The Best of 2013

As another year comes to an end, we take one last look at some of the bests of 2013. For the entire month of December, the gymnastics community has been voting for their personal favorites in our polls and now the results are in! (Nearly 1,000 people voted!) Here's who you voted as the best of 2013!

Most Improved:
Winning with 40% of the votes: Laurie Hernandez

Photo Credit: Maggie Haney

2013 was a great year for Laurie Hernandez! When you look at her results from 2012 and compare them to 2013, it's crazy to think about how much she's improved in just one short year. Laurie entered 2012 relatively unknown and placed way out of the picture in 21st at Nationals. In 2013 she burst onto the scene with several new skills and a new level of confidence. Following a training camp in June she was added to the junior national team and got first on floor at the American Classic. At the U.S. Championships she improved her all around ranking from 2012 by 19 places and also took home three event medals. (Silver on bars/floor and bronze on beam.) Her 2nd place all around finish solidified her spot on the national team and earned her her first international assignment in Japan! At the Junior Japan International Laurie placed 3rd and concluded her 2013 season at the Mexican Open where she placed 2nd all around and first with the team. 

Runner up- Giulia Steingruber


Most Stylish
Winning with 30% of the votes: Kyla Ross

Photo Credit: Ayako Murao 

Perhaps the most elegant gymnast in the US, it's no surprise that Kyla Ross was voted the most stylish athlete of the year! Kyla is known across the globe for her beautiful lines and elegant posture. Her style commands your attention and the lightness of movement she exhibits is captivating to say the least. She makes everything look so clean and easy, it's no surprise she was awarded the 2013 Longines Prize for Elegance for her stunning performances at the World Championships. 2013 was a great year for Kyla; her new-found confidence and maturity definitely showed in all of her performances and she was able to accomplish a lot of great things as one of the USA's top all around gymnasts. After the World Championships, Kyla earned the nickname "Silver Princess,"  however I think the name "Elegant Empress" is more suiting.

Runner up- Aliya Mustafina


Best Dancer
Winning with 59% of the votes: Laurie Hernandez

Photo Credit: USA Gymnastics

There is no question that Laurie Hernandez owned the floor this year. She's the floor queen...simply because she gives it her all every time she competes and she looks like she's having a blast! When she steps onto that mat to perform she lights up the arena and commands everybody's attention. Every movement she makes is so precise and elegant. With her extreme flexibility and unique choreography, Laurie really stands out amongst her competitors. She's easily one of the greatest dancers of all time in the USA and she's only 13!

Runner up- Sydney Johnson Scharpf

Breakout Athlete
Winning with 76% of the votes: Simone Biles

Photo Credit: Unknown

2013 was Simone Biles year! In her first year as a senior she couldn't have asked for things to go any better. It all started when she was selected to compete at the American Cup- her first international meet. (Talk about pressure!) After a fall on beam she still managed to finish 2nd all around and place 1st on vault and bars. Then she dominated at Jesolo by winning the gold with the team, in the all around, and on vault, beam, and floor! At the US Classic she had a rough meet- falling on every event and eventually scratching on vault, but she got redemption at the U.S. Championships where she was crowned U.S National Champion! It didn't slow down there though, Simone was selected to compete at the World Championships in October where she dominated the competition; qualifying to all four event finals, getting a skill named after her, and winning 4 medals...two gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. Not bad for a first year senior!

Runner up- Roxana Popa


Best USA leotard from Worlds
Winning with 37% of the votes: Vault and Bar finals

Photo Credit: Getty Images

It was refreshing to see a US gymnast in something other than pink at this years World Championships! Simone Biles, Mckayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross all dazzled in this beautiful royal purple color that was worn in the vault and bars finals! Definitely one of my favorite leotards from all of 2013!

Runner up- Qualifications

Favorite gymnast from a "non big 4" country
Winning with 57% of the votes: Victoria Moors

Photo Credit: Melissa Perenson 

Known for her intricate floor work and hilarious tweets, it's no surprise that Canadian powerhouse Victoria Moors takes the title! She started the year off with a bang placing 3rd All Around at the American Cup and winning the floor title against a strong field. She then went on to place 10th All Around at the World Championships and even got a move named after her in the code of points! (Laid out double double). Victoria Moors never fails to entertain gymnastics fans all over the world, both on and off the mat!

