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Home , 2009 World Games, Bridgette Caquatto, Chellsie Memmel, Ivana Hong, Julie Zetlin, Kayla Williams (gymnast)

WOMEN

Sloan winS women’S all-around title at ’09 ViSa ChampionShipS

Photos by John Cheng ridget Sloan, a 2008 Olympic team silver medalist from Sharp’s , won her first U.S. all-around title at the 2009 Visa Championships at the American Airlines Center in . Sloan, who was third after the first day of competition, came from behind to win the title with a score 117.550. “It feels great to win the Visa Championships,” said Sloan. “The first day didn’t go as planned, but today went well.” Sloan’s top scores of the two-day competition were for her double full (15.000), and her routine which includes a one-and-a-half to triple twist for her first pass (15.050). 2008 Olympic Team alternate of WOGA finished a close second in the all-around at 117.250. Hong’s top scores were on vault for her Yurchenko double (15.250) and her beam routine that included a flip flop series into a double pike dismount (15.200). WOGA’s Rebecca Bross, who led the competition after day one, landed in third place with an all-around score of 116.600. Bross had !" #$% a rough bar routine on day two that pulled her down in the rankings. Her top score of the competition was a 15.300 for her double twisting Yurchenko vault and a 15.050 for her jam-packed bar routine on the first day of competition. Kytra Hunter of Hill’s Gymnastics finished fourth in the all-around with 113.750 and took third on floor, showing a huge piked double Arabian and double layout. Sloan, 17, won both the bars and floor titles. Hong won the beam title and of Gym Nest won vault, performing a double Kayla Williams twisting Yurchenko and a front handspring front pike half. & 'Clustered together ( in the all-around ) were the next four * competitors +, -. ranking fifth through eighth, including Naperville’s MacKenzie Caquatto with a 111.950, Bieger’s Jana Bieger with a 111.550, Williams with a 111.350 and Cincinnati’s Cassandra Whitcomb with a 111.100. Whitcomb finished second on bars and Caquatto was third. 2008 Olympian of Sharp’s was second on beam, complete with her standing full to back pike combination. Bross finished third on beam and second on floor, with an interesting combination front handspring, front layout, to double front for her first pass. Rounding out the top 10 on the national team were East’s / Alaina Johnson and Precision’s Kaitlyn 01 Clark. 2 3 456789:;< Cassandra Whitcomb Samantha Peszek The FIG Code of Points rules changed for this new quadrennium and of the two nights of senior women’s competition, there were only 12 scores of a 15.000 or above awarded to the senior women. They were earned by six gymnasts: Sloan, Hong, Bross, Hunter, Williams and Peszek. It was great seeing four of the 2008 Olympians return to competition and perhaps marks a new trend in women’s gymnastics. 2008 Olympians of WOGA and of M&M Gymnastics both competed on the . The top 10 in the all-around made the national team in addition to Peszek, Liukin, Memmel, Orlando Metro’s Olivia Courtney, and All Olympia’s Mattie Larson and . Liukin, the 2008 Olympic all-around champion, was named both Athlete of the Year and Sportsperson of the Year, and her father and Nastia Liukin Chellsie Memmel coach was named Coach of the Year.

Large: Upper right: WOMEN S SENIOR TEAM PHOTO P. 34 Ivana Hong Lower right:

