The 2014 Senior Pan American competition is being held in Toronto, Ont., Canada and artistic gymnasts will compete Aug. 27- Sept. 1. This competition is the qualifying meet for the 2015 Pan American Games, which are being held next July in Toronto. 

 

This competition will be crucial for the gymnasts to show they deserve a spot on the Worlds team. Below are the gymnasts who will be competing for Team USA. Seven gymnasts were chosen, but only six will compete - they will determine who is the alternate before the competition begins. Alyssa Baumann was originally named to the team but she withdrew due to an elbow hyperextension injury. 
 

 

 

Madison Desch - GAGE

 

Desch is a solid all-around gymnast but is still working on refinement and consistency. Desch was chosen to represent Team USA at the 2014 Jesolo Trophy where she placed eighth in the all-around with a 55.65. At this year’s P&G Championships, she scored a 56.0 on night one and a 55.2 on night two. She had some problems with her landings on floor and went out of bounds multiple times. She also missed a blind change on bars, but covered it nicely and worked out of it really well without coming off of the bar. You can tell she is a fighter and didn’t give up on any of her routines through the meet. Desch has some beautiful skills and a lot of potential so, when she pulls it all together, she will be a great asset to the team.

 

 

Felicia Hano - Gym-Max

 

Hano was chosen to replace Baumann at the Pan Ams and it will be exciting to see what she can do at her very first artistic international competition. Hano used to compete trampoline and tumbling and she earned two silver medals at the 2009 T&T World Championships. She is now solely focusing on artistic gymnastics and earlier this year, she moved to Gym-Max to train with Kyla Ross and coaches Howie Liang and Jenny Liang. She only competed three events at the P&G Championships but she hit all six of her routines. She competed two great Yuchenko doubles and earned the stick bonus both times. She has a beautiful floor routine and is a powerful tumbler, but only has a 5.1 difficulty score and earned a 13.5 on day one and 13.75 on day two. She is still progressing and learning new skills so she is definitely someone to look out for in the future. 

 

 

Amelia Hundley - CGA

 

First year senior Hundley is a strong all-around gymnast this competition will be her senior international debut. Hundley trains at CGA with Mary Lee Tracy and Tracy has described Hundley as an extremely dedicated and hard worker. She placed sixth in the all-around at both this year’s Secret Classic and P&G Championships. Bars used to be a weak event for Hundley, however, she’s been working hard and she won the uneven bars title at last year’s P&G Championships. This year, she has a difficulty score of a 5.9 on bars with a routine that includes toe on Shaposh half and a Ricna. Hundley has a great presence, especially on floor, and her routine this year really fits her personality. While Hundley may not earn the top scores on any event, she is someone that team USA can rely on for solid routines on every event.

 

 

Madison Kocian - WOGA

 

Kocian has been plagued with injuries, but luckily she has been able to perform on her strongest event - bars. She has a beautiful bar routine with lots of difficulty and nearly perfect form. At the P&G Championships, she earned a 15.25 on day one and 15.5 on day two. She also competed on beam at Championships where she earned an impressive 5.9 difficulty score on day one for a 14.7 total score. She will definitely be a big contributor on bars and beam and has the potential to be an amazing all-around gymnast when she is healthy again. In an interview, she told us that she plans to be doing all four events for the Worlds selection camp at the end of September. 

 

 

Ashton Locklear - Everest

 

Locklear is another gymnast who is incredible on bars, but is also limited to bars and beam due to nagging injuries. Locklear seemed to be the breakout star of the 2014 Secret Classic when she earned an amazing 15.7 on bars with a 6.6 difficulty score. At P&G Championships, she earned a 15.85 on day one and a 15.2 on day two. She is a natural on bars; her skills are very fluid and her routine looks easy for her to execute. This was Locklear’s first year competing at Classics or Championships, and Pan Ams will be her first international meet. Because Locklear is so new, this meet will be crucial for her to prove to the selection committee that she can perform on an international stage under pressure. 

 

Maggie Nichols - Twin City Twisters

 

Maggie Nichols’ number one asset is being a strong and consistent all-around gymnast. She is rock solid under pressure and placed third to Simone Biles and Ross at both the Secret Classic and P&G Championships. She is someone Team USA can rely on and she will also serve as a leader at Pan Ams with the absence of Biles and Ross. She is a fun gymnast to watch and looks confident and composed while competing. At Championships, she hit eight for eight routines and was happy with her performance. She has good difficulty scores and solid execution, but does not have any one event that stands out above the others. While she seems like an obvious pick for the Worlds team, she will still have to prove that she is consistent and able to earn high scores at Pan Ams.

