The Fierce Five: Where are they now?

  With only a little over a year until Rio, we look back on the Fierce Five, the five girls representing the USA that won the 2012 Team Gold Medal, being the first to do so since the first ones who did so, the 1996 Team, or, the Magnificent Seven. Anyway, the Fierce Five, consisting of Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross. But we need to ask: Where are they now? Are they coming back to the sport that made them famous?

Jordyn Wieber: Tears were shed around the world when 2011 World Champion was eliminated from the all-aroind hunt. Even though she had the extreme honor of being only the second USA team to win gold, but one of the reasons you train for the Games is to win individual gold, which Jordyn did not win. Since she came back from London, she had hinted about making a comeback, but now that we haven't seen her, or have actually heard official news, its time to accept that Jordyn is comfortable with her assistant coaching job at UCLA.

Aly Raisman: Aly left as the most decorated gymnast of Team USA, sweeping the gold medals in the team and floor, and then winning the bronze in the balance beam. Aly took a much-deserved year off, and then came back to Brestyan's, her long time gym, to train for Rio. Aly was supposed to come back at Classics 2014, but as the day loomed closer, Aly's coaches Mihai and Sylvia Brestyan, along with National Team Coordinator Marta Karoyli, decided to push her comeback to 2015. So, now that it is 2015, Aly is slated to compete at the 2015 U.S Classics. Aly has also made the 2015 National Team

Gabby Douglas: Gabby also took a year off after winning team gold, and of course AA Gold. Many did not expect her to win the title, or even break into the all-around, not after the 2011 she had at Nationals, but hse did break into the all-around and she did win the title. Gabby made the 2015 National Team, after a rough few months. Gabby has left the coach that coached her to Olympic Greatness and moved to Buckeye, the gym where the National Champion, on vault and floor, Nia Dennis trains. Gabby also made the 2015 National Team, and like her teammate Aly Raisman, has announced that she will compete at the 2015 Classics. 

Kyla Ross: Kyla was a first year senior in 2012, and she made the Olympic Team. She was chosen for the team for her uneven bars routine, also for her beam.. As happy as Kyla was winning the team gold, she wanted Olympic Individual Success, which fueled her to not quit gymnastics, she didn't even take a year off like Aly or Gabby, she jumped right back into the gym. And in 2013, she won the 2013 U.S Classic,, and at Nationals, she grabbed the silver in the all around, and at Antwerp 2013, she won four silver medals. She then won silver at the U.S Classic in 2014, and Nationals 2014. She took the bronze AA medal at the 2014 Worlds, and then took gold with the team. Kyla has not been herself in 2014, because of a hip injury, and she had to water down her routines even more than she already had.

McKayla Maroney: Like her teammate, Kyla Ross, McKayla Maroney came back in 2013, determined to make the Rio Team because of her fall in  vault finals. McKayla went to Worlds 2013 and won vault gold, defending her World Title from 2011. But unfortunatly, she had to have surgery in 2014, eliminating her from the 2014 season entirely, but Mac is back and she wants vault gold! She is coming back either at the Classics or Nationals. 

  See, 4/5  Fierce Five are back. Which is good, we want to be reminded of their legacy.

A Look Inside Plum Practicewear

  Plum Practicewear......... a leotard brand that has come up and become one of the best. Because of the fact that I actually have a Plum leo, and LOVE IT, I decided to do the first interview of my blog, with them. Plum Practice Wear makes comfortable, cute, tank leotards that make gymnastics practices fun! I have one of my own, the Zany Zebra leotard, and it is TOTALLY my style, and I didn't even have to beg my mom to get me it, because it was so cheap! Finally, it was great not to have an hour long discussion with my mom telling her WHY I need that leotard.

  How Did Plum Get Started? 