Runner up- Gulia Streingruber

Best Choreography
Winning with 31% of the votes: Larisa Iordache

Photo Credit: Volker Minkus

I'm really happy that Larisa won best floor choreography because this was without a doubt one of my favorite routines of the year! She does an excellent job of drawing the crowd in by making eye contact with the judges and having very precise and sharp movements. Larisa oozed confidence with this routine and even managed to score a bronze medal at the World Championships! I'm hoping we can see more of this routine next year!

Runner up- Kyla Ross

Most Anticipated NCAA Freshman

Winning with 43% of the votes: Jennifer Pinches- UCLA 

Photo Credit: Unknown

Gymnastics fans were ecstatic when 2012 British Olympian came out of retirement in July and announced she would be competing on the UCLA gymnastics team! Jenni is a fan favorite and with good reason, she does great gymnastics and has a great personality! (Something that all gym fans love!) Expect to see Jenni in the lineups on vault, bars, and floor at UCLA!

Honorable mention- Mckenzie Wofford 

Most Impressive Skill

Winning with 37% of the votes: The "Moors" (Laid out double double)




At the 2013 World Championships, Victoria Moors fell on this impressive skill during qualifications, eliminating the opportunity to compete it in event finals. This meant that the all around final would be her last chance to successfully compete it and get it named after her. Sure enough she delivered and the laid out double double officially became the Moors!

Honorable mention- Mo Salto (performed by Yao Jinnan) 


Cutest

Winning with 29% of the votes: Norah Flatley

Photo Credit: Gymnastike

The tiny thirteen year old from Chows gym in Iowa is known for her adorable smile and impressive skills. She is only a first year elite but has been a fan favorite for several years when video of her incredible beam work surfaced on the Gymternet. This little bundle of joy is without a doubt the cutest gymnast of 2013! 

Runner up- Laurie Hernandez
  


Favorite Elite Gym

Winning with 40% of the votes: Texas Dreams

Photo Credit: Kim Zmeskal

It was a great year for the Texas Dream Team with junior standout Bailie Key winning every competition she competed in, Nica Hults getting her first international assignment, Kennedy Baker signing with the University of Florida, and Peyton Ernst continuing to improve in the all around rankings! (2nd AA at Classics and 4th AA at Nationals!) Texas Dreams is lead by the legendary Kim Zmeskal and is currently the largest elite gym in the country! They have 7 elite gymnasts (including newcomer Ragan Smith) and one of the strongest level 10 teams in the nation. Way to go, Dream Team!

Runner up- Chows


Greatest Comeback

Winning with 79% of the votes: Mckayla Maroney

Photo Credit: Unknown

Winning by an overwhelming amount, fan favorite Mckayla Maroney surprised everyone after coming back from 3 surgeries (in just 3 months!) to become the World Champion on vault! In late 2012, Mckayla underwent her 3rd surgery to remove two large screws from her left tibia and many people wrote her off for the 2013 season. But Maroney proved to be a fighter and she bounced back like nothing ever happened, winning the vault and floor title at Nationals! She also proved to be a serious contender for the All Around when she placed 6th in Qualifications at the World Championships! I was so impressed with not only how quick Mckayla was able to bounce back from surgery, but with also how much she had improved. Props to her for having the greatest comeback of the season!

Runner up- Elizabeth Price



This was not a category, but we'd like to give a special shout out to Bailie Key for going undefeated this year. 2013 was definitely her best year yet!

Thank you all for voting on the best of 2013! Here's to what is hopefully an even better year in 2014! 

Incoming Freshman- Pac 12

Until the start of the NCAA season in January, our freshmen previews will provide some background info on the incoming freshmen for some of the top gymnastics schools in the nation.

In this preview, we look at some of the top schools from the Pac 12! 

UCLA

Angi Cipra

Event(s): All Around

Gym:Desert Devils

Accomplishments: 

2013 State Vault Champion

2012 JO Nationals- 3rd Vault and 1st Floor
2012 Regionals- 1st AA, VT, UB, BB, and FX
2012 States- 1st AA, VT, UB, BB, and FX






How She Can Help The Team: 

Angi is a strong addition to the UCLA team and is capable of bringing in some big scores this season. She's a powerful gymnast and very dynamic, so her strongest events are vault and floor (check out that huge full-in!), however Coach Val says she might eventually compete in the all around this season. Angi tends to get down on herself easily when she makes a mistake, so Val says they are going to ease her into the lineup. 

