“So, why was Paul Hamm, the Olympic all-around champion, who is competing in one-of-three ginormous pre-Olympic competitions, buried in USAG’s Jan. 23rd press release? Hamm was relegated to a brief mention in the sixth paragraph with zero mention of any past honors.”

Granted, Hamm had been slated to appear at previous Winter Cups, including last year’s, only to be unfortunately sidetracked by untimely injuries/surgeries.  By all indications, especially his recently posted video on Facebook, Hamm is ready to roll.  Nobody expects him to compete all six, and if he ends up doing two or three events, those attending next week’s competition in Las Vegas will not be disappointed.

Black went on to compare Hamm’s legal scrape to those of other athletes, some of which are now highly revered.

“The buzzwords of “arrest, assault, drunk and disorderly” do NOT represent the same “crimes” as those of Olympic diver Bruce Kimball, or the NFL’s Donte Stallworth, or track’s Marion Jones, and other high profile athletes charged and convicted of felonies… Do people think Olympic fighters and wrestlers are squeaky clean? Olympic gold medalist Muhammad Ali was a “draft dodger;” now a saint. Bode Miller went “old school” at the Olympics and partied hardy, and he is still skiing and winning races despite a ton of negative press.”

Quite frankly, while the state of U.S. men’s gymnastics is on an exciting upward trajectory, as Black rightfully points out, we need to “focus on the gymnastics, and on who are the five best American gymnasts to send to London to walk onto the podium come men’s team finals.”  If Hamm demonstrates he can contribute, whether it’s on two or three events or all six, he deserves a fair shot at being picked for the team.  What makes things more frustrating is that we can send only five gymnasts to London, which makes the decision-making process much more agonizing, both for fans and the selection committee.

Many people are disappointed in Hamm’s relative lack of public contrition, but he’s entitled to due process, and is undoubtedly following the advice of his attorney.  Some have either speculated or knowingly hinted at the possibility that Hamm was hung out to dry by friends that fateful night in Columbus.  Perhaps he was tossed into the cab to fend for himself.  This is not an excuse, but just another way to look at all the possible scenarios that evening.  He will eventually have his day in court, and all of this but the personal memory and YouTube video will remain.  Paul Hamm has produced a life-long body of work that commands respect.  It should not be spoiled by one bad night.  He still deserves respect and a completely fair shot at making the ’12 team. Whether or not he deserves that spot will be entirely up to him to prove.

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Mikulak got things rolling with his remarkable performance winning the 2011 NCAA all-around title as a freshman.  Though not achieved in the same calendar year, Mikulak won all-around titles at the 2010 JO Nationals (May), 2010 VISA U.S. Championships (August), and his NCAA title came in April 2011.  This was an historic grand slam!  All was going gangbusters for him, but a mishap on floor at last July’s Puerto Rico Cup resulted in two fractured ankles.  This prevented him from taking a crack at a potential Senior Division all-around title at VISAs and a berth on the World Team.  He is almost fully recovered, and will represent the U.S. at next month’s Olympic Test Event in London.  Mikulak most assuredly has a legitimate shot at making the ’12 Olympic Team.  ***1/1 Update***  Due to a “slight” wrist injury, Mikulak was forced to drop out of the Test Event.

After decisively winning his first VISA all-around title, Danell Leyva capped off his big break-out year with a World Championship on parallel bars.  Leyva was also in the running for an all-around medal and placed in the top 10.  Leyva is arguably the American men’s anchor, and is a shoo-in for a spot on the Olympic Team.  He continues to improve on floor, pommel horse, rings and vault.  Undoubtedly, Leyva is an Olympic medal contender on parallel bars and high bar.

After injuring his achilles tendon at the 2010 VISAs, John Orozco spent the rest of 2010 and most of 2011 rehabbing.  A big part of his recovery was spent at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, where he now trains, and this prepared him for his season debut at the Japan Cup in early July.  What thrilled his fans was that he transformed himself into a world-class talent on pommel horse… He scored a 15.35!  Though not fully recovered and competing only on four events, he put on quite a show and put up great numbers on those events, easily tracking 90+ if he had competed six.  Then it was on to VISAs, where he dazzled by placing 3rd behind Leyva and Jonathan Horton.  His second day score of 91.30 tied Leyva for the highest score for that day.  He was thus rewarded with a spot on the World Team, where he overwhelmingly justified his selection by placing 5th in the world and earned a spot in the event finals on high bar.  Orozco is yet another young gymnast virtually assured of an Olympic Team spot.

Featuring these three youngsters should by no means be perceived as a slight on any other of America’s fine young talent, nor any of our older veterans.  There are too many to list here, but you all know who they are.  But Mikulak (19), Leyva (20) and Orozco (19) probably best represent the emerging renaissance in U.S. men’s gymnastics.  Our budding talent pipeline is swelling, which bodes very well for 2012.  It’s a crying shame we’ll only be able to send five athletes to London. Yes, the U.S. men’s program is right on target.  As for 2016, it’s looking downright scary!

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Raisman and Wieber will more than likely make more than enough money to pay for their college educations with their relatively lucrative endorsement deals.  The only kicker is that they won’t be able to compete in college.  Instead, they’ll make some pretty good bank, and have a good shot at making even more if they score gold in London.  Obviously they both would have had successful collegiate careers, but there is no shortage of talented women to fill up the rosters.  Programs like Utah, Alabama, Georgia and Alabama have no trouble filling up their arenas, with or without former Olympians.

