Rising Stars: Madison Kocian

Guess who just turned Senior? My personal fave junior from 2012, Madison Kocian!!!!!!!! Maddie is an amazing talent. She has the potential to be a great all-arounder. She actually placed on the National Team, but did not go to World Championships. But when she gets more difficulty and confidence on beam, she probably can. If anything shoots Maddie down, it is beam. She lacks the confidence needed on the event that is the hardest in the sport. I believe that if Maddie fixes some areas (Beam, smoother transitions on bars) She has real potential for Rio, and she is great on bars, but if anything Maddie struggles on her high to low bar transitions, but if Maddie puts more work into the transitions, Maddie can definitely contend, Marta loves her. She has lean lines, and she is a beautiful all-around gymnast. I believe she can contend, and I think Marta is leaning towards putting her on the 2014 National and Worlds Team. Madison has lots of potential, but she needs to hit it on game day. Madison, if you are reading this, I am so happy that you recovered from your ankle injury in 2012 and I am so excited to see you at Nationals, Worlds, and maybe in 2016, the Olympic Games!!!!

WOGA Gym: Loses Record of Having All-Around Champions Every Olympics

  WOGA Gymnastics. WOGA is a great gym. WOGA spat out some of the greats, 2004 Olympic All-Around Champion, Carly Patterson, and 2008 champion, Nastia Liukin. Valeri Liukin, (yes, Valeri is Nastia's father, Liukin isn't THAT common of a name, on second thought, no one has that last name). Valeri is a perfectionist. He was a team and horizontal bar gold medalist for the former Soviet Union team. Valeri tried teaching men's gymnastics, but thought he would like torturing girls better. Valeri Liukin soon went to build WOGA, and in bounced little Carly Patterson. In 2004, Carly would make her coach proud when she would win the gold medal over Russia's great, Svetlana Khorkina. And that enough, made the world proud, Carly beat a Russian! Anyway, after Carly won gold, little Nastia, who was training, fixated herself to follow in Patterson's footsteps in 2008, and she did, it was between her and Shawn Johnson for the gold, Chow was hoping for gold, but Nastia knew she couldn't let this escape, she couldn't let the chance to bring pride to WOGA, two times in a row, Olympic Champion coming from that gym. So, when Shawn took a step back on her final pass, Nastia knew that she could do it. "I just have to stick all my landings" Nastia said to her coach, and father, Valeri. "I know you can. I have faith in you, this is what you have been training your whole life for. This floor routine" Valeri said. And you know what? that I know you can, and that I have faith in you was all that Nastia needed to win gold. At the 2012 trials, in California, Valeri's gymnasts had struggled, Rebecca Bross, who had had a horrific knee injury at the 2011 Nationals (A full-blown injury, a dislocated kneecap) and his daughter, Nastia Liukin. Both girls had Valeri's key traits: Perfectionists, determination, and focus. But, something went wrong, and at the end of night two, both girls had three strikes against them. They both decided to specialize on bars and beam. Nastia: a harsh leg bend. face plant from the bars, and a fall on her dismount. Bross: huge leg separation on bars, fall on bars, and what shot her down? The fall on her Patterson dismount. Valeri did have one more shot, a little-known just senior gymnast, but inexperience caught her, and Valeri did not go to London, he had no gymnast to take. But Valeri has a lot of hopefuls up his sleeve for Rio. And I have been watching videos, interviews, and everything, and I know who they are!



1. Katelyn Ohashi
2. Madison Kocian
3. Alyssa Baumann
4. Nadia Cho (Notice her first name, I bet Valeri is excited to have the next Nadia Comeneci watch her in training!)
5. Asia DeWalt
6. Samantha Ogden
7. Lauren Farley


     With seven potentials.......all turning senior before Rio, one or two of them have to make it, I mean that would be really sad if he didn't, I mean he has seven potentials, he might have to close the gym out of shame after this one, and imagine if he didn't qualify anyone into 2020? That.........that itself is a horrific horrific, failure, but if I know Valeri, he will get someone into 2016, and then 2020, and then 2024, 2028, but then again, I am getting ahead of myself. Well Valeri, I hope to see you in Rio with one of these seven girls, maybe even two, three? But, again, I am getting ahead of myself! Go WOGA!