 

 

Mykayla Skinner - Desert Lights

 

Mykayla Skinner is known for her difficult skills, especially on vault and floor. She has competed a Cheng and Amanar on vault and also performs a layout double double on floor. However, she is also known for her struggles with form and often gets very low execution scores. She has worked on her form over the past year, but it is still something she has a hard time with. She struggled at this year’s Secret Classic but did much better at P&G Championships and received a 57.55 on day one and a 57.9 on day two. Pan Ams will be an important meet for Skinner to prove that she can hit her difficult routines, but also to prove that she has improved her form and can receive high scores. She will be a big asset for team USA on vault and floor, but also has solid bars and beam routines. 

 

 

 

Below is the original list of competitors from Sr Pan Am Gymnastics. Known changes are marked but there may be additional changes since the list was released. 

 

Camila Jazmin Ambrosio ARG

Merlina Galera ARG

Paloma Guerrerio Battellini ARG

Maria Belen Stoffel ARG

Ayelen Tarabini ARG

Ailen Valente ARG

Kianna Dean BAH

Simone Hall BAH

Toneka Johnson BAH

Zantae Dill BER

Sydney Mason BER

Gabrielle Vincent BER

Kaylee Shae Cole BOL

Diana Vasquez BOL

Jade Barbosa BRA - not competing

Letícia Costa BRA

Isabelle Cruz BRA

Daniele Hypólito BRA

Mariana Oliveira BRA

Julie Kim Sinmon BRA

Mariana Valentin BRA

Ellie Black CAN

Madison Copiak CAN

Hélody Cyrenne CAN

Jordyn Pedersen CAN

Kirsten Peterman CAN

Victoria Kayen Woo CAN

Aleeza Yu CAN

Bethany Dikau CAY

Barbara Achondo CHI

Martina Castro CHI

Simona Castro CHI

Macarena Pinto CHI

Franchesca Santi CHI

Camila Vilchez CHI

Catalina Escobar COL

Ginna Escobar COL

Luisa Leal COL

Eliana Rodriguez COL

Marcela Sandoval COL

Bibiana Velez COL

Yesenia Sasquia Ferrera Núñez CUB

Jenifer Janes Iglesias CUB

Mary Adny Morffi Arteaga CUB

Leidys Izabela Perdomo DomínguezCUB

Leidys Caridad Rojas Marrero CUB

Dovelis Elena Torres Herrero CUB

Claudia Goyco Cerdan DOM

Yamilet Peña Abreu DOM

Elid Mayerli Hellwing Burgos ECU

Giulianna Pino Alcivar ECU

Ana Sofia Gomez Porras GUA

Kasia Chrinos HON

Miriana Almedia MEX

Elsa Garcia MEX

Alexa Citlali Moreno MEX

Karla Yanin Retiz MEX

Ahtziri Sandoval MEX

Karla Amaranta Torres MEX

Selene Vazquez MEX

Isabella Amado Medrano PAN

Valentina Brostella Arias PAN

Ana Victoria De Leon Barrelier PAN

Daniela Montenegro Charry PAN

Andrea Camino PER

Mariana Chiarrella PER

Sandra Collantes PER

Nicole Hein PER

Ariana Orrego PER

Britt Reusche PER

Andrea Maldonado PUR

Paula Mejias PUR

Lorena Quiñones PUR

Nicolle Vazquez PUR

Helianesis Vicenti PUR

Marisa Dick TTO

Khazia Hislop TTO

Thema Williams TTO

Debora Reis URU

Hundley Amelia USA

Alyssa Baumann USA - not competing 

Madison Kocian USA

Nichols Maggie USA

Ernst Peyton USA - not competing

Gowey Rachel USA - not competing

Mykayla Skinner USA

Ivet Galean VEN

Eliana Gonzalez VEN

Jessica Lopez VEN

Paola Marquez VEN

Yarimar Medina VEN

Maciel Peña VEN

Cindy Ruiz VEN

Added:
Felicia Hano USA
Madison Desch USA
Ashton Locklear USA


Related:
2014 U.S. National Team 
Men's Sr Pan Am Team