John Orozco is an interesting character.  Full of charm and a ton of talent, he strikes a different mold than does Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm.  Not sure how much money Hamm made from endorsements, but it’s not enough to allow him not to have to work for a living the rest of his life.  Hamm’s image never graced a Wheaties box, either.  Orozco has a golden opportunity.  He is only 19 years old, and is nowhere near his peak.  It’s safe to say, barring injury, that he will compete in two Olympics, 2012 and 2016.  When Rio hosts the ’16 Games, he’ll be 23, arguably in his prime.

Given his outstanding Worlds performance, his Olympic podium chances are looking pretty good right now.  Wouldn’t that be something if Orozco were to bring home a medal or two?  With those medals safely tucked away, he could go on to win some NCAA titles the next four years on a full-ride scholarship at a big-time school.  Orozco would benefit greatly from the college experience, and it would set him up for life.  His last gymnastics hurrah could be another crack at a medal haul in Rio.  Then he could cash in all his well-earned chips.

Bottom line, my opinion is that Orozco would be a huge addition to NCAA Men’s Gymnastics, benefiting the sport and himself.  Not too many gymnasts get two bites at the Olympic apple, plus a stellar NCAA career.  I honestly believe he would end up loving the college experience.  I’m sure Jonathan Horton reminds him of that all the time.  No matter, though, whatever he does, he’s got the world by the tail.

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Check out this video of Hamm taken two months ago.

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Speaking of Universal Sports, DirecTV just announced they are pulling the plug on Wednesday (Sept. 30), after less than a month of carrying the venerable Olympic sports channel.  The implications for gymnastics fans with DirecTV is that unless their local cable operator offers Universal Sports, they won’t be to watch the World Championships on television.  Nevertheless, the fallback position will be Universal’s live streaming coverage on their website.

The World Championships are now just two weeks away, and Andy Thornton posted an interesting scores analysis of the supposed top three favorites for the the all-around title.  Thornton compiled the year’s highest scores on each event for Kohei Uchimura, Fabian Hambuchen and Jonathan Horton.  What he uncovered was just how close all three gymnasts are, with the exception of pommel horse.  Uchimura has a full point advantage over Hambuchen on pommel horse, while Horton trails by almost two points.  Thornton concluded that all three "are each within one fall of each other."  Horton could greatly help his cause by hitting his pommel routine in London, and by adding a few tenths of difficulty on vault and parallel bars.

Horton, the newly crowned 2009 U.S. All-Around champion will lead the U.S. team at the the 2009 World Championships in London October 13-18.

In part two of our series analyzing our top elite gymnasts, guest blogger Matthew Rusk examines Steven Legendre, Danell Leyva, Tim McNeill, Daniel Ribeiro, Paul Ruggeri and David Sender.  Rusk goes into much detail as he explores the strengths and weaknesses of each gymnast.  How well they perform at VISAs will determine whether or not they will be chosen to represent Team USA at the the 2009 London World Championships.  Rusk wraps things up with his predictions for medal winners at VISAs and his picks for the world team.

Steven Legendre

Expectations Going In: Despite having not yet made a world championship or Olympic team, Steven Legendre will have some of the most anticipated routines at this year’s U.S. Championships, particularly on his signature events, floor and vault. While Legendre has as much power as the Sears Tower has height, his consistency has been dubious for him. His performances at this year’s nationals will undoubtedly be his most eminent to date, as this year will be the first where he will have a feasible chance at the world championship team. Legendre does appear to be ready for the challenge, however, with a victory in the all-around at this year’s NCAA Championships.

Pros: Legendre has performed an exceptionally arduous floor mount, a 2 1/2 twisting double layout summersault, which he is capable of sticking cold. Legendre described not being chosen to compete at the Olympic Trials as a "disappointment" in an Inside Gymnastics interview, but that disappointment has appeared to motivate him, as he intends to upgrade his routines on every apparatus, besides vault, where he intends to unveil a second one in Dallas, a Kasamatsu 1 1/2. His targeted floor routine that he intends to compete in Dallas is worth a 6.9 D-score, and to compare, none of the men at the European Gymnastics Championships had a floor set worth more than a 6.4. Legendre has also stated on Gymnastike that he is training a handspring double front pike, and it was said by the poster "wowsers" on WWGYM that Legendre is also training a Tsukahara double pike.

Cons: Going for broke with difficulty tends to lead toward inconsistency, and such is the case with the relatively inexperienced Legendre. He scored a low 13.1 on floor during day one of the Winter Cup Challenge, receiving a 7.4 E-score and a staggering .8 in neutral deductions. Legendre also scored poorly on floor at the Japan Cup, as his intention to successfully complete his 6.9 routine failed when he marked a meager 13.9. Legendre’s technique on many skills warrants deduction, such as his very noticeable cowboying of his handspring double front tuck vault and his double front tuck on floor. Legendre’s strength on events besides floor and vault is limited, and wasn’t chosen to compete anything besides his specialty events at the Japan Cup.

Outlook: Despite Legendre’s lack of polish, experience, or consistency, he would be an ideal pick for this year’s world team. Sometimes athletes perform inconsistently at smaller meets and when the year’s biggest competition arrives, they deliver their finest gymnastics (recent examples being Artemev and especially Horton in Beijing). Legendre competing this year would do wonders for his experience, and the national team staff would be able to determine whether he can deliver on the big stage without any consequence of him missing a routine in a team competition. Nonetheless, Legendre must perform well enough at nationals for the selection committee to deem him deserving of a plane ticket to London. Legendre has everything that team USA would want, but he will be of no need if he fails to show two consistent vaults and a floor set ready to be hit when most desired.