We started out as a group of friends with an idea. We wanted to make leos that grabbed your attention... leos that were fun and funky. We also knew from experience that gymnastics is an expensive sport. We thought we could make at least one piece just a bit easier on the parent's pockets. Then we realized that there was something else we wanted to focus on. Some of these gymnasts wear their leotards longer than they wear their street clothes! They train 5 or more hours at a time. Eight hours total per day. We always keep those gymnasts who wear them in mind. I feel personally connected to every gymnast who wears a Plum. Every girl who wears plum is one of "Our Girls".     

How Fun Is It to Work With the Girls at MG Elite and other Gyms? 

Those girls have such a special place in my heart. They are such sweet, kind, humble girls. They are also very funny and FULL of character... which makes them PERFECT Plum Girls. Our photo shoots always require a bit of theatrics and Laurie, Ari, and Jazzy are always ready to bring the perfect amount of comedy and drama to each shoot. They can totally change into whatever character we are wanting them to be... like flipping a switch. It's a gift they have. I'm super blessed to have been welcomed into the MG family. Shooting in their gym is one of my very favorite things to do. They are just astounding athletes. Olivia is still fairly new to Plum.. but fashion is her second passion so the Plum shoots are her "playtime". She has that super girlie, super-cute look, and listens and takes directions really well. When she comes on the set, we are always confident that she can pull off whatever we need. In the gym, she is a FORCE- very intense and focused. She knows what she needs to do, and just does it. 

Let me just say, I am a fan of your Zany Zebra leo (I have one of my own). Do you have anymore of those leos in the works? Leos in general?

Thanks so much!  Fun Fact:  Zany Zebra made it to the 2014 P&Gs.  The MG trio wore it for a workout while they were there. Not for this most recent line, no.  We try to stretch out and do very different things…  You might see a few familiar patterns here and there, but for the most part we love DIFFERENT.  It’s one of the reasons that we do not restock when something sells out.  There are so many fun fabrics out there…  why keep making the same old thing over and over again?  

Can you leak some secrets about your next line of leotards?

Well… the new line comes out this Thursday and we’ve been giving Sneak Peeks since Friday.  There are a few unexpected patterns thrown in (of course!), a few for Valentine’s Day (including what might be my personal favorite) and a couple of show stoppers.  The biggest thing is our 3 Signature Line leos.  These are fabrics that we created out of our icons, logos and trademarked “Chalk It Up” tagline.  We just LOOOOOVE them!!  The rest are just F-U-N!  We have added black training shorts to the mix, which is something that our gymnasts have been asking for. Of course we are already thinking about the next line… and we’ve got some really cool things up our sleeves ;-)

How do you keep such an amazing leotard design company up and running? 

 

It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of communication.  Luckily we are a very high-energy, highly creative bunch.  We keep each other on our toes.  Someone is always coming up with some great new idea and it really revs the rest of us up.  It’s great that it’s not really ever the same person driving the company.

What is the proccess for designing one of your amazing leotards? How long does it generally take?

That’s a really big question.  It all depends.  If we are custom creating a fabric it takes a bit longer.  We work out the graphics and have a test piece made.  If we like it we run with it.  If not, it’s back to the computer and another test piece.  Even with the fabrics that are “ready-to-go” it’s still a process…  One of my favorite parts is deciding on a contrasting trim color.  Many times it’s the trim that can make a leo go from ordinary to WOW!  I would say from concept to photo shoot to web launch it takes about 3 months to push out a new line. Fortunately, all of our products are made locally on the East Coast which helps to speed up the timeline, and minimize our environmental footprint.``

Besides the gymnasts from MG Elite, Do you work with any other elite girls?

We are soooooo very blessed to have begun working with the lovely and amazingly talented Olivia Dunne from ENA Paramus over the past few months.  She is an up and coming new elite… just 12 years old and so much talent.  Her family and coaches Craig and Jenn have been wonderful to work with, just fantastic people.

What's your biggest accomplishment so far?

