because she had boyfriends and did things she didn't like. Marta stopped inviting Shantessa to training camps. In an early 2007 interview, Shantessa said Marta was disappointed in her decisions. She decided to quit gymnastics to be a normal teenager... or so everyone thought. Although Shantessa never competed again, she continued to train up until 2010 when she officially quit. She later enrolled at a community college and starting coaching at Gym Max. During the summer of 2011, Shantessa mentioned making a comeback in the gym, but it never happened.

Then:

Now:

Bianca Flohr

Junior Elite from 2003- 2006

Senior Elite in 2007

Age Now: 20

Bianca missed the summer of 2007 because of a back injury. She dropped down to level 10 in 2008 to train for college. She received a full scholarship to the University of Michigan, but it was taken away after she failed to recover after a few years of being injured. She decided to retire in 2009. She now goes to Kent State, but she is not on the gymnastics team. 

Then:

Now:

Jenna Rachels

Junior Elite in 2007

Age Now: 17

In late 2008 Jenna qualified to the US Classic, but had to withdraw due to injury. She dropped to level 10 in 2009 and had knee surgery in April. She is currently a level 10 a Gwinnetts Gymnastics and an 11th grader at Union Grove Highschool where she is a varsity cheerleader.

Then:

Now:

Kamerin Moore

Junior Elite 2007-2009

Age Now: 16

After competing in a few international meets in early 2009, Kamerin had to have shoulder surgery. While on the road to recovery she also had hip surgery in the beginning of 2010. (A non gymnastics related injury) After a rocky 2 year road to recovery Kamerin decided to retire from elite and focus on level 10 and earning a college scholarship. She is now attending public school as an 11th grader after being homeschooled her whole life. Kamerin watched her teammate Jordyn Wieber win the 2011 National Championships and later tweeted this: "Realized this weekend that I'd given up on the dream I've had since I was 6. I'm ready to work for it again. I want it more than anything <3" She later confirmed on her formspring that she was training to qualify to elite this year, but changed her mind and decided to stay at level 10. Just recently Kamerin verbally committed to the University of Nebraska.

Then:

Now:

Petra Matthies

Junior Elite 2006-2007

Age Now: 18

Petra competed in 1 meet as an elite in early 2007. She competed as a junior pre elite in 2008. She suffered from no injury's during her gymnastics career, it is said that she just burnt out. She graduated from Highschool in 2011 and is currently coaching at Exxcel Gymnastics.

Then:

Now:

Madison Turchin

Junior Elite in 2006

Age Now: 17

Madison placed 23rd all around at her first and only meet as an elite gymnast, the 2006 National Championsips. She retired shortly after to become captain of a highly competitive and well know cheer team, the Orlando All Stars. (The 2011 UDA National Champions)

Then:

Now:

(First one on the right in the front row)

Gabrielle Swart

Junior Elite 2006-2007

Age Now: 19

Gabrielle dropped down to level 10 in 2008 after switching to Brestyans Gymnastics. She attempted to qualify to senior elite in 2010 but just missed the cut. She committed to LSU but transferred to Maryland after the fall semester.

Then:

Now:

Click here to read part 2!

And here for part 3!