Juniors to watch for at the 2014 P&G Championships (That you didn't expect!)

With the 2014 P&G Championships less than a week away, I'm excited to share with you some of the routines I'm looking forward to in the junior division. There are so many talented juniors that I feel like a lot of girls can easily be overlooked. That's why I wanted to bring attention to perhaps some of the less popular routines...that are still worth all the hype! Keep your eyes out for these spectacular routines this weekend!

Photo Credit: John Cheng

Deanne Soza- Bars (Arete Gymnastics)
Fresh off a 2nd place finish on bars at the U.S Secret Classic (as well as 3rd all around!) little Deanne Soza has made immense improvements to her uneven bar routine this year. In 2013, Deanne was a bit of a mess on this event, falling at both Classics and Nationals while racking up deductions for missed handstands and iffy landings. However at the Secret Classic this year, she showed no signs of struggle! Soza has added a beautiful Ezhova to her routine (straddle back with a half twist) and really cleaned up her execution. Deanne is already proving herself to be one of the top bar workers in the US! Deanne is also great on vault and beam, so keep your eye out for her there too!




Bailey Ferrer- Floor (Orlando Metro) 
Bailey is a powerhouse on this event! She opens up with a huge full in (she gets so much height it could easily become a double double in the near future) as well as a double arabian for her second pass. Not many first year junior elites do back to back E passes! It's incredible considering those are both major upgrades for her. She didn't compete either of those elements during the level 10 season, so it was nicely executed for her first time out of the gate! Bailey also has really nice presentation on this event, which I think makes for a great combination. If she can hit a clean set both days of competition, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bailey sitting among the top 10 on this event!



Christina Desiderio- Floor (Parkettes) 
While Christina is mainly known by gym fans for her superb beam work, I couldn't help but notice how much she's improved on floor! She added a beautiful double layout as her opening pass and moved the full in to her second pass- making her routine much more difficult than most of her competitors! She's super powerful on this event and the choreography is much more mature then last season! Christina placed 8th on this event at the Secret Classic and is hoping to improve her ranking at Nationals. With a solid routine, I think a top 5 finish on this event is definitely within reach for Christina!





Shilese Jones- Floor (Auburn Gymnastics) 
Shilese is outstanding on this event! She opens with a full in- half out, making her the only gymnast in the US (maybe even the world?) to compete this skill! I think for being a first year elite, Shilese shows so much potential on this event and while she may not be a top contender at Nationals this time around, watch out for her in the future!




Megan Skaggs- Bars (Gym Academy Atlanta) 
Megan has really nice lines on this event and beautiful extended toe point. While her form can be a tad messy on things like her pac salto and shaposh, she's actually cleaned up quite a bit from last season. She placed 4th on this event at the Secret Classic. The only upgrade she's added this year is a jaeger, but I see room for more possible connections/upgrades in the future. This routine definitely shows potential!



Ariana Agrapides- Floor (MG Elite) 
Although she withdrew from the Secret Classic (to rest a minor toe injury), Ariana is expected to be back in the all around competition this weekend and I'm super excited! She's best known for her incredible vaulting skills, however I've always seen her as a powerhouse on floor as well. She's added a double layout to her routine this year (I'm assuming in place of either the piked full in or double arabian) so it'll be interesting to see what she decide's to perform. Ari only resumed full training a week ago, so I'm honestly not expecting too much from her at this point. I just hope she can keep it together because she is a joy to watch on this event and she really shows a lot of potential!