Why Did So Many Greats Retire After Worlds 2011, and Olympic Trials 2012?

  We saw some greats retire in 2011, and 2012. But we must ask ourselves. Why?





Shawn Johnson (Retired 2011): Gymnastics sweetheart, Shawn Johnson retired after failing to make the Worlds Team in 2011. It was not a "I didn't make the team, I am so depressed" Kinda retirement, we saw at the Secret Classic that Shawn blew out her knee in a skiing accident, and she guaranteed us at Nationals that if she returned and contended for another Olympics, she would be a different Shawn, but we saw traces of the Shawn we all know and love. But after becoming the 3rd alternate "The Stay at Home Alternate" Shawn realized it was a waste of time, she was really done with the sport and did not want to risk her knee running towards what she thought was a dead dream, I was sad to see her retirement, because it wasn't a dead dream. She could've done it. She could've been in contention to defend her beam title.



Chellsie Memmel (Retired 2011)- Chellsie Memmel had the intention to return to the Olympic stage. She had the best performance on night one of the Visas. She was in 3rd place behind Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber. She had some great potential and we all knew that she was going to be at the Trials. Going into Night 2, we said "See you at the Trials process Chells. We knew that she was a contender. But all went awry night two, final rotation: Bars. I watched in horror as Chellsie fell off the bar on a EASY skill. The handstand. We watched as Chellsie's father and coach lifted her back to the high bar, and she went again. We watched as she transitioned with a near perfect Pak Salto. But then, she transitioned back up, hit handstand and fell once again. We then discovered after she saluted, routine half done, that her shoulder injury flared up, and she retired.


Nastia Liukin (Came back Late 2011, Retired after missing the Team)- Nastia Liukin, 2008 Olympic Champion. She was the gymnastics queen. But She wanted more. She wanted to succeed with her team rather than by herself. She told us early on in her comeback that she wasnt all around Nastia anymore she was Specialist Nastia, beam and bars. But after falling too many times to count in the process of selecting the Olympic Team, Nastia was ousted.  She retired out of disappointment that her Olympic Chances were really gone.


Rebecca Bross (Recovery Retired Because of Injury 2011, Came Back With Nastia 2012)- We all remember Rebecca's injury on the double twisting Yurchenko. We remembered that day. But Rebecca was so determined to go to London. She came back. But she struggled on bars and beam, her only two events, and it did not pan out, just like Nastia, she realized her dreams wouldn't come true, and walked away from the sport.


Alicia Sacramone (Retired after Trials) Alicia was the 2010 Vaulting Champion and the 2011 World Team Member. She was a great gymnast, but she, with the rest of  her Olympian buddies, didn't make the team



Bridget Sloan: Bridget never retired, she went to Worlds, won the all around in 2009. She won it ahead of teammate, Rebecca Bross. Bridget had all the intention to go back to the Olympic Scene, but she injured her shoulder when warming up a Tkatchev and had to scratch the Trials. We said goodbye to Bridge as she decided to stop her elite career and go down to the collegiate level.

Judging Her Gymnastics: Rebecca Bross

    Rebecca Bross 2009 two time medalist, 2010 National Champion and four time World Medalist (None Gold) Is now retired............ So, like I do for every gymnast, I judge their gymnastics. Because, thats what Triplewhip Does.


Vault- Rebecca Bross was never strong on this event, she had the Double Twisting Yurchenko for most of her competitive history. And she never performed it well. She stopped doing the all around all together after she dislocated her knee on the vault known as the Yurchenko Double.

Bars: This was always a strong event for Bross. Even though she slipped up at 2011 AND 2012 Nationals, and at the 2012 Trials. But Bross was always strong, because she is a WOGA elite.


Beam: Rebecca is good on this event, but what catches her most is the Patterson Dismount, which she has lost, she had it in 2009/2010, but after she broke her foot, she lost it.


Floor: Rebecca was great on this event, but she took it out of her repertoire after her knee injury just for a precautionary measurement. But Rebecca had a difficult routine before her injury.




     Well, that is the event summary of our retired gymnast, Rebecca Bross. Who has also taken a coaching position at WOGA. I congratulate her for helping girls do what she couldn't, go to the Olympics.

Why didn't WOGA make the London Team?

  2012, it was a golden year for team USA, but we didn't see a lot of greats on the team. After getting over the amazing shock of the gold medal year for gymnastics, we ask ourselves: Where were the WOGAns? Where were their elites?


Rebecca Bross: Rebecca Bross: 2010 National Champion, 2009 Silver medalist at nationals, 2010 Bronze World all-around medalist, and 2009 silver Worlds all-around medalist. Rebecca has a lot of credentials. She went back home with 4 medals in 2010, and 2 in 2009. Rebecca was definitely exceptional. In 2011 Rebecca dislocated her kneecap at Nationals when she landed wrong on a Yurchenko Double. She then came back in 2012 at the Classic, her gymnastics were effected, she wasn't as great as she was when she won 2010 Nationals. At Trials, she fell off the bars so many times that Valeri just said. "Salute to the judges and be done" That had to be discouraging to 2010 National Champion.