  This is a really hard question since we have had such an amazing 6 months.  In August, having Plums at the 2014 P&Gs was incredible! MG Elite’s coach, Maggie Haney, decided to have Laurie, Ari and Jazzy wear “Fusion” to the first podium training as well as “Zany Zebra” to a workout session. Shortly after this the brand went “international”. We have products in Holland, Australia, Canada, United Arab Emirates, and the UK to name a few and are in 48 of the 50 states in the US! Also, we love it when orders come in with very high profile names attached to them… and then when those same gymnasts order AGAIN!  This is happening more and more frequently, and it just tells us that we are going in the right direction.  And then those leos start showing up at camp in Texas…WOW!!! But most of all, it’s the every day gymnast that we are trying to give a voice to. These amazing girls send us pics while they are practicing, and we can just see it on their faces how much they love their Plums. In our eyes, every gymnast that purchases our product is a #PlumGirl

How do you make the leotards so comfortable?

We keep it simple. We let our bold, fashionable patterns do the talking so that we can minimize our seams.  We also think about the friction points on the leo… all those little spots that are going to rub.  We make sure that our binding (the fabric that goes around the neck and arm holes) is soft and smooth for maximum comfort there as well.

What differienciates you from other leotard companies like GK? 

Our focus is PRACTICEWEAR. We focus on our gymnasts each and every day, so we don’t think about what the competition is doing… we just know that “fun” and “comfort” is what our gymnasts want and “affordability” is the goal for our parents. Our leos have a fun factor, but are specifically designed for comfort.  Something that we hadn’t planned on, but is becoming viral is the team bonding element of the brand.  We’ve had gymnasts write to us and tell us that they honestly feel that Plum has brought their team closer together.  Gymnasts are talking about which Plums they love… which ones they want to get next. They are planning Plum Twin days!  Sometimes they triplet, sometimes quadruplet… we’ve even had quintuplet picssent to us!  Because of the combination of comfort and style gymnasts are wanting to wear Plums to gym.  Because of our great price point, the parents are able to stock up the Plums their girls want!

What's your biggest goal as a leotard company?

We would like to be a presence in every gym in the nation.  We want Plum to be what you WANT to wear to gym.  Of course, we’d also love to expand our international market as well.

Do you think you'll ever extend to competition leotards? Or will it just be tanks?

I don’t like to say NEVER, but this is our thing.  We are about PRACTICEWEAR…  PracticePerfect® is what gets you there. So, Chalk it Up!®

     I would love to thank Plum for this amazing opportunity. I love their leotards. It just makes gym a little bit easier, not having to fumble with my leotard ALL THE TIME. And even though I only have one Plum, I plan on filling my whole leotard drawer with them (All gymnasts have at least one leotard drawer in their closet, at least I do) Anyway, I am so excited to get my hands on more Plum leotards. And it'll be nice not to argue with my mother again about costs. So all those gymnasts out there, if you don't have a Plum Leotard, get one. And to all the parents, they aren't expensive!!!!!!!! Plum is a leotard comapny that mixes style with comfort. I absolutely loved interviewing Plum as my first interview. Good luck Plum! I hope you get your leotards to gyms across the Nation, and when time comes, around the world.

Team Germany: How are they doing?

   As we know, Team Germany has suffered a major loss, at least in my opinion. And that is loss of the legendary Oksana Chusovitina. Oksana is known for her age, and great vaulting. Oksana Chusovitina is trying for Rio, like every age-eligible elite gymnast in the world, but the thing that differentiates her the most? She will be 41 YEARS OLD! 41??!!!! That is considered ancient in the sport of gymnastics. It is a great accomplishment, not to mention that she set many records in the sport: Getting a vault named after her, becoming one of the only gymnasts to come back after child birth,  and of course, still being a gymnast at 40! Anyway, so with Oksana moving back to Uzbekistan and competing for them, this is considered a blow for Team Germany because of the seasoned gymnast that they lost. Oksana left Germany after London, and sadly, this will mean that Team Germany will lose that great gymnast, and role model for the younger ones, but their gymnastics program isn't totally in the toilet because of some promising juniors that are turning senior before or of the year of 2016, making them age eligible for Rio 2016. But they did lose a great athlete.

