2013 Secret US Classic

A look back at the 2006 US Classic....

A look back at the 2006 US Classic....

A look back at the 2006 US Classic....

Jul 29, 2013
A look back at the 2006 US Classic....


Weird….That’s the only way I can describe what it was like being at the Secret U.S. Classic meet this past weekend without being there to watch Jordyn compete.

Seeing the excited little girls waiting in line…. Hearing the announcements for the athletes to rotate to their next event…. Even smelling the concession stand food…..It all elicited an almost automatic physical response--- my stomach went into knots, my heart rate sped up and I had the urge to go straight to the concession stand and get an “ice tea” ☺

I couldn’t help but get a bit melancholy. It seems like only yesterday we were at Jordyn’s very first U.S. Classic meet- her first meet as a brand new international elite gymnast. It was 2006 and Jordyn had just turned 11 years old. I had never been to an elite gymnastics meet before and had no idea what to expect. Looking back, that meet didn’t seem that much different than any other J.O. meet. The venue was in Kansas City, Missouri – in what seemed like a small gym with very little seating and NO podiums.

I had no expectations for Jordyn other than to gain some experience competing as an elite gymnast. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure what she needed to do to qualify for U.S. Championships. It was the least stressed I had ever been at one of Jordyn’s meets in my life. My biggest concern was that Jordyn feel confident while competing and didn’t “choke” or “break down”.

At that time we had a silly pre-competition superstition that involved giving Jordyn Skittles candies before a meet pretending that they were “magic”. She got five Skittles, each one represented super powers for things like balance, focus, sticking it, etc…. When we met Jordyn’s coaches at the venue and she was leaving for warm-up I realized that we didn’t do our Skittles ritual. I remember being panicked- as if this would really make a difference. I called the coaches on the cell phone and told them that Jordyn “forgot something”. Little did they know at the time that her mom just wanted to give her the “super power Skittles” before competing. I was clearly grasping for a sense of control in a situation where I clearly had no control.

In the end, the Skittles worked! Jordyn did well and placed 10th in a junior field led by Shawn Johnson (whom I had never heard of at the time) and Sam Peszek who both went on to compete in the 2008 Olympics. Ironically, there were no other members of the future Fierce Five in the field at that meet.

The unexpected success of Jordyn qualifying for Championships was one of the happiest moments in her career. The next happy moment came a few minutes later when she was asked to sign her very first autograph.

Hyperspace to 2013- and I’m watching Jordyn sign autographs for the next generation of gymnastics stars all with big dreams and big futures. Those years in between 2006 and 2013 sometimes seem like “the long haul” and other time seem like a fast blur. Either way, they are years that I cherish.

It was nice being a relaxed spectator for a change- but oddly; I’m looking forward to being that nervous-wreck gym mom again as Jordyn chases down her future dreams.

Rita Wieber is the mother of Olympic Gold Medalist and 2011 World Champion, Jordyn Wieber and the author of GYM MOM.  Check out her website at www.gymmom.net.




2006 US Classic Junior International Results 2006, July 29
2006 US Classic
Women Junior VT UB BB FX Total
1 Shawn Johnson Chow's 15.300 15.250 15.250 14.850 60.650
2 Samantha Peszek DeVeau's 15.350 14.900 15.300 14.950 60.500
3 Bianca Flohr Cincinnati Gym Academy 14.900 15.850 15.250 13.950 59.950
4 Samantha Shapiro All Olympia 14.450 15.300 15.150 14.050 58.950
5 Mattie Larson All Olympia 13.650 14.850 14.350 14.450 57.300
6 Rebecca Bross WOGA 14.300 14.300 14.550 14.100 57.250
7 Sarah DeMeo GAGE 13.850 14.200 15.350 13.450 56.850
8 Catherine Nguyen WOGA 13.950 14.650 14.750 13.450 56.800
9 Shelby Salmon DeVeau's 14.000 13.950 14.350 14.300 56.600
10 Jordyn Wieber Geddert's Twistars 14.050 13.900 14.450 13.900 56.300
11 Olivia Courtney Capital (VA) 14.100 13.750 13.550 14.150 55.550
11 Cassie Whitcomb Cincinnati Gym Academy 14.200 14.750 12.750 13.850 55.550
13 Petra Matthies Brestyan's 13.750 13.200 13.800 14.600 55.350
14 Chelsea Davis Texas Dreams 14.800 14.450 11.850 13.950 55.050
15 Amy Borsellino North Stars 14.050 14.200 12.800 13.950 55.000
16 Ivana Hong GAGE 14.350 12.900 13.900 13.750 54.900
17 Rachel Updike GAGE 14.300 12.750 14.100 13.500 54.650
18 Ashley Stott SCEGA 14.350 13.400 13.350 13.450 54.550
19 Taylor Schick Gwinnett 13.700 12.450 14.150 13.950 54.250
20 Erica Smith GAGE 13.700 12.450 14.050 13.950 54.150
21 Kimberly Jacob Gymcarolina 14.450 11.200 14.050 14.000 53.700
22 Madison Turchin Brandy Johnson's 13.700 12.750 13.450 13.650 53.550
23 Katelyn Mohr Byer's 14.300 13.450 12.350 13.250 53.350
24 Michelle Shealy Gwinnett 13.900 11.150 14.300 13.700 53.050
24 Christa Tanella WOGA 12.750 12.500 13.700 14.100 53.050
26 Rachel York Krafft Academy 14.250 11.000 13.500 14.250 53.000
27 Kyra Platt Coast Elite 14.300 13.250 11.850 13.500 52.900
28 Gabrielle Swart Parkettes 13.700 12.950 13.200 13.000 52.850
29 Rebecca Clark GAGE 12.650 11.900 14.200 13.900 52.650
30 Taylor Spears WOGA 13.700 12.900 12.650 13.200 52.450
31 Lindsay Eble Champion (CO) 13.250 13.100 12.750 13.250 52.350
31 Lia Dlepriore Parkettes 12.400 13.400 12.800 13.750 52.350
33 Haley Bodenheimer Southeastern 13.300 12.150 13.550 13.150 52.150
34 Sarah Persinger Southeastern 13.500 12.650 12.500 13.250 51.900
35 Shelby Gies Will-Moor 13.350 12.150 13.150 13.100 51.750
36 Jackie Mesh GAGE 13.950 10.750 13.550 13.400 51.650
37 Noel Couch North Stars 13.650 12.150 11.750 14.000 51.550
38 McKenzie Fechter GAGE 13.700 12.450 12.900 12.450 51.500
39 Annette Miele Lehigh Valley 13.850 11.050 13.050 13.400 51.350
40 Stephanie Brown Brestyan's 13.800 11.100 12.900 13.100 50.900
41 Hannah Toussaint Olympic Dreams 13.650 10.600 13.950 12.400 50.600
42 Hope Bruce US Gold 13.250 10.950 12.650 13.450 50.300
43 Kaitlyn Clark SCATS Diamond Elite 12.900 11.700 12.500 13.000 50.100
44 Aziza Day Gwinnett 13.400 12.950 11.650 11.700 49.700
45 Madison Shorts Buckeye 12.650 10.350 10.800 12.450 46.250
46 Rheagan Courville Elite 14.550 0.000 15.100 14.150 43.800
47 Austyn Fobes Will-Moor 0.000 12.150 13.000 12.900 38.050
18 Randi Lau Hawaiian Island 13.800 0.000 0.000 0.000 13.800
49 Alexandra Christensen Exper-Tiess 0.000 0.000 11.250 0.000 11.250
50 Rebecca Tutka Parkettes 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

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