Recap: Elite Qualifier and National Team Camp at the Ranch

Recap: Elite Qualifier and National Team Camp at the Ranch

Jul 5, 2013 by Anne Phillips
Recap: Elite Qualifier and National Team Camp at the Ranch
The final national elite qualifier of the season concluded Friday in Texas at the Karolyi Ranch, a U.S. Olympic Training Site. This was the final chance for gymnasts to achieve international elite status and qualify to the two upcoming Classic meets. The first Classic takes place Saturday at the Ranch. 

Below is a recap for each division of Friday's optional elite qualifier competitions, Thrusday's compulsory competition, as well as a few tidbits from the USA National Team training camp at the Ranch. 

Junior Elite
In the junior elite division, eight athletes earned the optional score of 50.00 required to earn junior elite status and advance to the Classic. Lauren Navarro of Charter Oak won the junior all around with a 53.400. She also posted the top scores on bars and beam. WOGA's Asia DeWalt opened with a huge double layout on floor and finished second all around with a 52.550. 

Melissa Reinstadtler of Rebound won the floor title and finished 3rd all around. Finally, Nicole Biondi of 10.0 Gymnastics in Massachusetts won the junior vault title. Earlier this season, Biondi was crowned J.O. National Champion on floor in the junior A division.


Nicole Biondi with her vault gold. Simone Banen and Reinstadtler tied for 2nd. Photo by proud coach @AugerDave.

Also attaining junior elite optional scores: Simone Banen of North Stars, Emily Muhlenhaupt of Colorado Aerials, Gabrielle Perea of Legacy Elite, Mailie O'Keefe Academy of Gym-Salcianu, and Lexy Ramler of Kidsport. 


Hopes 12-13


Alyona-Shchennikova training floor at 2013 J.O. Nationals.
 
Alyona Shchennikova of Tigar CO, the younger sister of U.S. Junior National Team member Polina Shchennikova, won the Hopes 12-13 division and advanced to Classics with an impressive all around score of 53.80. She also won bars, beam, and floor. 

Samantha Davis of North Stars won the vault title and placed 2nd all around. Olivia Trautman of Twin City Twisters rounded out the podium placing 3rd all around and advancing to Classics. 

Additional gymnasts who met the Hopes 12-13 optional qualifying score: Adeline Sabados of Colorado Aerials, Jaala Downes of Champion Gym Academy, Mackenzie Barile of Desert Lights, Abigail Johnson of Twisters, and Abigail Walker of Northwind. 


Hopes 10-11
Four athletes competed in the 10-11 division and all four qualified. Shilese Jones of Auburn Gymnastics Center won the all around title by nearly two points. Jones famously mounted her floor routine with a full twisting double back this season as a level 9, showing she is ready to take on the elite world! Watch her level 9 floor routine here. 

American Twisters teammates Mikayla Hotaling and Baleigh Garcia finished second and third all around, while Autumn Lull of Xtreme Altitude was 4th. 

Senior Elite
Only three athletes competed in the senior elite division, however none of them met the all around score needed for Classics. Wynter Childers, now representing Carter's Gymnastics, won the all around title with a 51.10. Click here for results.
Compulsory
Compulsory competition for the elite qualifier took place on Thursday, July 4th. Complete results have not yet been posted by USA Gymnastics. Gym-Style reports that Felicia Hano of West Coast Elite and Emily Schild of Everest Gymnastics earned the compulsory scores needed to attain international elite status. Both had previously totaled the required optional score. (You can find a breakdown of the qualifying scores for each division at the bottom of this article.)  



Polina Shchennikova at the 2012 Visa Championships. Photo by Melissa Perenson.

Earlier in the week, the gymnasts of the USA National Team Camp - both current members of the National team and invited athletes - competed in "verification" competition. Scores from this can be used to qualify to the P&G Championships in Hartford in August, this year's National Championships. It has been confirmed that Polina Shchennikova of Tigar, Ragan Smith of Northwind, Nia Dennis of Buckeye, and Chow's gymnasts Norah Flatley and Alexis Vasquez have earned qualifying scores to the junior elite division of the P&G Championships.