Team Australia: Their Events

   One of my favorite teams in gymnastics is Team Australia. I always have loved their style of gymnastics, so lets do a "Their Events" on them, shall we?

Vault: Australia is okay on this event, what they dont do in difficulty, they make up for it in great form, and stuck landings. Sure, the Australian girls only do 1 1/2s, but on those one and a halves, they have killer execution.

Bars: Australia is weaker on this event. They struggle with key details, like handstands and pirouettes, and they dont get as much amplitude on their releases.

Beam: This is where Australia is great, especially Luaren Mitchell. Australians have great difficulty on this event, and its always a great event to watch them on, even though they have uncharacteristic mistakes in qualifications, which ultimately x-ed them otu from the team finals, they are usually a force to be wreckoned with when it comes to this event.

Floor: Australia is great here as well. Everyone with the exception of Lauren Mitchell may not have the best difficulty, but they nail their passes with a jump-out, and they also have great dance and turns and leaps.

   So there are Australia's key events

Yao Jinnan: After Worlds 2014, Does she really need the name change?

  I have talked a lot about Chinese great, Yao Jinnan, gettign her name changed. If you have been a long time reader, you know that translated from Chinese, Jinnan means "Gold is difficult to get" and as I said in my other articles, that is the name that NO athlete, gymnast or otherwise, wants to get. But when Yao performed her uneven bars routine in the finals, minus the Mo/Gaylord salto, a routine that would win the gold medal, a new question was brought up: Does Yao really need to change her name from Jinnan to Ziyi? Well, it is not the gymnastics fan's decision, unfortunately, it is Yao's. So wait till Worlds to see if Yao makes her name change official (That is if you're not into watching Chinese gymnastics competitions like I am.) After Yao winning the gold medal in Nanning, I dont think she needs to change her name, because that is the name that ALL gym fans know her, and love her by. I dont think that a simple name change will change the gymnast you are. Determination and hard work will. And she knows it.

What Do I Think Of: Nia Dennis

So guys, I think I pretty much flunked my math test, and instead of self destructing and sobbing in front of everyone in my English Class, I thought I would write about gymnastics, to calm myself down. I will probably be doing a few "What Do I Think Of" in the next couple hours. I have barely typed a paragraph, and I am already feeling better.

    So, what do I think of Nia Dennis? I think that she is an amazing gymnast and I am looking forward to 2015, and her first year as a senior. I love Nia. I was amazed when she stuck that Double Arabian on night two and put an exclamation point on her peformance. Nothing says "Great Performance" like a stuck double arabian on your last rotation, and with that stuck double arabian, and many more stuck passes, it was no surprise that she was National Champ on that event. Nia is a true powerhouse. She is going to be great, and I think when she debuts as a senior, she can be in second next to Simone Biles and before Kyla Ross. I cannot wait for Nationals because thats where Nia will introduce herself to the world.

Rewatching the 2014 Floor Finals

   Hello guys: The homework is pretty tame today, I just finished my Etymology Homework, so I figured, why not write about the competition I was watching at lunch today? Which was the 2014 Floor Finals

   The field  was monster strong, including defending champ Simone Biles, who was just coming off of the buzz of winning titles in the team, all-around, and beam competitions. Simone could call herself champion in three areas, could she defend her title on floor? With the depth of the field, it seemed like it would be harder than the year before. 

