Aug 12, 2014
Highs 1. Simone Biles’ Comeback Simone Biles competed for the first time since the 2013 World Championships and she made a huge statement scoring an impressive 61.7. There was question if she would be ready for this meet after entering and then withdrawing from both the American Cup and the Pacific Rim Challenge. Coach Aimee Boorman and Martha Karolyi held Simone out until she was completely ready and it ended up being a good decision. Simone dominated the competition and finished more than a point and a half higher than the second place finisher and more than three points ahead of the third place finisher.
Aug 5, 2014
The 2014 Secret U.S. Classic had some gorgeous leos to go along with the incredible gymnastics. Below are our favorites. Vote for your favorite in our poll at the bottom of the article. Poll closes on Monday, Aug 11th at midnight CT so get your vote in before then!
Aug 4, 2014
Known for featuring many elite debuts and breakout performances, the Secret US Classic acts as an exciting prelude to what is the biggest national meet of the year; US Championships. This weekend gymnastics fans flocked to the Sears Arena in Illinois to watch the competition unfold - and it was quite a spectacle. THE SENIORS Simone Biles of World Champion Gymnastics, who dominated the competition from start to finish, posted the highest score on vault. She performed two vaults; first, an Amanar where she displayed excellent form with just a small hop on landing. Second, a layout half on half off, in which she landed with her chest down, but the difficulty was enough to secure her vault title. Other standout vault performances came from Felicia Hano of Gym Max, Melissa Reinstadtler of Rebound, Amelia Hundley of Cincinnati and Kyla Ross of Gym Max. Hano stuck her double twisting yurchenko to take 4th place on vault while Reinstadler and Hundley posted identical scores to tie for 7th with their neat yurchenko fulls. Runner up Kyla Ross earned her first massive execution score of the night with a confident double full. (5.9 + 9.3) On uneven bars the standard was sky high as three competitors (namely Ashton Locklear, Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian) posted execution scores of 9.1. However it was Locklear of Everest Gymnastics who took first place as her routine showed the highest difficulty. Highlights of her routine included a super high pak salto, straddled jaeger and stuck full twisting double tuck dismount. All around champion Simone Biles also had a solid performance on bars. After a shaky start which meant she had to use all her strength to save her first handstand, Biles pulled it back with a stuck double twisting double tuck to score a very respectable 14.75. (5.8 + 8.95) Maggie Nichols from Twin City Twisters, who took the bronze medal in the all around, pulled off an extremely difficult routine which included a toe on full pirouette to shaposhnikova and a toe on piked tkatchev to pak salto. Although Biles appeared somewhat nervous on beam - she had uncharacteristic balance checks on her flight series and front tuck - her performance was enough to share 1st place on the event with 2012 Olympian Kyla Ross. Kyla's routine was stunning in every sense of the word; her execution was almost faultless. Her composure and ability to make difficult skills look effortless allow her to consistently achieve competitive scores. Martha Karolyi commented that Kyla was "like always - consistent and looking good." My favourite moments in the exercise were her high side somersault and switch ring leap. This event earned Ross 15.25 - and her third execution score of the night above nine! Rachel Gowey of Chow's, who has since been dubbed the "breakout star" of the competition, delivered an elegant and extremely difficult beam routine. I loved her impressive oversplit on her leaps and how she refused to let small balance checks waver her confidence. Gowey impressed by placing 3rd on beam and just missing out on an all around medal in 4th. Ashton Locklear transferred her poise from the bars over to the beam with a commanding routine which included a side aerial to layout step out connection and stuck double tuck dismount. On floor Nia Dennis of Buckeye Gymnastics performed three very impressive tumbling passes but a fall on her final pass affected her score. Kyla Ross kicked off her competition with the artistry and precision that we have come to expect from her, as she drew in the crowd with her expressive dance and new opening tumble - a whip to double arabian. However the undisputed standout routine on floor exercise came from Simone Biles. I cannot stop watching it! Her energy in her choreography and huge smile are just infectious, not to mention she executes some of the most difficult tumbling passes in the world with apparent ease. Biles stuck a double twisting double tuck, a double layout half out - "The Biles", a double layout and a full twisting double tuck. This unbelievable routine scored a 15.8 (6.6 + 9.2). Go watch it if you haven't!!!!!! Thank you for reading, I can't wait for championships! Lucy (16 year old gymnast from the UK)
Aug 3, 2014
While in Chicago, Illinois for the Secret Classic, McKayla Maroney threw the first pitch at a Chicago White Sox game.