USA GymnASticS SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2009 11

WOMEN Ross Wins Junior Title welve-year-old Kyla Ross of Gym Max in California led the first day of junior competition and then persevered through several lead changes during the second day of competition Photos by John Cheng to win the U.S. junior national title with a 114.000 total. Ross’ Yurchenko double !" #$% twist gave her the vault title and clinched the all- around crown. Ross also won the beam title with clean and consistent routines on both days of competition and was third on floor. “I’m very happy and surprised to win the title,” said Ross. “After my fall on bars, I just knew I had to keep strong and told myself not to give up.” & ' ( ) *Bridgette +, Caquatto of Naperville -. Gymnastics was first in the all-around going into the last event, but overrotated her double pike beam dismount and dropped into second place overall with a total score of 113.450. Caquatto finished second on vault with her Yurchenko double. Alexandra Raisman of Brestyan’s Gymnastics who also led the competition at one point, finished third with 112.600 and placed second on beam. of Dynamic Gymnastics, was a / 01 2close fourth in 3the all-around (112.150), 456789:;< won the Bridgette Caquatto Alexandra Raisman floor exercise title and was third on beam. Cincinnati Gymnastics’ Amanda Jetter landed fifth all-around with a score of 110.950. Morgan Smith of Brandy Johnson Gymnastics and of WOGA tied for sixth with a 110.000. Smith took second on bars. WOGA’s Briley Cassanova finished eighth at 109.900, while Sophina DeJesus of SCEGA (109.450) and of GAGE (109.350) rounded out the top 10. Ohashi was also second on floor. Another highlight of the competition was Gym Max’s McKayla Maroney who did a Yurchenko two-and-a-half twist on vault. The first day of competition she fell, but the second day she landed the vault and scored a 15.400, the highest score of the competition for women. She placed third on vault . Kennedy Baker of Texas Dreams won bars and WOGA’s Grace McLaughlin was third. An interesting note: there were only five scores given at the two-day competition of 15.000 or more, and they were earned by Ross, Caquatto, and Maroney.

WOMEN S JUNIOR TEAM PHOTO P. 34

12 USA GymnASticS SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2009

MEN Horton Wins all-around title at 09 Visa Championships onathan Horton, 2008 Olympic high bar silver-medalist of Cypress Gymnastics in Houston, won the U.S. all-around title. Horton, 23, maintained the lead throughout the second night of competition to win his

Photo by John Cheng first national all-around title with a total of 181.900. “I couldn’t be happier with myself,” said Horton, who was recently married. “I know I have a long way to go though, if I want to keep up with the rest of the world.” Horton also won the rings title, was second on floor and shared the high bar title with of Universal Gymnastics in Miami. Tim McNeill, 23 and competing for the University of California-Berkeley, finished second all-around with !" #$% a score of 178.500, won the parallel bars title, and was third on pommel horse. Wesley Haagensen, 23, who trains at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, was third all-around with a total score of 178.00 and tied for third on rings with Stanford’s Tim Gentry. Cal Berkeley’s Kyle Bunthuwong landed fourth in the all-around with a score of 177.750. Leyva, 17, was fifth all-around at 177.600 and tied for second on parallel & ' ( ) * +, -.bars with Joey Hagerty. Cal Berkely’s Glen Ishino was sixth at 175.950. The University of Oklahoma’s Steven Legendre, who came in seventh all-around with a 178.850, also won the U.S. floor title and was third on vault. 2008 Olympic team bronze-medalist Hagerty of USOTC rounded out the top eight in the all-around with a score of 175.750. Gentry finished ninth with a 174.900. 2008 Visa All-Around Champion David Sender was second in the all-around after the first day of competition and scored a 17.050 on vault for his incredible Tsukahara / 01 2 3double 456789:;< pike. He also did a second vault, layout front handspring double full. Unfortunately, he missed the Tsukahara vault on day two of competition and finished second on vault. Sender had a tough second night of competition and dropped from second to 10th all- around. Sender finished second on rings. University of Illinois’ Luke Stannard won the pommel horse title, and of Gym Nevada won the vault title, performing a layout Kasamatsu with a double full (a triple twist). Dalton and Sender were the only two gymnasts in the competition to perform 7.0 vaults. Other top performers were ’s Chris Cameron, who finished third on floor; ’s Kit Beikmann placing second on pommel horse; and Stanford’s Alex Buscaglia who finished third on high bar.