   First up was Great Britain's new threat, Claudia Fragapane, she was going for a really hard pass, a full twisting double layout: Now as we know, difficult passes pay off if they go well, if you land the skill, but if you don't, its not worth it because it'll deduct you a point from your score, and unfortunately, the full twisting double layout did not pay off for Claudia, for the floor was just a little too springy, and she ended up on her stomach, but Claudia got up and delivered her routine like a true champ. She did her backspin and everything (Which looks monster cool). Besides the fall, Claudia had a routine that could contend for a spot on the podium, but a fall is a fall, and did its damage: Claudia ended up recieving a score of 13.100. Unfortunately, this meant finishing in 8th place. But I fully expect Claudia to do better next year 

   Next was Larisa Iordache, any gymnastics fan knows this girl. Unfortunately, Larisa fell in the beam finals, and ended up in 8th, and even though she didn't need to prove that she is truly great to us, and that beam finals was a fluke, she felt as if she needed to. And let me just say, she did. She captivated me with her amazing routine filled with amazing tumbling and beautiful dance. Larisa's great floor proved to everyone, especially me, that beam finals wasn't the norm. I had to rewind the floor routine because I wanted to watch it again and again. Larisa scored a score of 14.800. This would secure Larisa a silver medal on this event.

   After I watched Larisa's floor over and over again, I moved onto Simone Biles. I knew when she saluted and hit her opening pose, that this was going to be a great routine. And I was right. Simone was clean on all her passes, landing with the chest upright, something most of the field struggled to do. Her move, the Biles, which is a double layout with a half twist, was executed perfectly, as usual, and the rest of her routine packed with hard tumbling and dance tailored especially for her, was astonishing. It was a great routine, and she would take the lead after that, with a score of 15.333. Simone was able to defend her gold medal in both the all-around, and the floor final. 

  Next was Vanessa Ferrari, the definition of the word veteran. Vanessa Ferrari had a really mature floor routine, which was perfect for her because Vanessa has so much experience. In addition to having such mature choreography, we saw that Vanessa had great tumbling including a double twisting double back, executed nicely as always.  And even though her chest was down on some of the landings, it was a great routine, worthy of a score of 14.666, and a 5th place spot.

   After Vanessa, MyKayla Skinner was next. She delivered a routine packed full of tumbling, including a double twisting double layout, and a double twisting double tuck. Those are two insanely hard moves to put together in one routine. After she had saluted, she ran down the stairs to hug her coach, and then Simone Biles screamed and gave her one of her renowned monster bear hugs. Even though MyKayla had easy turns, it was great tumbling that made up for it. In my opinion, MyKayla really cleaned up her form since last year. For the time, MyKayla had a bronze medal, with a score of 14.700, but another gymnast would come and take it.

      Then it was Larrissa Miller of Australia. Larrissa has a very clean routine, but not a difficult one. Her turns and leaps were very nice, but she along with her coaches knew because of the low difficulty it could not contend for a spot on the podium, Larrissa ended up finishing in sixth place with a score of 14.233. 

     Next was Italy's Erika Fasana, who had a solid routine, but not as great as her teammate's or any other of the top three girls, Erika had good tumbling as well as dance, a good routine fitted for her, but not to contend for the medal podium, but I could tell that Erika was satisfied by the fact that she got a chance to compete in the floor exercise finals. 

   And last up was Aliya Mustafina. Aliya delivered an amazing routine with great tumbling and dance, not to mention the turns. This was a great routine for Aliya, and what was even greater was the expression on her face when she won the bronze medal: It was like no other. She was so excited because she had had a rough championships so far. And even though MyKayla was devastated because she lost out on the 3rd place spot by just 3/10 of a point, it was amazing to see the olook on Mustafina's face knowing that she didn't miss an element like she did in the beam finals. I was proud of Musty, and was glad she could get this opportunity to stand on the podium

    The Floor Finals were exciting in 2014, and I am looking forward to seeing 2015's. 

Rewatching: 2011 Worlds

  So I found a comfy, secluded space to sit at at school...... It was so great. So I watched Worlds 2011. Some highlights for me were:

1. The Cutthroat Battle between Jordyn and Viktoria for the all-around-

    I loved watching the cutthroat battle between Jordyn Wieber and Viktoria Komova in the all-around, Jordyn had after the vault rotation, but after Jordyn making a mistake, Viktoria felt the glory of first place. But Jordyn came back monster strong on beam, and Viktoria had a great set. It all came down to floor, and Jordyn had delivered a stellar routine. Viktoria needed a score in the mid 15s to take it, it was COMPLETELY possible. But after a dropped turn here, a stumble on a pass there, Jordyn took it by only three hundreths of a point! So it ended up being Jordyn in first and Viktoria in second.