Rachel Gowey, also of Chow's, and Mykayla Skinner of Desert Lights earned their qualifying scores for the senior elite division of the P&G Championships. 


Brenna Dowell at the 2012 Visa Championships. Photo by Melissa Perenson. 

National team member Brenna Dowell of GAGE posted the top all around score of the senior division of verification followed by first year senior Simone Biles of Bannon's. Abby Milliet of Denton finished third all around. Milliet won the WOGA Classic senior all around title in February but is not currently a member of the U.S. National Team. Click here to watch Milliet's upgraded beam routine for 2013. 

In other camp news, Laurie Hernandez was added to the U.S. Junior National team. Click here for more info.  

A busy week at the Ranch concludes Saturday with two sessions of the American Classic meet where athletes will be targeting qualifying scores for the P&G Championships. This is the first two Classic meets this summer where gymnasts can qualify to Championships. The second will be the Secret Classic, held July 27 in Chicago. 

Click here for the original lineup for the American Classic courtesy of USA Gymnastics. Note that this list does not include athletes who earned their elite scores in today's qualifier. 
The American Classic will consist of two sessions. Competition for session 1 begins at 9:50am CST. Session 2 will begin at 1:35pm.

Top Results from the Optional National Elite Qualifer:
JUNIOR ELITE Qualifiers

Full junior results here.

HOPES 12-13 Qualifiers

Full Hopes 12-13 results here. 


HOPES 10-11 Complete Results - All 4 Qualified


 
How do athletes qualify for the 2013 summer elite competitions? Below is our breakdown of the 2013 USA Gymnastics Elite Qualification Scores:

Compulsory Testing:
Junior and Senior Elite: 
35.00 at Regional or National Qualifiers (for “new” International Elites. International Elite athletes that have competed at a Classic are not required to attain a compulsory score.)
Senior athletes qualifying optionals with 2 or 3 event score must earn an 8.75 compulsory score on the same 2 or 3 events

Hopes (12-13)
33.00 All Around at Qualifiers

Hopes (10-11)
32.00 All Around at Qualifiers


Optional Elite Qualifying Scores:
Senior Elite (Age 16 and Up)
Ways for Senior Elites to Qualify to Classics:
- 53.00 AA, 3 Event=40.5, 2 Event =27.5 at 2013 National Qualifiers or 2012/2013 Team Training Camps (full routines on competition surfaces)
- 53.00 at 2012 Championships 

Ways for Senior Elites to Qualify to Championships: 
- Automatic: 2012 Olympic Team and designated Alternates 
- 54.00 AA, 3 Event=41.25, 2 Event =28.00 at 2013 Classic meet 
- National Team members at Team Training Camp (full routines on competition surfaces) or International Assignment

Junior Elite (Age 11-15)
Ways for Junior Elites to Qualify to Classics:
- 51.00 at 2012 Championships 
- 50.00 at 2013 National Qualifiers or 2012/2013 Team Training Camps (full routines on competition surfaces)

Ways for Junior Elites to Qualify to Championships:
- 51.50 at 2013 Classic meet or National Team members at Team Training Camp (full routines on competition surfaces) or International Assignment


Hopes Qualification
The "Hopes" division is a pre-elite level. Hopes athletes can only qualify to compete at the 2013 U.S. Challenge, held in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Classic in Chicago. 

Hopes (age 12-13)
47.50 at National Qualifiers or Team Training Camps (full routines on competition surfaces)

Hopes (age 10-11)
46.00 at National Qualifiers or Team Training Camps (full routines on competition surfaces)


USA Women's Summer Elite Competition Schedule:
July 6: American Classic at the Karolyi Ranch
July 27: Secret U.S. Classic in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
July 25-27: U.S. Challenge in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
August 15-18 P&G Gymnastics Championships in Hartford, CT.  
September 25-Oct 6 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium


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