Nastia Liukin: 2008 All-Around Champion, gymnastics' wonder girl, she even had her own competition. Nastia was the best of the best, in the Hall Of Fame. After Nastia quit gymnastics, she had to take some time off to figure just how much she loved the sport. Nastia had to salute for one last competition. Nastia began her comeback at the 2012 CoverGirl Classic, where she only competed on beam, she was really good, we saw hints of the 2005-2008 Nastia. But come Nationals, Nastia fell apart, making mistakes on her best event, bars. and the event that would help her make the team. The Trials were the worst part, she fell off the bars, and had a shaky performance on beam. Not making the team


   Th

WOGA's Greats: Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, and Rebecca Bross(?)

  So, in 2004, and 2008, we had back to back Olympic All-Around champion. But, I don't know that you have noticed, both Carly Patterson and Nastia Liukin came from the prestige WOGA club. they were both trained by gymnastics legend Valeri Liukin (Yes, Valeri Liukin is Nastia's father. Anyway, those two were amazing. Valeri was pretty much the most prestigious coach in the World. But, Valeri had another little prodigè, Rebecca Bross. But, she was not as successful as Nastia or Carly. She won no gold medals besides a Nationals. Just like Viktoria Komova of Russia, silver was Bross's story. Valeri only deemed her hug worthy when she won the Visa Nationals in 2010. Not when she medaled silver in nearly every event there was. But, in 2012, when neither Nastia Liukin or Rebecca Bross made it due to mistakes. Valeri still loves Nastia, and will still think of her as his prized all-around gymnast, same with Carly Patterson. And will think of Nastia as her daughter, but having no relation to Rebecca, and Rebecca having only one huge success in her gymnastics life, Valeri does not put Rebecca on his prized pupil podium (PPP) Rebecca wanted so badly to be on that podium, Nastia in first, Carly in the silver medal position so to speak. But Rebecca was replaced by little Katelyn Ohashi, who at the moment is the bronze medalist on the PPP.  Katelyn winning the 2013 American Cup, beating the World Champion Simone Biles.

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!

2012: No WOGA Gymnasts Made it to the Olympics: Does that put pressure on Valeri Liukin?

  So, in 2004 and 2008, WOGA was at its peak. Everyone was coming in hoping to train with Valeri Liukin at WOGA because he had trained 2004 Olympic All-Around Champion, Carly Patterson, and 2008 All-Around Olympic Champion, his daughter, Nastia Liukin. WOGA was a very good gym. Business was booming, Valeri was spotting, and it was good. In 2012, he sent two gymnasts to Nationals, both messed up, he then petitioned both to the Olympic Trials, both messed up. In the end. not Rebecca Bross or Nastia Liukin made the team, both were devastated, and Valeri was on the sidelines shaking his head. He watched as the Fierce Five was named, none of his "apprentices" making the team. And no new kids wanted to train at the legendary WOGA gym. Valeri was very sad, and this pushed both of his star gymnasts to retire. Valeri hopes to get someone to Rio. Valeri feels pressure to get a  gymnast on the 2016 team. Valeri wants to relive the glory. He wants to go to the Olympics, he wants to get past the trials.

Rebecca Bross: From the Podium to the Stands

Rebecca Bross......... She was an amazing gymnast. In 2010, she dominated the competition, winning Nationals, and then the American Cup. She dominated. She then went on to Worlds, where she won four medals. And then she returned to the sport, in 2011 for Nationals. She had trouble in night one, falling off the balance beam twice, falling on floor once, landing out of bounds on floor once. And on bars, where she had missed handstands, and the fall on the dismount. On Beam, she was attempting the Patterson Dismount, the Double Front, but fell, almost hitting her head on the beam. Night two went worse, she started on bars, more missed handstand, and a  grip error. On beam, she fell off the beam, both on a skill and on the Patterson Dismount. Then on floor, two falls, three out of bounds. But on vault, thats what really sucked. She was doing the double twisting Yurchenko, but she was twisting into the ground! She did not get enough amplitude, and was twisting when she hit the ground, resulting in the injury, a dislocated kneecap. Bross would have series of surgeries, that would not result in her coming back until 2012. But, when she came back, she was still struggling. At Visas, she fell on both of her events, beam and bars, those were the only two she was competing in, and then at Trials, she fell on beam, and on bars, resulting her to fall in the rankings, and because of this, Marta decided to not include her in the discussions, not even in the alternate discussion. So, from the podium to the stands, that is Rebecca Bross's devastating story.