2. Aly Becomes Team Leader

   After Alicia Sacramone tore her Achilles, someone had to take the leadership role, and it seemed fit that Aly took it, since she was the only other girl on the World Team who had been on the Worlds stage before. Aly kept her team solid throughout, and gave a speech to McKayla and Jordyn, who were set to go on floor on the last rotation. It seemed to have worked, because McKayla and Jordyn went out and rocked their sets, along with Aly, and got the gold with a dominating lead. This is the reason why Aly was chosen as the team leader in London.

3. McKayla Maroney Wins Vault Gold-

   McKayla proved herself to the World as the best vaulter when she vaulted herself to gold in the Finals. She did amazingly well. Scoring in the high fifteens for each vault. McKayla proved herself after she beat Legend Oksana Chusovitina. It was a great Vault Finals, and McKayla walked away champion. 

4. Viktoria Komova wins Bars Gold

 It was no secret that Viktoria had a disappointing Worlds before the bars finals, but she finally managed to cease the gold when she had an amazing bars routine tha clenched the medal. I loved that Viktoria could deem herself World Champion, because she certainly deserved it. 

5 Russia was able to get on the Podium despite loss of Mustafina

    Russia lost their 2010 World Champion, Aliya Mustafina. Aliya tore her ACL competing an Amanar Vault. That meant that she would not make the Tokyo Team. The Russian girls went in nervously, especially since most of the team members were new seniors. The Russians were not able to defend their team title from the year before, but they were able to win a silver medal.

   So those were my top five highlights from 2011's  Worlds.

Talking About The Olympics

  The Gymnastics Olympics---- A pleasure we only get every four years. When one ends, gym fans across the world start thinking and planning the next one. Its just the way it works. The Olympics is the biggest competition in any sport, not just gymnastics, but since this is a gymnastics blog, lets talk about the Gymnastic Olympics. So, as I said before, all gymnastics fans plan teams. As I am still looking at prospects for my team, I am not going to release my team just yet. I am excited for Rio. The Olympics will be amazing because so many amazing juniors worldwide are turning senior either this year or in 2016. And lets not forget gymnasts like Simone Biles, who has been a GIGANTIC force since her senior debut in 2013.  I am so looking forward to Rio, and I can hardly wait. Even though I can not go to Rio because I have overprotective parents, I will be watching every moment and be blogging while I do. So gym fans everywhere, be prepared for an amazing Olympic Year.

Juniors That Are Age Eligible For Rio

Romania's Adela Florea- Adela Florea is a great talent. She is good on uneven bars, a void Dthat she can fill on team Romania. I am looking forward to Adela turning senior because she fills such a void. She is good on bars, the Romanian's aren't that great, but as I've said........ Adela can help. Adela turns senior just in time for the Games.

Russia's Angelina Melnikova- Angelina is a great gymnast. She is great on all four of the events. I fully anticipate Angelina to be in every all-around in every International Assignment, and since she is age eligible for Rio, I can see her being one of the two of the Russians who get into the all around, because lets face it, Russia definitely gets two girls in the all-around. Melnikova turns senior just in Time For Rio.

Great Britain's Catherine Lyons- Catherine is the new Beth Tweddle on uneven bars. I love Catherine because of how beautiful her set it. SHE'S TRAINING A DEF! A DEF! At Junior Elite, Catherine is training a Def! Catherine is great on bars, and all-around as well. I cannot wait until she turns senior, which is in 2016.

USA's Christina Desiderio- Christina is one of my favorite junior gymnasts. She is so good, she is training a triple on vault (Thats why you follow gymnasts on Instagram) But don't tell her you heard it from me. She is a great all-arounder, and I am excited to see her for Rio. She is also a Parkette Soldier, and the Parkette gym produces great athetes who have made it as far as Olympic Alternate. I am excited to see what Bill and Donna do with her. Christina turns senior in 2016.