14 USA GymnASticS SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2009 MEN

Horton Wins continued Tim McNeill After the conclusion of the competition, Horton was named Athlete of the Year and 2008 Olympic team bronze-medalist was named Sportsperson of the Year. Mark Williams of the University of Oklahoma was named Coach of the Year. The top 10 in the senior men’s all-around automatically qualified for the national team, and five additional “Bring Your Dreams to Light” gymnasts, including Olympic medalist Alex Artemev of 5280 Gymnastics, Buscaglia, Dalton, Sho Nakamori and Dreamlight is proud to present the most State’s Brandon Wynn were named by the Men’s Program Committee. exquisite leotard designs available Photos by John Cheng and Scott Einuis

The World Championships team for men was named and includes: Horton, Artemev, Legendre, Leyva, McNeill and Sender. The alternates are: Dalton, Haagensen and Daniel Ribeiro. Artemev, Custom Design Workshop who petitioned to the team, must demonstrate competitive readiness at the World Team camp. Design, Print & Save your designs at Sender declined his position on the team because www.dreamlightusa.com he is entering the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. Based on performances at the World Team camp, the Men’s Selection Committee will make a decision regarding the “Aut-A-Ware Collection” open position. 10% of sales from the Wesley Haagensen Aut-A-Ware Collection Kyle Bunthuwong Daniel Ribeiro are donated to provide information, resources & support to families affected by autism. AvailableA in our online store.

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16 USA GymnASticS SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2009 Toll Free: 866-479-8700 / email: [email protected]

MEN Orozco, Rogers Win Junior Men s Titles ohn Orozco, 16, of World Cup in New York, and Cameron Rogers, 17, of Zenith in North Carolina, won the 14-15 and 16-18 all-around titles, respectively, at the 2009 Visa Championships. Orozco won his third straight Photos by John Cheng junior all-around crown with a 86.850 total. He also won five of the six event titles, including floor, pommel horse, rings, parallel bars and high bar. Orozco performed a very rare and difficult dismount on parallel bars, a full twisting double back. The last event title went to Jesse Glenn of SCATS HB, who took first on vault. of SCATS Huntington Beach, !" #$% was second in the all-around at 83.500, and Jake Martin of Orlando Metro, was third at 81.050. Orozco, who took the lead after the first rotation and never let go, said, “I can’t even describe how I feel right now. I’m so happy. It wasn’t my best competition but how can I not be happy? I tried a new vault, a front handspring double full twist, and I touched my hand, but I was pleased overall, winning five events and the & ' ( ) * +, -.all-around.” For the 16-18 year old division, Rogers won the title with a score of 82.150. Rogers posted his highest scores on rings and parallel bars. Jesse Silverstein of U.S. Gymnastics Center took Cameron Rogers second with an 82.100, and Christopher Turner of WCOGA finished third at 81.850. The lead bounced around between Akers, Silverstein and Rogers. The remaining individual event titlists were: / 01 2 3Parker 456789:;< Raque of Champion Gym, floor exercise; Dylan Akers of Cypress Academy, pommel horse; Mackenzie Dow of Surgent’s Elite and Zachary Chase of Cascade Elite, tied on vault; and Jordan Valdez of Xtreme Altitude, horizontal bar. “I’m definitely happy,” said Rogers. “Winning was my goal and I accomplished that. Last year I placed fifth all-around in the junior 14-15 year- old division. I did a new vault today, a Yurchenko double full. I did it on the hard surface yesterday for the first time, so I was very pleased with vault.” USA Gymnastics Men’s National Team Coordinator Ron Brant said, “It’s good to see the athletes and coaches prepared with the new difficulty they have been training. Overall the depth of our program is coming out and we are seeing higher hit percentages on the apparatus.”

18 USA GymnASticS SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2009

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20 USA GymnASticS SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2009 ACRO