Danell Leyva

Expectations Going In: Leyva, just 17 years of age, has already accomplished much in his short career, having won the junior U.S. AA title in 2006 and placing 2nd AA at the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge. Leyva will be competing at this U.S. Championships, and this year will have realistic ambitions to make his first world team. Leyva continues to make improvements on both his difficulty and execution, and his assets to make the team include strong work on parallel bars and high bar, not to mention being one of the top all-around gymnasts in the country. However, his inexperience has at times proven to be a barricade for him, having a lackluster showing during the team finals at the recent Japan Cup.

Pros: Leyva was credited with a 6.9 D-score on high bar during day two of the Winter Cup Challenge, the highest D-score a U.S. man has been credited with in competition this year. Leyva also marked the highest scores on that event (15.4) and parallel bars (15.2) during day two of that meet. Finishing 2nd all-around at the Winter Cup in February, he also finished 7th AA against a competitive field at the Japan Cup, beating former European champion Maxim Devyatovskiy of Russia and compatriot Steven Legendre. Leyva’s confidence appears to be at an all-time high as well; in a recent Inside Gymnastics interview he commented that his goal in mind for the U.S. Championships is to win (or at least place in the top two) in the all-around.

Cons: Leyva appears to sustain three creditable events (vault, parallel bars, and high bar) with the other three events being insubstantial for him. Two of his better events, vault and parallel bars, provide little gain for him to make the world team, as Leyva doesn’t have a second vault, and his parallel bars set would be hard-pressed to make an event final in London against the likes of Yann Cucherat, Fabien Hambuchen, Mitja Petkovsek, and Kohei Uchimura, among many others. Leyva had major errors in three out of his four routines during team finals at the Japan Cup, scoring 13.2 on floor, 11.8 on pommel, and a 12.5 on high bar. The only event where Leyva will feasibly be able to make an event final in London and have an opportunity for a medal would be high bar, and even there the U.S. boasts two strong workers, Hagerty and Horton, who have opportunities to make other event finals.

Outlook: Although high bar is the only event where Leyva can make an impact as far as event finals are concerned, a victory or top two finish in the all-around in Dallas will heavily augment his chances to be sent to worlds in October. Leyva just being sent to worlds for parallel bars and high bar could be a waste of that spot, as he has little opportunity to make event finals on the former and will likely need help from other contenders to medal on the latter. However, Leyva’s trip would be very worthwhile, if he were to compete AA in London, and could do so if his aimed top two finish at nationals pans out. Although David Sender plans to compete at nationals, it is unclear whether he intends to go to worlds, as he is scheduled to go to vet school in the fall. A team without Sender could pave the way for Leyva to do six events in prelims after all, as Hagerty’s EF potential is limited to floor and high bar and could just compete prelims on those two apparatus. While Leyva has sturdy hopes for going to worlds, he is by no means a lock for this team or for a future world championship or Olympic Games with a team competition. One task that he could complete to make himself a lock: improve pommel horse.

Timothy McNeill

Expectations Going In: McNeill is one of the gymnasts looking to provide the light at the end of the tunnel for USA’s weakness on pommel horse. A graduate of UC Berkeley, McNeill will be competing at his third U.S. Championships on the senior level in Dallas. Coming off of a 4th place finish on parallel bars and a 5th place finish on pommel horse at the Montreal World Cup event this spring, McNeill has the capability of contributing to the team on those two pieces of apparatus. Alexander Artemev’s injuries and yearlong absence from competition do provide an open door for McNeill to make the world team, but he will still need to display his finest gymnastics possible in Dallas to be selected.

Pros: McNeill has won two NCAA titles, a Winter Cup title, and a U.S. silver medal in 2008 on pommel horse. McNeill scored a 15.25 on pommel during day one of the Winter Cup, and such a score could make the pommel finals at worlds, and also would have made the finals at last year’s Olympics. In order to remain on the toes of other top teams, team USA could very well desire to have more than one pommel specialist to compete during team finals at future World Championships and the next Olympic Games. McNeill could very well be one of USA’s three men up on pommel horse in a team final, and sending him to a World Championship now would only benefit his experience for future competitions to come when the pressure will further intensify. McNeill’s other strong piece of apparatus is parallel bars, where he is also a two-time NCAA champion.

Cons: Although McNeill beat Daniel Ribeiro at the Winter Cup, Ribeiro had the highest individual score (15.5) of the competition on that event, whereas McNeill’s highest was sizably lower at 15.25. Both Artemev and Ribeiro appear to have superior scoring potential on that apparatus to McNeill, as evidenced by Artemev scoring as high as 15.525 on that event in Beijing and Ribeiro scoring a 16.0 during NCAA team finals (likely inflated, but nonetheless impressive). McNeill has very little international experience, and has so far not proven himself to be a creditable competitor internationally with two fairly low scores (14.25 and 14.225) on pommel horse at the Montreal World Cup meet. McNeill’s consistency on pommel is also nothing worth buying stock in, as during the Olympic selection process he only scored above 14.5 on one day of one competition and scored as low as 13.45 on day two of Olympic Trials.

Outlook: Funny enough, McNeill has lately been a more consistent performer on his other strong suit, parallel bars, but his contribution to the team should rest solely on pommel horse this year, and in years to come. With Artemev’s health in question, now would be the perfect time for McNeill to make his move for a world team, and for the national team staff to observe whether he has the competitive willpower to meet expectations in future team competitions. In order to need his passport in October, McNeill will have to win pommel horse in Dallas. Artemev would have the advantage over McNeill if they both went clean and perhaps the same is true with Ribeiro, but in the latter case by how much is uncertain. McNeill has not competed anything harder than a 6.3 set on pommel this entire year, whereas he was credited with a 6.5 set three out of four times during the Olympic selection process last year. If McNeill plans to risk a couple more tenths in difficulty, it could result in his biggest reward to date: the world team.