Russia's Daria Skrypnik- Daria is a great athlete. She sweeped the competition at the 2013 Russian Hopes, winning the AA, UB, BB, and FX competitions. Since UB and FX are two separate disciplines, so to speak, this proves that Daria can do any event, and contribute on any apparatus. Daria can be a true threat for the all-around at the Olympics. She turns senior in 2016.

Russia's Ekaterina Sokova-  Ekanterina is a great all-around athlete. She is also great on beam,, she has great lines and the perfect Russian style. She is a great athlete on all the events, but primarily beam. I think that Ekaterina can be an Olympic Beam Champion, right now I just don't see her getting in the top two spots, especially with Daria and Angelina, not to mention current senior gymnasts such as Aliya Mustafina and Viktoria Komova.  But she can definitely be in contention for beam. But she might mature in this next year, and be an all-around contender. You never know. Just look at Gabby Douglas of USA.

USA's Emily Gaskins- Emily Gaskins is an amazing gymnast. She, unlike many girls in the USA, is a true dancer on floor. She has the hard tumbling, together with the great balletic style. She is also great on bars. This fills a numerous amount of voids for Team USA. I can't wait for Emily to turn senior in 2016, she can prove that the American Girls have the capability to be artistic and balletic.

Germany's Florine Harder- As we know, Germany does not have the best gymanstics program, and is not the most well-known. But Florine wants to change that, she is a great all-around athlete, and can bring pride to Germany. She turns senior just in time for the Games in 2016. Florine will change the fact that Germany's gymnastics program is not that well known.

Great Britains' Georgia Mae Fenton- Georgia is a great all around athlete for Team Great Britain. I bet that if she tries her hardest in Olympic Qualifying, and if she makes her routines as hard as she can, she can be in contention for a medal. Georgia still has a year before she turns senior, and I believe she'll use it to the fullest extent.

USA's Grace Quinn- Grace is good on bars and balance beam, as well as an okay all-arounder. To be honest, Grace has to upgrade her routine a lot in order to make the Olympic Team, much less get into individual finals. Grace is a promising athlete, but like Sarah Finnegan in 2012, I think she'll need a little more time. 

Puerto Rico's Ivanka Victory- Remember how I said that Florine Harder was trying to prove something for Germany, who's gymnastics program is not that well-known? Well wait till you see this girl. She representse Puerto Rico. I bet you are all like "Does Puerto Rico Even HAVE a gymnastics program?!" Not really, but I think Ivanka can boost up the Puerto Rican program, just a few pegs at least. She is a great all arounder, she is steady on all the events. Ivanka turns senior just in time for Rio, and I believe if she works really hard and proves to the Puerto Rican Gymnastics Coorodinators that she can be counted on, I think she'll be standing in the Rio Arena waiting to present to the judges.

USA's Jazmyn Foberg- I AM OBSESSED with Jazzy, who trains at MG Elite, an up and rising club. Not only is she an amazing gymnast, all-around, she is the 2014 All-Around and Uneven Bars National Champion!!! Jazzy totally has the international look, great lines, perfect form, I am so glad that Jazzy turns senior in 2016, because it would be a pity if we had to wait another four years to see her become an Olympian. 

USA's Laurie Hernandez- Laurie is also an MG Elite gymnast, and I love her. Laurie has spunk on floor and can also contribute a solid set on all of the other events. But Laurie is known for her spunk and great choreography on the event. She turns senior in 2016, just like all the girls above.

China's Liu Tingting- Liu is a very promising athlete, turning senior in 2016, just in time for the Games. However, I think it would be hard for her to make it because of her recent placings. The highest she's gotten to the podium in an International Competition is in 3rd, the bronze medal position on the uneven bars. So I think that she just needs more time to upgrade and find her groove. But she does very well nationally.