Mikaela Gerber

Events(s): Bars, Beam, and Floor
Gym: Oakville Gymnastics
Accomplishments:
2012 Canadian Championships- 12th AA and 4th Beam
2012 Grand Prix- 7th Vault

2011 Pan American Games- 1st Team and Floor
2011 Worlds- 11th Team
2010 Canadian Championships- 2nd AA

 

How She Can Help The Team: 

Mikaela is such a beautiful gymnast and really fits in with the "artistic" reputation that UCLA has. Since she's still not at full strength from her shoulder surgery, she might not make too many lineup spots- at least at the beginning of the season, but Coach Val says she will be a great back up on bars, beam, and floor!

 
Jessy MacArthur

Event(s): Vault and Bars
Gym: GymJam
Accomplishments:
3 time JO National Invitational Tournament qualifier
2013 Regionals- 3rd Bars and 8th AA

 



How She Can Help The Team: 
Since she suffered from a stress fracture last year, Jessy is still in the recovery process and will contribute mostly on vault and bars this season which are her strongest events.


 
Hallie Mossett

Events: All Around
Gym: West Coast Elite
Accomplishments: 
US National Team Member (2009 & 2011)
2011 Visa Championships- 11th AA and 8th Floor
2011 American Classic- Floor Champion
2009 USA-Japan International- 1st Team and 4th AA




How She Can Help The Team: 
Hallie is the perfect combination of power and beauty. After two major surgeries in the last two years (Hip and ACL) Hallie is being paced slowly and should make a big impact in the lineups later in the season. However at the start of the season Coach Val would like to see her competing bars, beam, and watered down floor routines.

 

Jennifer Pinches

Events: Vault, Bars, and Floor
Gym: City of Liverpool
Accomplishments: 
2012 Great Britain Olympic Team Member
2012 British Championships- Beam Champion and 2nd AA
2010 Glasgow Cup- 3rd Floor



 
How She Can Help The Team:
After the 2012 Olympics, Jennifer retired from gymnastics because she thought she was done. Then she got a call from Valorie Condos Field and before she knew it she was back in the gym doing gymnastics again. Jenni is a fabulous gymnast and is going to be great on the college scene. According to Coach Val you can expect to see her in the vault, bars, and floor lineups this season. 


 
Alex Waller

Events: All Around
Gym: Gym Jam
Accomplishments: 
2013 JO National Invitational Tournament- Beam Champion
2012 JO National Invitational Tournament- 9th AA



 

How She Can Help The Team:
With her parents being the assistant coaches, Alex has been involved with the UCLA gymnastics program for as long as she can remember. She is very tall for a gymnast (5'5) and has very nice lines. Alex will be a solid addition to the lineup on bars and beam this season.

 
 
UTAH

Baely Rowe
 Events: All Around
Gym: Auburn Gymnastics Center 
Accomplishments: 
2013 JO National Champion
2013 Regional Champion
2013 State Champion
2012 JO Nationals- 2nd AA
2012 Nastia Cup- 7th AA




How She Can Help The Team:
Baely is going to be a strong addition for Utah on all four events. She is truly an all around gymnast who can bring in big scores on every event. The pressure is on for Baely though, as she is the only member of Utah's freshman class. 

 

STANFORD

Rachel Daum

Event(s): All Around

Gym: Stars Houston

Accomplishments: 
Elite gymnast from 2009-2010

2013 JO Nationals- 2nd UB and 5th VT

2013 Regional Champion

2013 State Champion

2012 JO Nationals- 3rd AA

2011 JO Nationals- VT and FX Champion

How She Can Help The Team: 
Rachel is a very dynamic gymnast who is capable of bringing in big scores on vault and floor. She placed 2nd on bars at last years JO Nationals so I could definitely see her sneaking into the lineup on that event too sometime later in the season! 

Carinne Gale

Event(s): All Around
Gym: Monarchs National Gymnastics
Accomplishments:
Elite gymnast in 2009
2012 JO National Competitor
2011 JO Nationals- 6th AA
2008 US Challenge- 2nd AA





How She Can Help The Team:
Carinne is a very elegant gymnast who I could see factoring into the all around at some point in her career. However, she did not compete much last season (I'm assuming injuries were a factor) and she doesn't have the most experience out of the entire freshmen class. I predict that Carinne might only see action on a few events this year but could be very useful to Stanford's program in the near future!