Daniel Ribeiro

Expectations Going In: Daniel Ribeiro has gymnastics in his blood, with his father being a former collegiate gymnast and a 1980 Olympian for Brazil. What he doesn’t have, however, is experience competing on the elite scene, and he will be entering his first U.S. Championships to date this August. A rising junior at the University of Illinois, Ribeiro is doubtful to compete more than three events (floor, pommel horse, and parallel bars) at nationals, and has only recently added parallel bars to his repertoire. With that said, Ribeiro’s chances for this world team and future world teams do likely rest on just one event, pommel horse, an apparatus that he has made significant improvements on over the last year.

Pros: Ribeiro has good execution and consistency on pommel horse, having scored a 16.0 (9.7 execution score) during team finals of NCAAs, with that being the highest score of the meet aside from vault on a generally low-scoring event. While Ribeiro’s score of 15.575 during event finals was a far cry from his team finals score, it still was good enough to win the title by a tenth of a point. A particular strength in his pommel set is his reverse stockli full (basically a clockwise full pirouette on one arm), and having a longer frame at 5’8” makes his lines especially impressive. Ribeiro’s work on floor exercise is nothing to sneeze at either, having placed 8th on that event at the 2009 Winter Cup of Challenge, achieving a 14.8 on both days.

Cons: Outside of NCAA, Ribeiro is hardly a household name and doesn’t even have a spot on the senior national team. While Ribeiro’s pommel horse routine has improved, it is worth mentioning that Tim McNeill, with his 6.5 set, soundly won the 2008 NCAA title on pommel horse (where Ribeiro was 6th) with a score of 15.625, which would have won the NCAA title this year as well. Ribeiro’s consistency on horse has also been up to ambiguity, scoring a full point higher on day two of the Winter Cup Challenge than on day one. Among the three pommel specialists, Ribeiro has far and away the least experience, with no more than two NCAA Championships to add to the list of major competitions that he has competed in.

Outlook: While McNeill was the superior pommel worker last year, the committee must make its world team selections based on results this year, and that is where Ribeiro will look to have his advantage. Ribeiro’s top scores of 15.5 at the Winter Cup and 16.0 at NCAAs (which would arguably equate to 15.5-15.6 internationally), provide a feasible task for Ribeiro to make pommel horse finals in London and to medal if all goes as planned. The winning score at Europeans on pommel, achieved by Kristina Barky of Hungary, was a 15.6, and there was only one gymnast at the Japan Cup that reached 15.5 on pommel, being Koki Sakamoto of Japan. McNeill’s highest score of 15.25 this year on pommel could make finals, as noted earlier, but such a score would have a difficult time of reaching a medal. If Ribeiro proves his superior scoring potential on pommel horse once again in Dallas, he could find himself competing at the 2009 World Gymnastics Championships.

Paul Ruggeri

Expectations Going In: Ruggeri, who will also be a junior next year at the University of Illinois, won the last two NCAA titles on high bar and also won the parallel bars title at this year’s NCAAs. Ruggeri is not a member of the national team, however, and his experience of competing at the U.S. Championships on the senior level is limited to last year (where he competed AA on day one and four events on day two), although he did place 3rd AA and 1st on floor and high bar as a junior at the 2006 U.S. Championships. Similar to Danell Leyva, Ruggeri’s strongest piece of apparatus is high bar, but he shows creditable work on floor exercise and parallel bars as well.

Pros: Ruggeri has never looked better than his form at the 2009 NCAA Championships, where he placed 3rd in the all-around, qualified to four apparatus finals, and won two of them. Ruggeri has upgraded his high bar set a staggering seven tenths since last year (5.6 to a 6.3), and his upgrades include an impressive in-bar staler full+Voronin+Gienger combination, a straddled Tkatchev, and a double twisting double layout dismount. Ruggeri also won high bar at this year’s Winter Cup, scoring a high of 15.35 there and a 15.75 at NCAAs. In addition to winning the parallel bars and high bar titles at this year’s NCAAs, he came within 0.25 of winning the floor title, and his execution score was over three tenths higher than winner Steven Legendre.

Cons: Ruggeri’s domestic and international competition experience is shallow comparative to many of the men he will compete against in Dallas, and his 18th place finish on parallel bars at this year’s Winter Cup is certainly indicative of his inexperience. Ruggeri’s chances for making the world team are hindered by the fact that USA’s other three top high bar workers: Hagerty, Horton, and Leyva, all have opportunities to make the AA final and/or another apparatus final, whereas Ruggeri would be unlikely to make any finals besides high bar. Ruggeri’s work on parallel bars is not worthy of an event final spot on (barring a splat fest in prelims), and while he may actually have a better shot at making floor finals because of his good execution, his D-score of 6.2 is not nearly enough to vie for a medal.

Outlook: Ruggeri’s chances to be chosen for his first world team aren’t stellar, but he has made very commendable improvement over the last year. He is also proving to be a consistent competitor on high bar especially, having scored 15.75 at NCAAs in both team finals and event finals and scoring above 15 on both days of the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge. With Justin Spring’s retirement, team USA could use a top worker there, but unfortunately Ruggeri is far more consistent on floor, where the U.S. would already be covered in a team final by gymnasts such as Brooks, Hagerty, Horton, and Legendre. As of NCAAs, it appears that both Ruggeri’s floor set and high bar set are comfortable for him, so further upgrades could be on the way. Further upgrades will need to be on the way, however, for Ruggeri to be able to compete against the best of the best at either a World Championship or an Olympic Games.

