My Favorite Vaults (Thru 2012)

5. Elena Produnova

It's probably not a surprise that Elena is on my (or other peoples) list. This vault of hers is incredible and no one has been able to execute it nearly as flawlessly as her. In fact, she is the only one who can look good and not like they're about to kill themselves. 

4. Alicia Sacremone

 

Alicia has the most world medals of all American female gymnasts and her impressive vaulting skills have a lot to do with it. She has a ton of power, sometimes even too much, those landings make you think she can add an extra half twist and still be good to go!

3. Oksana Chusovitina

Not only has Oksana had a ridiculously long career (and I think still going!) she has had an impressive resume as well! She has won many world and a few Olympic medals and in her late 30's is not slowing down.

2. Cheng Fei (CHI)

Cheng Fei was not the typical Chinese pixie that everyone was so used to. She had strength and power. I so wish that the 2008 Olympics would have went differently for her but she has still gone down in history as a legendary vaulter. And she even has a vault named after her!

1. McKayla Maroney

I'd have to dub Maroney the best vaulter ever. Period. This vault has to be as close to perfect as they come, it was flawless! McKayla is a fast runner and gets more air than anyone I've ever seen. Her Olympics in 2012 also didn't go as planned so I am hoping she can get her redemption in Rio.

2012 Olympic Hopefuls: Where Are They Now?

Ever wondered what happened to the girls who competed at the trials in 2012 but didn't make the team? Stick around to find out!

The Alternates 

Elizabeth Price (Parkette's)
Then:

Known for her power tumbling and vaulting (plus a solid bar routine), Ebee placed fourth at the trials but was only named alternate.

Now:

Following the trials, Elizabeth returned to training and competed at the American Cup and Pac Rims, winning both. Despite this success, she decided to retire from Elite in April 2014 and go on to compete NCAA at Stanford. In spring 2015, Ebee helped Stanfod to a 3rd place finish. Additionally, she came in first for uneven bars and was named specialist of the year. Go Ebee!

Sarah Finnegan (GAGE)
Then:

Sarah had some ridiculous difficulty on beam and a super unique floor exercise. Seen as Kyla Ross's direct competition at the trials, she had a rough first day on bars but managed to finish up in 6th place and was named alternate.

Now:

An elbow injury took Sarah out of competition for 18 months. After getting back into training, Sarah competed at an invitational in Hawaii with teammate Brenna Dowell and subsequently some leven 10 meets. Sarah is now at LSU to compete NCAA alongside other familiar faces Lexie Preissman and Mckenna Kelly.

Anna Li (Legacy Elite)
Then:

After competing in college, Anna did things backwards and then became an elite. She finished 12th at trials but with impressive bars scores which likely would have been her only contribution to the team. She appeared very happy to be named alternate (see above) but an injury in training would have kept her from the Olympics even if they needed her.

Now:

Anna participated in several gymnastics tours and then retired from the sport. She currently judges at UCLA and national competitions.

The Rest

Kennedy Baker (Texas Dreams) 
Then:

Kennedy had a rough first day of trials but scored solidly during finals. She finished in 8th place.

Now:

Kennedy continued on as an elite after London, competing at the 2013 Nationals and placing 7th in the All-Around. She competed as a level 10 in 2014 after announcing her retirement from Elite. She is now a NCAA athlete for the Florida Gators.

Brenna Dowell (GAGE)
Then:

Aww baby Brenna was just a first year Senior at the trials and she finished in 9th place.

Now:

2013 was Brenna's year but after getting screwed over at Worlds, she took some time away from international competition and rested. She was back in 2014, filling in for the injured Kyla Ross at the American Cup and coming in 2nd. Later that year she was named as non-travelling alternate for Worlds. Afterward, she retired from elite and went on to compete for the University of Oklahoma where she found individual and team success. In late spring, Dowell announced her return to Elite. She is currently training and listed on the tentative roster for this years Worlds, go Brenna!

Sabrina Vega (GAGE)
Now: 

Sabrina had a rough two days on the uneven bars and the 2011 World Team Member placed 10th at Trials right behind teammate Brenna Dowell.