 

Sophia Lee

Event(s): All Around
Gym: WOGA
Accomplishments:
Elite gymnast from 2008-2011
2012 JO Nationals- 3rd AA
2012 State Champion
2011 Visa Championships- 9th AA


 
How She Can Help The Team: 
Sophia Lee is a name you might remember from the elite scene. She's a powerful gymnast who will likely see herself in the lineup on floor this season. I could also see Sophia making the vault lineup if needed and may eventually become a strong all arounder for Stanford later in the season. Sophia did not compete last year which could possibly play a role in her lineup positions this year.


 
  
Danielle Mcnair

Events: All Around
Gym: Gym Max
Accomplishments: 
Elite gymnast in 2009
5 time JO National Qualifier


 


How She Can Help The Team: 
Danielle is strong on vault and floor and will likely be used on those events. She also has a very nice bar set that could bring in a decent score for the Cardinals. 



 
Nicolette Mcnair

Events: All Around
Gym: Gym Max
Accomplishments: 
Elite gymnast from 2009-2010
2013 JO Nationals- 1st UB and 3rd AA






How She Can Help The Team:
Like her sister, Nicolette is a powerful gymnast who will be a great addition to the vault and floor lineups. But don't be surprised if you see her competing on all four events this year because she is also great on bars and beam and can bring in some big scores with her consistency.

 

Haley Spector

Events: All Around
Gym: Deltchev Gymnastics Academy 
Accomplishments: 
2012 Regionals- 1st Floor
2012 JO Nationals- 2nd Beam and 4th Floor



 

How She Can Help The Team:
Hayley is a strong candidate to compete on all four events for Stanford this year but will likely only compete beam and floor at the beginning of the season since they are her strongest events. 

 




Click (here) to check out the incoming freshmen from the Big 10.
Click (here) to check out the incoming freshman from the Big 12.

All photos came from the websites of the colleges. 

Get To Know: Delanie Harkness

The soon-to-be 12 year old Delanie Harkness has potential to be the next big thing with her natural talent and star-like qualities. She hails from Gedderts Twistars in Michigan- the same gym as 2012 Olympic Champion Jordyn Wieber and will hopefully follow in her footsteps. Delanie is entering her second year of level 10 and has her sights set on 2020 in Tokyo. We spoke with Delanie about her goals for this season, future upgrades, and what it's like training with her idol!

Photo Credit: Greg Long

Can you talk about your season last year and how things went overall?

Last season was a challenging season due to going from level 9 to level 10 [in the same year.] Learning all the new skills in a short period of time was a little tricky, but it got a lot easier as the year went on. I was happy with my results overall last season. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to compete at Regionals or go to Nationals because I was sick, but I'm hoping to make it this year.

I know you are on the elite track, do you have any idea when you will test for elite?

I really don't know when I'll be testing, but I'm hoping maybe this summer. I want to do another year of level 10 to try and make it to Nationals.

Photo Credit: Delanie Harkness

You've been to a few developmental camps down at the Ranch this year, what is that like? Was there anything that surprised you?

It's really fun and challenging at the ranch! Meeting all the other girls from all over the country and being coached by national coaches is a great experience. Nothing really surprised me, but the animals they have there surprised me a little bit.

What is it like training at Twistars with John Geddert? 

Training at Twistars under John Geddert is just a huge honor! To be coached by the Olympic head coach is just unbelievable! John and his wife Kathryn are just amazing coaches and dedicated in getting the very best out of their gymnasts. I look forward to many more years with him as my coach.

Photo Credit: Lansing State Journal

Growing up at Twistars, you've got to watch Jordyn Wieber work her way to World and Olympic gold, is that inspiring to you? 

Yes it's very inspiring to me just to be in the same gym as her!  It's amazing to train with her and learn to do the same skills [that she did.] She is one of the best role models and would give me advice and support when I needed it.

Photo Credit: Lansing State Journal, USA Gymnastics, and Delanie Harkness

You and your teammate Autumn [Blaney] are sometimes compared to Jordyn and Kamerin [Moore] from back in the day. How does that comparison make you feel?

I think it's an honor that someone would compare us to them because they are both such great role models and fantastic gymnasts. 

Photo Credit: Kamerin Moore and Delanie Harkness

What is your favorite skill to compete and why?

My favorite skill to compete is probably my front aerial on beam; I just love to show off!

Photo Credit: Greg Long

What skills do you plan on adding to your routines this year? 