David Sender

Expectations Going In: Last year’s Olympic selection process was not only a nail biter for the Hamm twins, but even more so for David Sender, who was entering the 2008 Olympic Trials as the current U.S. Champion. A freak accident occurred during podium training, when the 23-year-old Illini jumped down from the high bar, slipped off the crash mat, sprained his ankle and subsequently terminated his Olympic dream. Sender appeared to be out of shape at the 2009 Winter Cup, only placing 11th AA, but came back in fighting form to finish 2nd AA at the American Cup. Sender’s intentions to go to vet school in the fall will mean that, unless he defers enrollment, he will not compete in London, and this also may be his last U.S. Championships that he will compete in.

Pros: At the 2009 American Cup, Sender came within two tenths of a point of beating Fabien Hambuchen, considered one of the favorites to win the gold in the all-around at this year’s worlds. Sender had the highest scores individually on rings, vault, and pommel horse at that competition, the latter of which being his weakest event earlier in his career. Sender’s ability to improve rapidly was evidenced by him beating Hagerty at the American Cup by nearly a full point, just weeks after finishing 10 places behind him at the Winter Cup. Sender is also coming off of a successful showing at the recent Maccabiah Games in Israel; where he took home three gold medals on rings, vault, and high bar.

Cons: Sender also won silvers in the all-around and pommel horse at the Maccabiah Games, but with meager scores of 84.225 in the AA and 13.05 on PH. If Sender desires to defer his education in hopes of competing in London, he has a major disadvantage right off the bat, being that he does not have an event where he can feasibly bring home a medal. At the 2009 Moscow World Cup, Sender failed to make finals on two of his stronger events, rings and vault, against far weaker competition than he would face at worlds. Sender’s efforts on floor, another superior event for him, haven’t been going so swiftly either. He marked below 14 on both days of the Winter Cup on floor, and also scored below Hagerty at the American Cup, even whilst scoring a solid 15.15.

Outlook: If Sender has any plans to stay in competitive gymnastics, he would be a welcome asset onto a world team when a team event would be contested, as he could contribute up to four events (FX, PH, SR, and VT) in team finals. For these individual worlds, however, he will be hard-pressed to even make an event final, much less win a medal. Sender is perhaps a superior six event gymnast to Leyva, but if Sender doesn’t intend to stick around until 2012, it would be far more logical to send Leyva as a second all-arounder (or even as the only all-arounder if Horton is not back up to speed on all six events). Neither gymnast would have much of an opportunity to medal in the all-around at worlds, but Leyva would at least have an opportunity to make more use of his worlds spot and gain experience. If Sender chooses not to return to competitive gymnasts following these nationals and solely focus on vet school, he should be extremely proud of all of the success that he has had, and being a U.S. champion in the all-around is something very few people can have bragging rights to.

The following are my predictions of where I would expect each athlete to finish at nationals per event.

AA

Gold : Horton-At his Beijing form, Horton would absolutely be contender for an AA bronze medal at worlds. Gold and silver would be unlikely, however, considering how well Kohei Uchimura and Fabien Hambuchen have been performing this year. Whether he will be even close to Beijing form, in Dallas or in London, remains to be seen.

Silver: Sender- He generally does better at bigger meets, the U.S. Championships being one of them. He would be doubtful to win a medal at worlds here, though, if he were to go.

Bronze: Leyva- Already a strong all-arounder at 17, Leyva is having a great year, minus a poor showing during the team finals of the Japan Cup. Leyva has hopefully been focusing on his weaker events: floor, rings, and vault, to match his stronger events to convince USAG that he is worthy to compete at worlds as an all-arounder.

FX

Gold: Hagerty- This is one of the tougher pieces of apparatus to predict, as the U.S. is very deep on floor. Hagerty can win the floor title, considering Horton’s weak routine on this apparatus in Japan, Legendre’s inconsistency, and Brooks’ inexperience.

Silver: Horton-Despite his troubles at Japan Cup, floor is a comfortable event for Horton and he scored as high as 15.6 on this event at the Olympics. Horton has plans to add a pass on floor for nationals, which he described as "exhausting" during a recent Inside Gymnastics interview. Even if the upgraded set doesn’t go as planned in Dallas, it should still benefit him down the road, and give him the added boost of difficulty he needs to win a world AA medal.

Bronze: Legendre- If he were to hit that 6.9 set on both days of competition, or even a comparatively easier 6.6 set, Legendre would likely win this event. However, performing such risky skills has led itself to error one way or another for Legendre at several competitions. Legendre doesn’t want to risk too much, as flawed routines in Dallas could end up keeping him home in October.

PH

Gold: Ribeiro- He has been looking a bit stronger overall than McNeill this year on PH, but such a comparison is not reliable because Ribeiro has not been out competing as much as McNeill. Ribeiro will likely need to win here in order to go London, and considering his showings at Winter Cup and NCAAs, I would expect him to do that.

Silver: McNeill- He is inconsistent here, and did not have a great showing at the Montreal World Cup meet, one of his first major international competitions to date. He can beat Ribeiro, however, particularly if he upgrades his current D-score of 6.3.

Bronze: Artemev- Considering his injury, long absence from competition, and inability to hit PH at this event last year, Artemev will not be expected to win PH in Dallas and subsequently earn a trip to worlds.

SR

Gold: Horton- Rings was one of the events Horton didn’t struggle on at the Japan Cup (15.3) and actually had the highest score here during team finals at the Olympics among the U.S. men. He could make event finals in London, but would be unlikely to medal.

Silver: Bhavsar- He is very solid here, and could definitely contribute here in a team final. He just doesn’t have any hopes for a world medal on this apparatus, thus deflating his chances of going to London.

