She looks like...

After becoming a serious gymnastics fan, I thought it was time to learn my history. So, about three years ago I went back and watched all of the major United States competitions since the early nineties. It wasn't long until I picked out a few girls who were serious ringers for current elites. Maybe you won't see the resemblance, or maybe you will! Take a look at these four side by side comparisions:

Jordyn Wieber and Kristal Uzalec

This one is MAJOR for me, like they could be sisters.

Hollie Vise and Raegan Smith

This one wasn't as obvious when I put the pictures together but there is definitely something similar about their mouths and they are both tiny!

Aly Raisman and Rachel Tidd

Spoooooky....these two could be twins in these pictures.

Bailie Key and Nastia Liukin

Ok, so I don't think Bailie looks like current Nastia or even 2008 Nastia. I'm talking about vintage 2005/2006 Nastia. The braces certainly help but beyond that, they do look alike.

What do you think? Any other "look alikes" you have noticed??

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!

FIG Rules...or not

I'm so torn about the new team rules for 2020...on one hand, it is great for a smaller country who is only able to send a specialist. It's also good that it will be 4 up 3 count. But, I have to wonder what kind of dynamic it will bring to have designated specialists that are strictly competing for themselves and not with a team.

I just think it's so strange to have one or two girls traveling with Team USA, training with them but not getting to compete for that team title. I can't see how a major divide won't happen between AA's and ES. If these rules had been in place for the London games, the team would have been without Maroney who would have been a specialist and if Nastia had managed to pull together a bar routine, they most likely would have brought her too. It's just weird!

And now, any girl who may be weak on one event, will have to consider dropping it and losing out on the opportunity to ever be part of that team. If these rules started for Rio, Aly's bars would take her out of the running. I just think it sucks that girls are going to miss out on a team medal just because they may not be amazing on each event.

It will be interesting to see what happens, that's for sure!

And, I apologize for my loooooong blogging break. I had surgery and then a semester to finish up so I totally failed. I want to blog at least once a week this summer!

The Trouble with Simone

Simone Biles is really at the top of her game (and the world!) right now. Still, I can't help but wonder how long her domination can last and if she can endure a year and a half more until the Olympics. In other words, is it possibly or likely that she could win the most prestigious title in WAG?

Simone has won the last two of US National Championships, Nastia Liukin did the same thing in 2005 and 2006 (and at the same point in the Quad). And despite losing to Shawn Johnson at the next two Nationals, she won the all around in Beijing. However, Nastia never won a world title, let alone one early on in the Quad.

Carly Patterson's career was relatively short lived and she only competed in one senior nationals before winning the all around in Athens. Same goes for Gabby Douglas who never even won a nationals but went on to nab the gold in London.

Going back even further, to Sydney, Andreea Raducan (the rightful AA winner) hadn't won a world all around medal before winning in Australia.

Now, to look at the women who, like Simone, did win world championships early in the Quad. Shannon Miller won at the same two time slots as Simone (1993 & 1994 vs. 2013 & 2014). Shannon went on to compete in Atlanta and only came in 8th place in the AA. Svetlana Khorkina won World AA in 1997, 2001 and 2003 but could never grasp an Olympic AA gold.

Chellsie Memmel won World AA gold in 2005 but injuries kept her from doing much at all in the 2008 Olympics. Bridget Sloan won Worlds in 2009 but never made her second Olympics in 2012.

Pretty much, what I'm trying to sum up is the fact that in the past 20+ years, no one who won Worlds this early in the quad has ever gone on to win the Olympic AA title. It's all about timing really, because if the Olympics were last year or today, Simone would win them without question. She is an amazing athlete and it would be a shame if she didn't get to showcase that at the biggest meet a gymnast can go to. However, if anyone can stand stand that test of time, I think she can.

A Little HIstory

I've been a full fledged gymnastics fan for the past two years. I caught bits and pieces of Athens as a 10 year old and vaguely knew who Carly Patterson was. I got more involved with each Olympics. In 2008, I stayed until one in the morning watching the All-around but I had no idea how anything worked. In 2012, I closely followed London and was captivated for life. Since then, I now know that the sport is so much more than the Olympics. I follow it all year round and can't wait for the World Championships this year!

Other than flipping around in my yard, I haven't done gymnastics a day in my life. I would have loved to though, my mom was a gymnast. But my dad was against the sport for the injury factor and I had back problems that would have prevented my from it anyway. Still, it is my biggest regret.

I'm a fairly opinionated person and it didn't take me long to form some strong opinions about gymnastics! Here are a few

• Shawn should have won the 2008 All-around
• Khorikina was good, but overrated 
• So was Mary Lou
• Shannon Miller was the best female gymnasts the USA has ever seen
• Skinner should be nowhere near a World's team but will be on it by default
• Marta is an evil dictator

I'm sure more will come out in time :). As selection camp starts tomorrow, my predictions will be posted then as well!
-G-