Well on beam I'll be adding a sheep jump. On floor I'll be adding a full-in and a front layout+front rudi. On bars I'll be adding a blind full and on vault a yurchenko layout, but hopefully a full.

(Note: Delanie has posted videos on her instagram of her training some big skills including a double double, a double layout, and a piked full-in into a pit. She also did a front layout+double front on floor and on beam- a front toss and 2 1/2 dismount.)

Photo Credit: Lansing State Journal

What is your daily schedule like? How do you balance school and gym? 

Well I go to practice in the morning for 3 hours, then I go to school and leave at 2:30pm to go back to my evening practice. It is a little difficult balancing school and practice because I get a little behind on my school work. So when I have a break from school I catch up on a lot of my school work.

What do you like to do when you are not in the gym?

I like to hang out with my friends and family, and get school work done! Shopping is also kind of a hobby for me!  

Photo Credit: Lansing State Journal

       

Thank you Delanie! We wish you all the best in the future!

Make sure you follow Delanie on Twitter!

         

Bringing Back: Jenna Rachels

Does anyone else remember this girl? She was a junior elite gymnast back in 2007 and one of my personal favorites. While her days on the elite scene were short lived, I still think she was a superb gymnast who showed a lot of potential for such a young age. Jenna reminded me a lot of Jordyn Wieber at the time because they had a similar style of gymnastics and they both always wore those adorable hair scrunchies. Maybe that's why I liked her so much? Anyways..

Photo Credit: Heather Maynez

I wanted to talk a little bit about Jenna's career. I'm sure many of you don't know who she is because like I said, her days as an elite gymnast were very short. I believe she never really reached her full potential both at the elite and JO level due to the nagging injuries that ultimately ended her career. It's really unfortunate but nonetheless I think Jenna Rachels had a pretty good run.

Jenna started gymnastics at the age of four at a place called Paris School of Performing Arts. I've never heard of the place but according to Jenna's website (which luckily I was able to find in archives) she trained there until she was a level 8 gymnast. She then moved on to Gwinnett Gymnastics Center and began competing levels 9 and 10. At the age of 11, Jenna was a TOPS participant and also qualified to the HOPES division at the 2006 US Classic. Unfortunately an elbow injury kept her from competing during most of the level 10 season that year. 

In 2007, Jenna moved with her coach to World Extreme Gymnastics Center. She was invited to attend a National Team Training Camp and eventually qualified to compete at the 2007 US Classic where she placed 15th AA. Jenna also competed at the 2007 VISA Championships and placed 23rd AA. She was 12 years old at the time and the only elite gymnast in her state. Even though she didn't place that high at Nationals, I still feel like she showed a lot of potential. I was certainly a fan after her performance!

                     \

Jenna started out the 2008 season by placing 3rd AA and 2nd on bars and floor at the Lady Luck Invitational. She then went on to win bars, floor, and the all around at the Parkette Invitational. In February, Jenna attended another National Team Training Camp and qualified to compete at the US Classic. Her goal was to qualify to Nationals again but unfortunately she injured herself and could not compete. I'm not sure how she injured herself (knee injury?) but it must have been something minor considering that later that year she bounced back with a clean sweep at the Music Invitational. 2008 was a good year for Jenna (small injury aside) because she was beginning to add upgrades and become more consistent. Even though she didn't compete much during the summer (elite season) she still managed to have a pretty decent level 10 season. Her goal of competing in the 2012 London Olympics was still in sight.

                      

Jenna competed periodically in 2009 after having surgery on her knee. I'm assuming this knee injury was what kept her out for the elite part of the season in 2008. She also switched back to Gwinnett Gymnastics Center. In 2010, Jenna placed 2nd on bars and beam at the Spring Break Out. She also placed 2nd on bars at the State Championships and then retired shortly after. Her body couldn't take anymore. I wish Jenna could have stuck around because she would have been a fabulous collegiate gymnast, but as always safety has to come first. She made a smart decision and ended up finding a new passion because of it! Putting her gymnastics background to use, Jenna took up competitive cheerleading. She attended Ola High School and helped the team to a first place finish at the 2012 State Championships!

                        

Jenna graduated from high school in 2013. I'm hoping she decided to continue her passion for cheerleading at the collegiate level. I think that would be a pretty fair trade off.  Best wishes to her!