Bronze: Sender- The possibility of Sender going to vet school and leaving competitive gymnastics would send a boost to Bhavsar’s chances of making future world teams.

VT

Gold: Legendre-He could be a medal contender at worlds on this event if he is strong enough to compete his two 7.0 vaults, the handspring double pike and Tsukahara double pike, which he is training.

Silver: Brooks- He has two solid vaults, but has form issues and does not possess as much raw power as Legendre.

Bronze: Sender- Does have two 6.6 vaults like Brooks and Legendre, but struggling at the Moscow World Cup, and failing to make finals, does not bode well for him finishing atop the vault podium in Dallas.

PB

Gold: Bhavsar- Despite unveiling a new skill, Bhavsar was only credited with a 6.2 set on parallel bars at the Moscow World Cup meet, as opposed to the 6.5 set he competed in Beijing (several rule changes on PB have made start values go down this year). He received a high of 15.625 at the Olympics with a 9.125 execution score, and such an execution score combined with his current D-score would result in a 15.325 score. A score in that range can allow Bhavsar to qualify for the event final in London, but winning a medal will remain unlikely.

Silver: Horton- He struggled at the Japan Cup here, but a high score of 15.625 in Beijing would still equate to a respectable score today (probably around 15.2-15.3), especially with his plans of having an additional skill in his routine ready for Dallas.

Bronze: Leyva- While he tied with Hagerty on this apparatus at the Winter Cup, he had the highest individual score (15.2) of the competition on parallel bars.

HB

Gold: Horton- He won the silver medal on this event with a routine worth a 6.9, and didn’t even have to train full routine before competing it. Horton also proved that he is back to speed on this apparatus with a 15.85 at the Japan Cup.

Silver: Hagerty-He is very consistent here and has good execution, and with Horton and Leyva capable of 6.9 sets, Hagerty will need that 7.0 set to be hit consistently if he wishes to be the top U.S. gymnast on this apparatus.

Bronze: Leyva-Has a high D-score here on his specialty event, but whether the 17-year-old will be able to hit two out of two sets in Dallas on his most important event remains to be seen.

My picks for the world team:

1. Jonathan Horton-AA
2. Danell Leyva-AA
3. Joseph Hagerty-FX, HB
4. Steven Legendre-FX, VT
5. Daniel Ribeiro-PH
6. Raj Bhavsar-PB

Alternates:

1. Chris Brooks (I would pick Brooks ahead of Bhavsar if he doesn’t finish 1st on PB in Dallas)
2. Timothy McNeill (I would pick McNeill ahead of Ribeiro if he wins PH at nationals)

RELATED POSTS

PRELUDE TO 2009 VISA U.S. MEN’S GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS – PART 1

He leaves no stone unturned as he diligently dishes out the details for the top 12 gymnasts he believes will be fighting it out for coveted spots on the World Team.  In his first post, he analyzes the chances for Jonathan Horton, Guillermo Alvarez, Raj Bhavsar, Joey Hagerty, Chris Brooks and Sasha Artemev.  In part two, which we’ll post later, he examines Steven Legendre, Danell Leyva, Tim McNeill, Daniel Ribeiro, Paul Ruggeri and David Sender.

By Matthew Rusk

August 12th, 2008. The U.S. men’s Olympic gymnastics team entered the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, in front of a boisterous crowd, eager to observe whether the home Chinese team could reclaim its Olympic title. The Chinese would do so in convincing fashion, with their dominance bringing back memories of the Japanese and Soviet men’s teams of old. The Chinese men, with difficulty that defied human capability and execution that suggested perfection, made other teams concede defeat long before the competition ever began.

However, the U.S. men’s team was in no position for any such dominance. When Paul Hamm came back, an Olympic team medal appeared to be a realistic thought, but from his hand injury to his withdrawal to his twin brother’s withdrawal, a medal of any color seemed unlikely. However, in the Olympics, athletes have a choice of whether amazing things can happen to them, and on that Beijing morning in front of some 18,000 fans and billions watching around the world, the U.S. team chose exactly that.

Led by Jonathan Horton, the American men stuck landing after landing, hitting routine after routine, but  trouble aroused during the pommel horse rotation.  Alexander Artemev, on the event that initially kept him off the Olympic team, closed the show with a stellar set that secured what was a deemed improbable bronze medal.

It seems likely that the U.S. men will have to continue without the experienced Hamm twins, just as they did in Beijing.  While the U.S. team did just fine without the Hamms last August, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing since then. At the 2009 American Cup, nicknamed the "Scam Cup" for its notoriously pro-American scores, German star Fabien Hambuchen beat out both current U.S. Champion David Sender and Olympian Joseph Hagerty.

However, what was a far more significant wake up call was the U.S. team finishing 6th out of six teams at the Japan Cup earlier this month. Jonathan Horton competed there, doing every event besides pommel horse and scoring well on vault and high bar, but performing poorly on floor and parallel bars. He aims to be in peak form for the U.S. Nationals, and while he has unquestionably been the top American at the last World Championships and at the 2008 Olympics, he has still not won a U.S. all-around title. Horton at his peak is the United States’ best bet for an all-around medal at this year’s World Gymnastics Championships in London, but we will see how quickly Horton can return to his Beijing form and whether he will keep the confidence that he demonstrated at the Olympics.

With the exception of Justin Spring and Kevin Tan, the entire U.S. team from Beijing does intend to compete in Dallas.

  Unlike the women, six men will be allowed to compete at the World Championships this year and there are several candidates for the team, both veterans and newcomers, which can make worthwhile contributions.  Horton should nab a spot as long as he is in decent form, but in an International Gymnast interview he actually seemed somewhat skeptical of whether he would take it because if he declined he would have more time to train and upgrade skills for next year.