Now:

Vega was out of training in the year following London but returned to the gym halfway through 2014. Her comeback meet was this years Secret Classic where she did not score high enough to advance to nationals but had a solid competition. Keep it up Sabrina!

Alicia Sacremone (Brestyan's)
Then:

There is still some controversy over Asac not being named to the team despite two days of outstanding competition. Never the less, she was left off and finished in 11th place, just competing VT and BB.

Now:

Alicia retired from gymnastics directly after Trials and married former football player Brady Quinn in Spring 2014. She currently coaches young gymnasts AND has her own fashion line, Short Girl Couture. According to recent videos, Asac is still in great shape so, you know, she should feel free to come back at any time ;)

Nastia Liukin (WOGA)
Then:

After major errors on UB both days, the two event specialist and '08 AA champ finished up in 13th place.

Now:

The Trials was Nastia's last competition. From there she participated in several tour and expeditions but retired from competitive Elite gymnastics. She has since competed on Dancing With the Stars and is engaged to longtime boyfriend Matt Lombardi. Liukin is also in school at NYU and runs her own agency called Shine.

Rebecca Bross (WOGA)
Then:

Poor Rebecca had issues on beam during day one and major falls on bars day two. She finished in 14th.

Now:

When Rebecca isn't hanging out with Jordyn Weiber, she's coaching at a gym in Dallas. She never officially announced her retirement but she hasn't competed since trials and it would seem that her time as an elite is done.


Well, that's it folks! If you liked this post, let me know what other "Where Are They Now's?" you'd like to see!

USA Gymnastics News

Aly is back!

She, as well as Gowey, Douglas and Nguyen have been added to the  national team. I'm really excited about all of this because I'm a big fan of Aly's and Rachel Gowey as well. I haven't seen too much of Nguyen to make an opinion on her but I've heard she's quite a contender. As far as Douglas, I'll have to believe it when I see it. One thing I love about this Aly video is that she's being honest, with both herself and her fans. I don't think that Gabby has completely done that this past year.

Anyway, does Aly look great or what?? I love the new series on beam and her bars even look better. I know a lot of people are hoping she trains a second vault and I agree. I can see her getting her Amanar back and maybe trying for the Rudi like Sacremone did. Both have similar body types so I think it's quite possible that Aly can pull it off.

There won't be any camp this month so nothing new or exciting in the USA gym world. Once my semester is over, I plan on doing some posts that reflect on gymnastics of the years ago. Stay tuned!

Why not Jordyn?

Mckayla made her comeback in 2013, Gabby and Aly are due at the next camp and Kyla never really left. Jordyn supposedly was training for elite again about a year and a half ago but then it fizzled into nothing as she left for college. Now she assists with UCLA's gymnastics team where she is not allowed to compete due to going pro. This begs the question, why hasn't Jordyn Wieber, the FFer with the most to prove, trying to make a comeback for Rio?

Jordyn was at the top in 2011 and 2012, she won nearly everything she competed in and was world champ! Then, we all know what happened in London. I wish Jordyn had gotten a chance to do the all-around but be it her coaches or the judges fault, it wasn't to be. This was a MAJOR upset though and Jordyn was visibly devastated. I don't think there was person watching who didn't think she would try and find some redemption in 2016. And then...it didn't seem like it was going to happen,. Realistically, if Jordyn had wanted to have a fighting chance in Rio, she would have been seriously training for at least 6 months now.

So, is Jordyn's elite career history? I have to say, I think it is. I respect her decision to walk away from the sport, if that is what she truly wants. I suppose I just don't understand it. When Alicia Sacremone and Chellsie Memmel didn't have the Olympics they hoped for in 2008, they gave it another go for London. Even though neither made it, they still can say that they tried their best and gave it a shot.

I would love to see Wieber back in the playing field, I can't imagine that she is completely at peace with 2012 yet, though I hope she someday will be. I guess for me, if I were in her shoes, I wouldn't be able to settle with walking away from a sport that I still had a lot to offer and a lot to prove. Of course, it's not about me and I in no way know Jordyn's inner thoughts. I'm just giving my 2 cents.