Known for featuring many elite debuts and breakout performances, the Secret US Classic acts as an exciting prelude to what is the biggest national meet of the year; US Championships. This weekend gymnastics fans flocked to the Sears Arena in Illinois to watch the competition unfold - and it was quite a spectacle. THE JUNIORS The absence of reigning national champ Bailie Key left the junior title wide open. On vault, Jordan Chiles from Naydenov achieved great amplitude on her double twisting yurchenko to score 14.900 (5.8 + 9.1). This massive score helped her to secure the all around title. Emily Gaskins (12th AA) of Cincinnati Gymnastics earned a 9.0 execution score for her neat full twist and Lexy Ramler from Kidsport performed a very efficient, stuck full twisting yurchenko. 'Artistic' and 'classy' are words that I've never used to describe a bar routine, but for Deanne Soza of Arete (joint 3rd AA) I have to make an exception. Her bar routine was definitely one of the highlights of the junior competition for me. Her handstands showed beautiful form and her transitions between the high and low bar were elegant and well-flighted. The routine concluded with a well landed full twisting double layout to score 14.200 (5.6 + 8.6), the second highest junior bar score. Emily Gaskins' bar routine also deserves a mention solely for her excellent jaeger, pak salto and double layout dismount. On beam Norah Flatley (joint 3rd AA) from Chow's delivered another highly impressive beam routine to easily secure first place on the event. The best moments of the routine included her back handspring, back handspring layout and the endless difficult connections that she was making such as a front aerial to sheep jump and a front tuck to wolf jump. These all helped in building her difficulty to a huge 6.2, with a final score of 15.1, which, unbelievably, would have earned her the bronze medal in the beam final at the 2012 London Olympics. Another junior competitor who showed poise on the beam was second year elite Maile O'Keefe from Salcianu Gymnastics. O'Keefe had a great all-around competiton to finish 6th. Taylor Lawson from Parkettes also caught my eye on beam when she performed her standing arabian salto. The height she achieved was absolutely incredible! However it was on floor that Maile O'Keefe stood out most. (She placed 2nd on floor - 14.100). She opened with a stuck double pike followed by an effortless double spin and clean double tuck. Her leap series displayed gorgeous over split positions and she stuck her one and a half walkout through to double twist pass. O'Keefe danced out of her final tumble; two and a half twist. Her choreography was balletic and maturely executed; very impressive for such a young gymnast. Ragan Smith of Texas Dreams took the floor title. The audience were treated to a display of her tumbling talent when she performed a tight triple twist and a high double arabian. Other highlights were her switch ring leap and stuck double pike. Ragan finished in 13th place AA. Thanks for reading, stay tuned for my senior highlights! I'd love to know your thoughts on the junior competition, Lucy (16 year old gymnast from the UK )
Aug 2, 2014
In session one of the 2014 Secret U.S. Classic, Jordan Chiles posted the top score with a 57.35, followed by Deanne Soza with a 56.45, and Maile O'Keefe with a 55.9. Chiles had the high on vault with a 14.9, Soza had the high on bars with a 14.2, Rachel Baumann had the beam high of a 14.45, and O'Keefe had the floor high of a 14.1.
To kick off the Secret U.S. Classic weekend, Hopes gymnasts competed in the U.S. Challenge. Sunisa Lee of Midwest Gymnastics and Deanna West of WOGA claimed the all-around titles in their respective divisions. Lee won the 10-11 age division while West won the 12-13 age division. Lee qualified to Hopes earlier this year. In addition to becoming a Hopes elite, Lee also had a successful J.O. season. She won first on bars and in the all-around at Level 9 Westerns and is the 2014 Minnesota State Floor Exercise Champion. Her success on bars and floor was evident as she competed in the Challenge. She began her floor routine by showcasing her flexibility and included a few combos in her tumbling passes. Her floor routine earned fourth place in the 10-11 division while her bar routine placed first. West is also a state and Western champion as she won beam at 2013 Westerns and floor at the 2013 Texas state championships. At 2013 Westerns, she also placed second on vault. Her talent on vault and floor were showcased at the Challenge as she won both vault and floor at the Challenge in the 12-13 division.
Aug 1, 2014
2014 Secret Classic podium training has just wrapped up. Check out the latest podium training videos here, then tell us who YOU think looked the best.Who looks the best at Podium Training?
Video stream via USAG and Universal Sports
Jul 31, 2014
Jul 30, 2014