Sender and Hagerty continue to be steady all-arounders, and Raj Bhavsar is looking to further maximize his potential on one of his best events, the parallel bars, by adding a skill at the Moscow World Cup that was named after him. There are also men looking to rejuvenate a weakness for theU.S. team on pommel horse, notably World PH bronze medalist Alexander Artemev (who will be competing in his first meet since Beijing), 2009 Winter Cup PH champion Tim McNeill, and 2009 NCAA PH champion Daniel Ribeiro.

Floor and vault specialist Steven Legendre has showed us plenty of ability on those pieces but his consistency leaves something to be desired.  Newcomer Danell Leyva will also look to step out of the shadows of the big boys, and his hyper-enthusiastic father and coach, to place in the all-around at the U.S. Championships and to compete at his first World Championships.

It has been nearly a year since Beijing, and yet this will be one of the first of many large steps to the 30th Olympiad in London,Great Britain.  After the 2004 Olympics, the U.S. men dropped completely off the radar and didn’t start performing well until the last part of the quadrennium.  While a poor competition at the Japan Cup is alarming, the U.S. should hopefully avoid a sudden drop in the standings come next year’s Worlds with four returning Olympians and several potentially great newcomers battling it out for spots on the team.  The question of whether the U.S. men will be able to win a third consecutive team medal at the 2012 Olympics will start to be answered at the 2009 Visa Gymnastics Championships in Dallas, beginning August 12th.

Guillermo Alvarez: Expectations Going In:  A 2007 world event finalist on floor exercise, Guillermo’s most valuable contribution to the team would be on that event and possibly as an all-arounder, as he placed 2nd AA at the 2007 U.S. Championships. Unfortunately, Guillermo appeared to peak in 2007 as opposed to ideally doing so in the Olympic year. Alvarez only placing 6th AA from the combined scores of the U.S. Championships and Olympic Trials, and his inability to contribute on pommel horse, prevented him from making the team.  This year he finished a solid 4th AA at the Winter Cup, but failed to make event finals on floor or pommel horse at the Moscow World Cup.  Alvarez has the capability of placing in the AA and contending for the U.S. title on floor.

Pros: One of the more experienced gymnasts, Alvarez has competed at seven Winter Cup Challenges, two World Championships, an Olympic Trials, and in Dallas he will be competing in his 5th U.S. Championships.Known for his clean lines and flexibility, Guillermo excels on floor with his good form and controlled landings.  With floor being his best event, he won the 2005 U.S. title there, and also placed 4th at the 2007 World Championships and 2nd at the Winter Cup Challenge this year. At the Winter Cup, Alvarez was credited with a 6.3 D-score on floor, the second highest D-score achieved on that apparatus during the competition.  Alvarez also scored a respectable 88.85 on day two of the Winter Cup, where he hit six for six routines.

Cons: It seems that there will be two types of competitors vying for spots on the world team, those who competed in Beijing that are proven commodities on the international stage, and newcomers that have potential to peak in 2012 that need to start gaining experience. Unfortunately, Guillermo doesn’t fall under either category. At the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge, Guillermo finished outside the top five on every event except floor and finished as low as 27th on high bar.  Also, his AA score on day two was over three points ahead of his score on day one, and it appears as though his consistency that almost won him a U.S. title in 2007 has faded.  Going back to why Alvarez did not even get to an alternate position for the Olympic team, his lack of another strong event did him in, as did only placing 5th (with combined results from nationals and trials) on floor.

Outlook: As far as Alvarez’s chances for making another world team are concerned, it doesn’t appear likely that he will make it this year, but one cannot count him out just yet for World Championships down the line when the team competition will be contested.

The good news for Alvarez is that fellow floor specialist Steven Legendre is quite inconsistent, but the bad news is that Legendre has the added strength of vault.  Also adding onto the bad news, Joseph Hagerty and Jonathan Horton are great on floor and they both have many other events that they could help the team on, too. While the bad news certainly outshines the good news, if Legendre were to still struggle with consistency by next year, Alvarez would be a far more reliable gymnast to hit a floor set in team finals.

Alvarez will be hard-pressed to get the selection committee for the 2012 Olympics to choose him for the team, as there will only be five members on that team (unlike the 2009, 2010, and 2011 worlds where six members will be selected for a team) and one event will be too little of a contribution to make. However, for a six-member world team he may still have a chance, but it’s hard to envision him qualifying for the individual worlds this year.  Alvarez is capable of placing 1st on floor at these championships, and would probably need to do just that for any hope of a world berth.

Alexander Artemev: Expectations Going In: In his first meet since the Beijing Olympics, Alexander Artemev is in contention to qualify for his third world team, and to prove that his newfound consistency on the pommel horse in Beijing (minus a fall in event finals while attempting a harder routine) wasn’t a fluke. Pommel horse will be Artemev’s main weapon for the world team, but will have two other pommel specialists (Tim McNeill and Daniel Ribeiro) to fend off.  An Inside Gymnastics interview of Artemev was recently published, revealing that Artemev will not do all six events and has been struggling to get in competitive shape after suffering from a fracture to his back.

Pros: Winner of the 2006 U.S. AA title, Artemev is blessed with an exceptionally lean and supple body which gives him especially great lines on his specialty event, the pommel horse. Artemev has made two world event finals on pommel, winning the bronze in 2006, and he would have medaled in Beijing on that event were it not for a fall.  Artemev did surprise many with his coolness under pressure at the Beijing Olympics, being thrown into the competition just days before and sealing the bronze medal as the last U.S. man up during team finals.  Among the three men who would call PH their best event, Artemev has far more international experience than McNeill and Ribeiro and in peak form can contend for a medal on that apparatus at the upcoming World Championships.

