Maroney Exceeds Expectations at Training Camp

Maroney Exceeds Expectations at Training Camp

Jun 3, 2013 by Anne Phillips
Maroney Exceeds Expectations at Training Camp


2012 Olympic Gold Medalist McKayla Maroney returned to National Team Training camp this week and "impressed" the National Team staff with her level of difficulty. Maroney returned to the gym in late January but was still recovering from three post-Olympic surgeries. This was the first training camp for Maroney since before the Olympic Games and shows that the star gymnast is in fact serious about returning to training in 2013. 
 
The U.S. Junior National Team also earned a new member in Nia Dennis of Buckeye Gymnastics. Read more about Dennis here.

In total there are twenty three gymnasts at this camp. The full list is below. Click the gymnast's name to watch their videos.


L ro R: Maroney, Priessman, Biles, Baker, Ross

Seniors:
Kyla Ross of Gym-Max
Simone Biles of Bannon's Gymnastix
Maggie Nichols of Twin City Twisters 
Elizabeth Price of Parkettes 
Brenna Dowell of GAGE
Kennedy Baker of Texas Dreams 
Lexie Priessman of Cincinnati
Maddi Desch of GAGE 
Abigail Milliet of Denton* 
Mykayla Skinner of Desert Lights Gymnastics*
Rachel Gowey of Chow's Gymnastics and Dance*
 


L to R: Dennis, Hundley, Shchennikova, Key, Hults

Juniors:
Amelia Hundley of Cincinnati Gymnastics
Polina Shchennikova of Tigar CO
Bailie Key of Texas Dreams 
Nia Dennis of Buckeye
Nica Hults of Texas Dreams* 
Grace Quinn of Texas Dreams*
Emily Gaskins of Cincinnati*
Emily Schild of Everest*
Ashton Locklear of Everest*
Norah Flatley of Chow's Gymnastics and Dance* 
Alexis Vasquez of Chow's Gymnastics and Dance* 

*denotes athletes not currently on the National Team



Below is the full press release from USA Gymnastics:

HUNTSVILLE, Texas, June 3, 2013 – On May 30, 2012 Olympic team gold-medalists McKayla Maroney of Long Beach, Calif., and Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif., were among the 23 gymnasts and their coaches who gathered at the USA Gymnastics National Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch, a U.S. Olympic Training Site. Martha Karolyi, the women's national team coordinator, welcomed 12 national team members and 11 invited gymnasts to the five-day training camp. This was Maroney's first camp since the 2012 Olympic Games concluded.

"McKayla exceeded our expectations for her first camp after six months from the Olympics," said Karolyi. "We were quite impressed with her level of difficulty at this time."

In addition, Karolyi added Nia Dennis of Westerville, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, to the junior national team. The U.S. Women's National Team for 2013-14 will be determined at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Aug. 15-18, in Hartford, Conn.

Each national team camp starts with physical abilities testing. During the next two days, gymnasts go through verification on each event under the watchful eye of the Athlete Selection Committee, which is comprised of Terin Humphrey, the athlete representative, Steve Rybacki, director of elite programs, and Karolyi. During verification, many gymnasts debuted new floor exercise routines, as well as new upgrades on the uneven bars and balance beam.

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