China's Luo Huan- Luo is a good uneven bar worker, placing first on the event at the most recent Pacific Rims, I believe that she can make the Olympic Team because she has placed on the podium on numerous competitions, some internationally, so she already has exposure, the one thing that differentiates her and her teammate is the consistency.

Canada's Megan Roberts- Megan Roberts is now my favorite Canadian Gymnast. I mean did you see the girl at Elite Canada in 2013? She won every event except beam. Just to clarify: That means she won the all-around, the vault, the bars, and the floor finals. I LOVED WATCHING HER. I am so excited for Megan to turn senior in 2016 because unless she gets a HUGE injury, she'll make the Canadian Team

USA's Norah Flately- I am excited for Norah's senior debut in 2016. As I watch her in past competitions, I realize that her beam work is impeccable, and she is solid on EVERY event. Thats what a Chow's gymnast is: Consistent, solid, hardworking, and aces execution. I think very highly of Norah, and I know she'll make the 2016 Olympic Team.

USA's Rachel Baumann- Now before I start talking about Rachel, you may realize the last name seems familiar........... you are right. Rachel is the sister of Senior Gymnast, and 2014 Gold Medalist with the team, Alyssa Baumann. Rachel shows the talents of her sister, Alyssa, and many more. Even though Rachel just got onto the elite scene, I feel that it is worth noting that she dominated on the Level 9 scene I think if Rachel trains hard and upgrades more, she can make it to Trials. Rachel turns senior in 2016. But I also think it would be cool if Rachel and Alyssa made the Rio Team Together. A little sister-sister force.

Canada's Rose-Kaying Woo- Rose is a great all-around gymnast. She is also great on the uneven bars and balance beam, winning multiple golds in multiple competitions. She can bring it to the table to Canada. I think that Rose can make the team if she continues to perform as she is, Rose turns senior in 2016.

Remembering the Greats: Great Britain's Beth Tweddle

   I wanted to do a "Remembering the Greats" and I figured why not do one on Great Britain Legend, Elizabeth Tweddle? Beth is known for her amazing bar work, she is also known for her great floor routines. I love Beth because of the incredible skills she does in her routine. It never ends.

   Her first World Win was in 2006, where she took the titles on the uneven bars and floor exercise. Then in 2009, she won the floor exercise. In 2010, she won the uneven bars final......... Now I can blab on and on about all Beth Tweddle's accomplishments, but that will take too much time, so I might as well paste the table I found from Wikipedia.

Medal record

Representing  United Kingdom
Olympic Games
Bronze	2012 London	Uneven Bars
World Championships
Gold	2006 Aarhus	Uneven Bars
Gold	2009 London	Floor Exercise
Gold	2010 Rotterdam	Uneven Bars
Bronze	2003 Anaheim	Uneven Bars
Bronze	2005 Melbourne	Uneven Bars
European Championships
Gold	2006 Volos	Uneven Bars
Gold	2009 Milan	Uneven Bars
Gold	2009 Milan	Floor Exercise
Gold	2010 Birmingham	Uneven Bars
Gold	2010 Birmingham	Floor Exercise
Gold	2011 Berlin	Uneven Bars
Silver	2004 Amsterdam	Uneven Bars
Silver	2007 Amsterdam	Floor Exercise
Silver	2008 Clermont	Floor Exercise
Silver	2010 Birmingham	Team
Bronze	2002 Patras	Uneven Bars
Summer Universiade
Gold	2005 İzmir	Uneven Bars
Gold	2009 Belgrade	Uneven Bars
Gold	2009 Belgrade	Floor Exercise
Bronze	2005 İzmir	All-Around
Bronze	2005 İzmir	Balance Beam
World Cup Final
Gold	2006 Sao Paolo	Uneven Bars
Silver	2004 Birmingham	Uneven Bars
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold	2002 Manchester	Uneven Bars
Silver	2002 Manchester	Team
Silver	2002 Manchester	All-Around

So , Beth is an amazing athlete, and now that she is retired, she will be sorely missed.