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!