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Maren Merwarth and Taylor Mosher Visa Championships aCro Champions Photos by James Glader ienna Martinez and Ryan placed third. Chelcea Riegel and MacKenzie Porter Ward of Realis Gymnastics In senior women’s group, Empire’s and Krissy Weidmaier of Rising Star Academy won their Kailey Maurer, Holli Morris and Crystal Acrobatic Club finished in second first senior mixed- Johnston won the all-around with a place with 79.550, and Tiana Terry, pair title in acrobatic combined total of 81.494. Savannah Alayna Davis and Elika Sudo of Aerial gymnastics, scoring a Shields, Megan Muehlberger and Tumbling & AcroGymnastics were 82.723 total, at the 2009 Mallory Henthorn of Acro Explosion third. Visa Championships at came in second with 76.000, and Eirian Smith and Jake Kanavel of the Dallas Convention Center. This Jillian Giblin, Hannah Busha and Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics !" #$% event served as the selection for the Tayler Harris of West Coast Training won the age group 12-19 mixed national team. Center finished third. pair with a total of 84.150. Second 2009 mixed-pair Axl Osborne and Dylan Inserra of place went to Kiley Boynton and Ryan gold-medalists Kristin Allen and WOGA finished atop senior men’s Smethers of Realis (79.650). Melissa Michael Rodrigues of West Coast pair with an all-around total of 73.470. Gong and Dylan Maurer of Empire Training Center, despite earning the The age group 12-19 women’s rounded out the top three. highest combined score (29.029), group title was awarded to Aerial Valerie Bryant and Hayley Lemmons finished second with the total score Tumbling & AcroGymnastics’ Alexa of Boerne Gymnastics Center finished of 80.975. Nicole Faubert and Brian Vitale, Kelly Phillips, and Jessica Picone atop the 12-19 women’s pair with an & ' ( ) *Kincher of West Coast +, Training Center with -. an all-around score of 82.800. all-around combined score of 73.250. 22 USA GymnASticS SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2009

/ 01 2 3 456789:;< only Aerial Tumbling & from AcroGymnastics’ Jesse Kelly, new! Alyssa Liardon, and Brooke Rhoades won the age 11-16 women’s group title with a score of 27.650. Kendall Meyer, Erica Monkey detail on hood Prestipino and Mackenzie Meyer It’s All My Vault Hood $34.95 #6000 of Xtreme Acro finished in second Also available in tee place with 27.400. Olivia Bunton, Abigail Warden and Kyli Pruitt of Mid-America Acro & Tumbling Happiness is Team climbed into third. Being at the Gym Maren Merwarth and Taylor $34.95 #6020 Also available Mosher of Brown’s Gymnastics in tee took first place in women’s pair 11-16 with a finals score of 27.440. Northwest Gymnastics’ BreeAnna All My Vault Flannel Pants $24.95 #6030 Happiness Is... Flannel Pants Saur and Harley-Breean Elliott $24.95 #6050 u finished in second with 27.350, with Mariah Cockshell and Kennedy Wild About Gymnastics Swanson of Acro Explosion in third SIZES: Hood $34.95 #6010 Wild About Gym YS(6-8) Also available in tee Flannel Pants

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Alaina Williams Trampoline and Tumbling CroWns Champions aT 2009 Visa Championships Photos by Diane Bidermann hampions in trampoline, Alaina Williams of Matrix in Alabama The double-mini champions tumbling, double each scored a 97.20 in senior women’s include: women’s senior Sarah Gandy mini-trampoline and trampoline, but Vercruyssen finished of 3TI (130.30) and junior Kiara Nowlin synchronized trampoline first based on a tie-breaker. Dakota of Waller’s GymJam (133.50); and were named in Dallas at Earnest of Acrospirits in Plains, Texas, men’s senior Ludvigson (144.00) and the Visa Championships. finished atop the junior women junior Alexander Renkert of Interactive of rankings with a 99.00. Academy (140.70). UltraTwisters in Atlantic Kalon Ludvigson of Team For synchronized trampoline in the Highlands, N.J., won the senior men’s Revolution in Pocatello, Idaho, won junior women’s category, the titles trampoline title, finishing with 108.80 his fourth consecutive senior men’s went to Xtreme Trampoline’s Melissa to edge out 2008 Olympian Chris tumbling title with a 148.50. The senior Ruggiero and Desiree Barker (117.10); Estrada of Trampoline and Tumbling women’s tumbling title belonged to junior men K.J. Heger of GAR and Express, (107.80). Jeffery Gluckstein, Kaitlin Tortorich of Capital Gymnastics Jeffery Gluckstein (129.20); and senior Steven’s younger brother; who is (128.20); junior women’s to Kiara men Gluckstein and of also from UltraTwisters, took the Nowlin of Waller’s GymJam Academy World Elite Gymnastics (136.10). junior men’s title with a 98.50. Nani (128.30); and junior men’s Aaron Cook Vercruyssen of Hawaii Academy and of AGT Flipcity (129.80). NATIONAL TEAM PHOTO P. 35 !" #$%

24 USA GymnASticS SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2009

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