Photo Credit: Lloyd Smith

Preseason chat with UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field

Under the leadership of Valorie Kondos Field, the UCLA gymnastics team has become one of the top programs in the NCAA and the school of choice for many high-caliber elite gymnasts and Olympians. Formerly a professional ballet dancer, Valorie brings a unique and refreshing approach to the artistic component of the sport. Her team is best known for their innovative routines and elegant style. Since becoming the head coach in 1991,Val has coached UCLA to six NCAA National titles and 18 regional titles. Val is currently preparing for her 23rd season as the head coach of the UCLA gymnastics team and has high hopes for this season. We had the opportunity to talk to Valorie about her current team and some of their goals for this season.

Can you talk about your incoming freshmen and how you think each girl can contribute to the team this year? 

All of our freshmen are remarkable "people", extremely gracious and appreciative of the opportunity to be a UCLA Bruin. In fact, the only "issue" we're having with them is to get them to realize they can make mistakes without feeling like they're letting all of us down. 

Alex Waller ~ Beautiful beam and bar worker. She's resembling a colt starting to walk at times because her legs are so long. She's just now starting to really become the athlete she's capable of. I feel she put a lot of pressure on herself being Chris and Cindy's daughter. I've had to talk with her about the fact that she is on our team because of all of the work SHE has done and not because of her pedigree. Her greatest influence so far has been in our team meetings. She is extremely intuitive and insightful, especially for a freshman. 

Jessy MacArthur ~ Unfortunately, Jessy suffered a stress fracture in her navicular bone last year, so she's just now getting back. Jessy will contribute mostly on bars and vault. Jessy is extremely no-nonsense. Everyone on the team enjoys her in and out of the gym because she is consistently strong minded and doesn't get into the "girl issues" that can crop up in a team.

Angi Cipra ~ Angi will be a huge contributor for us on vault, beam, floor and possibly as an all arounder. She does big beautiful gymnastics and is a dynamic performer. We will be easing her into the line up because she's one of the freshmen that can get down on herself pretty quickly when she makes a mistake.

Mikaela Gerber ~ Mikaela is about 60% back to what she's capable of. She had shoulder surgery last year and due to the transitions that her gym went through, she really didn't train much last year. She's proven to be a strong competitor and I think she'll be a good back up to come in on bars, beam, and floor.

Hallie Mossett ~ Hallie didn't train fully the last two years because she had a severe hip surgery and ACL surgery after that. We are taking it slowly with her, having to retrain the mechanics of even how she walks, so that she learns to fire her right glute. She's been slowly adding skills and oh my... SHE IS GORGEOUS! I think she'll compete beam, bars, and watered down floor routines for us at the beginning of the season. And will hopefully be a strong all arounder by mid season.

Jenny Pinches~ She is WONDERFUL! She's struggling a bit to get her gymnastics back because she didn't do any gymnastics all last year because she thought she was done. ... until I contacted her in February. She brings unbridled joy for all she does. She is extremely bright and competitive and is literally a breath of fresh air to coach. We hope she'll be in our line up on vault, bars, and floor. She fractured her baby toe last week so that's set her back a bit, but she should be in our line up the 2nd or 3rd meet.

Jordyn Wieber ~ Even though Jo isn't competing for us, she's a huge part of our team. She trains at 6:45am every day before our team trains and then she takes over team manager duties... moving mats, chalking bars, and simply being a strong, competitive, fun addition to our team. Whenever someone on campus thanks her for being a part of our team, she lights up and says "Oh my gosh... I'll do ANYTHING for MY team!" I keep telling her the greatest gift she will give her young fans is for them to see her-a gold medal Olympian; moving mats, and chalking bars... doing manager duties with enthusiastic fun.

You had a few girls sitting out last season due to injury, can you give us an update on their current status?

Sam Peszek is doing great. She is back on all events and is in the best physical shape of her life. Her achilles has been a little inflamed recently which prohibits her from punching well. She's not at risk of re-injuring that ligament, it's the inflammation that can create havoc.

Mattie Larson is physically fully back. She is working hard through the mental anxiety she has had for the last 4 years now on vault and floor. She will be in [the lineup] on beam and bars and be as beautiful as ever. I'm hoping that with the consistent work she's putting into her mental game, she'll be the beautiful all arounder we all know she can be next year. The mind is a powerful muscle, which can unfortunately work as powerfully positively or more often times... negatively.

Peng Peng Lee ~Unfortunately, Peng had to have her ACL reconstructed again. The silver lining is that the doctor said that the rest of her knee is pristine, so she should make a full recovery. Hopefully, NEXT YEAR we'll all get to enjoy Peng Peng Lee at her most magnificent!

Can you talk a little more about Jordyn Wieber and her role in the team? Do you think she can impact the team in any way?

Jordyn's impact comes from her just being her. Every single thing she does in her life, she does with 100% attention and intention. Not once has she complained about having to train at 6:45 in the morning. She is getting a 3.7 [GPA] at UCLA as a freshman. That's extremely remarkable. And the side of Jordyn that I never saw was how much fun she is. When there is any type of competition between our Blue vs Gold teams-she is ON FIRE! She is truly an example of living life to ones full ability, while being extremely appreciative and grateful. Short example: Jordyn was talking with her teaching assistant about taking her midterm a few days early because she was going to Japan to do a game show with other Olympians for 3 days. The T.A. said "Wow that sounds great, would you like to go to the Olympics some day?" Jordyn just smiled and said, "As a matter of fact, I went last year." ... that was it. I keep telling her I'd wear that gold medal around my neck every day if I'd earned it!

Since you are known for your stunning choreography, can you walk us through the process of choreographing a floor routine?

Ahhhh... well.... music, I choose the music and ask the girls if they like it. Most of the time they trust me to pick what I think will look good on them. I really don't think that I orchestrate "stunning choreography". I think our routines stand out because I see the floor as a 40X40 stage and as soon as they step inside those lines, they're on stage with 10 spot lights on them. I work endlessly at getting them to "focus" their eyes and connect with the audience vs the judges. I see floor routines as dance performances with tumbling thrown in periodically. 

Out of all the routines you've choreographed, which one is your favorite?

I've been asked this question many times. There really are too many to choose one. When I watch any of Kim Hamilton's routines I get goose bumps because of her performance quality. Hallie Mossett has that same movement quality! In order to answer this question, I might venture to say that Anna Li's last routine was a great example of a "complete floor routine." It had many different types of movement, it told a story, and Anna emoted the feelings equated with the movements beautifully. I get goose bumps every time I watch it.

What are some short term and long term goals for the team this season? 

[At the] beginning of the season we want to compete with confidence and not worry about scores. The only strategies we have in our sport are skill selections and competitive line up order. During Championship meets we work through every option with these strategies we have to gain every quarter of a tenth possible. For our first few meets this year we aren't going to focus on that, instead we will strategize with our skill selections, competitors and line up orders to be able to compete cleanly and confidently. For example, Angi can outscore a lot of her teammates if she hits, but we're going to ease her into the line-ups so she doesn't feel overwhelmed. Look for a different competitive line-up order the first meet to see if we can accomplish this. For Championship season- we want to go undefeated. 

What do you look for in your future recruits? 

We always look for great gymnastics and they have to be good students in order to get into UCLA and do well. I like to look for fierce competitiveness. beautiful lines, and student-athletes who are enthusiastic about life. However, with recruiting getting earlier and earlier it's really difficult to see the potential in such young athletes. 

Last year Vanessa Zamarripa mentioned the possibility of returning to elite gymnastics, do you know if that is still in the plans for her? 

I don't think Zami will compete elite. She is killing it in the stunt world. She got her SAG card and her first job. 

What is your one hope for the future of gymnastics?

I would like to see ALL gymnastics get much more creative with the code so that intricate dance and gymnastics skills are as valued as big skills. In college we now receive a tenth back if the athlete does a tumbling pass with a C skill that is connected to a dance skill and then another A flip. It opens the "playbook" and encourages creative choices besides only rewarding the most powerful tumblers. I feel strongly that the FIG should no longer call elite gymnastics - "Artistic Gymnastics". Even in college, artistry is nice and people like to talk about it, but there isn't an avenue for the judges to really reward it or even use it to separate similar routines. I say we bring back R.O.V.... risk, originality, and virtuosity.

What has been the most memorable experience for you so far as a coach?

My most memorable moments are when one of our girls comes to me-whether during their time at UCLA or after, and they tell me of something I taught them that really reasonated with them about living a better quality of life. Gymnastically, the first thing that popped into my mind was the first time Maloney competed all around after having had such a horrific time with the rod in her leg, and the infection that ensued. I don't think people know that the infection ate away 80% of her shin bone. Her return to big time gymnastics was so inspiring! 

Thank you Christy Linder for providing the beautiful photos for this interview. Everyone please follow her on twitter! (Here)