Cons: Artemev is a far superior international competitor than he is a national competitor, which is something he has admitted himself. Artemev fell on three out of four pommel horse routines during the Olympic selection process (U.S. Championships and Olympic Trials), which were especially costly because Artemev has no other particularly strong event. Also, Artemev has had no warm-up meet for nationals this year because of his injury, and he is skeptical of whether he will even compete in Dallas and confesses that worlds is not on the top of his mind. Having been out of competition for a year would naturally make Artemev rusty when it comes to managing competition nerves, particularly considering that he has had consistency issues at past U.S. Championships.

Outlook: Having been injured since Beijing, it will be anyone’s guess as to what form Artemev will be in, or whether he will even compete. Artemev could still be chosen to go to worlds, however, if his pommel routine is consistent and difficult enough to make the event final and have a chance at a medal. Since Artemev will not be going to Worlds as an all-arounder, the powers that be would probably be wisest to only allow Artemev to do pommel horse in qualifying, as that is his only medal opportunity and that would also allow other specialists to be able to do more routines in prelims on events they excel at.

The six men on the world team are allowed a combined 18 routines in preliminaries, meaning that if two men are chosen to do all-around in prelims there would be four spots left for specialists.  Since the top AA candidates: Hagerty, Horton, and Sender are weak on pommel, USAG could end up sending more than one pommel specialist, thus increasing Artemev’s chances further for worlds.  Considering Artemev’s injury, past consistency problems at nationals, he may not be at his Beijing form on that apparatus and thus it would be wiser to send our two other pommel specialists.

Raj Bhavsar: Expectations Going In:  Bhavsar controversially missed the 2004 Olympic team, which required the 28-year-old Houstonian to completely transform his outlook on life.  After performing well at the 2008 Olympic Trials but only being named to the team as an alternate for the second time, a bittersweet twist of fate occurred in July 2008 when good friend Paul Hamm withdrew from the Olympic team, thus allowing Raj to compete.  Bhavsar was a strong contributor to the team’s bronze medal and has proven himself to be a good competitor as of late.  Raj began his return to competition with a second place finish on parallel bars at the Moscow World Cup, and he has an outside shot at making the world team with his strong events being parallel bars and still rings.

Pros: Bhavsar demonstrated exceptional consistency last year, particularly in the Olympic Trials and at the Olympics where he didn’t miss a routine at either competition.  Bhavsar being one of the top U.S. men on rings should continue as he scored at or above 15 during both days of competition at the Moscow World Cup, which is impressive considering that at the more leniently judged Winter Cup Challenge (where Raj didn’t compete), David Sender was the only gymnast to break 15 on both days. Raj debuted his new skill on parallel bars at the Moscow World Cup, where he received a silver medal in the process with a 15.05 score.  Raj should also remain one of the top U.S. parallel bar workers, as only Hagerty, Danell Leyva, and Sho Nakamori (who will most likely withdraw from Nationals due to an ACL tear) broke 15 on that event at the Winter Cup.

Cons: Bhavsar does not have any piece of apparatus that he would be likely to make an event final on and he has little shot of going to worlds as an all-arounder, as in Beijing his high bar set was so weak the national team staff prevented him from doing that routine and having a chance at AA finals.  Bhavsar’s experience could be more of a detriment than an asset for being selected onto this team, because there are many men (notably Legendre, Leyva, McNeill, Ribeiro) that USAG would like to get out on the international floor and see how they stack up with the best of the best.  Although Raj can be a necessary contribution to a team in a team competition, having little to no chance of making an event final or being asked to do all-around provide little incentive for USAG to name him to the world team.

Outlook: Bhavsar still has the goods to contribute in a World Championship team final. With the absences of USA’s former top rings worker (Kevin Tan) and former top parallel bars worker (Justin Spring), he still can contribute much to the team on those two events where we don’t have many up-and-comers that are strong at (a notable exception being Leyva on parallel bars).  Unfortunately, Bhavsar is of no use to the team this year, unless he can prove that he is the top parallel bars worker in the nation. His placement on rings in Dallas should be inconsequential, as his world event final aspirations there are weak.

On parallel bars, however, Raj did post a high score of 15.625 in Beijing, a score that could qualify him to event finals on that apparatus and on a perfect day, allow him to medal.  His consistency, experience, and strength on two events would be a welcome asset on a six-member world team, but if Bhavsar wishes to stick it out to London (he would be 31), his contributions on those two events may be considered too little when there will only be five team members chosen to compete.

Chris Brooks :  Expectations Going In: Brooks, a relative unknown, is a senior at the University of Oklahoma. He recently qualified to the U.S. National team for the first time, having placed a solid 5th all-around at the Winter Cup Challenge, and led his OU team to a third place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championships, where he also placed 6th all-around.  Brooks is somewhat of a longshot to make a world team, but he could place at nationals on floor and high bar and did beat both Steven Legendre and David Sender at the Winter Cup Challenge.

Pros: In addition to placing 5th all-around at the Winter Cup Challenge, Brooks also finished 3rd on floor, where he marked an excellent 15.4 on day one.  A fairly tall gymnast at 5’8”, he shows off his long lines on that event and on high bar especially, where he showcases an impressive Voronin+Gienger combination.  While his best AA score of the two day Winter Cup meet was an 87.1, if one were to combine the best scores he received on each piece of apparatus he would have had an AA total of 89.5. Brooks also posted an excellent 16.25 on the vault during day two of that meet. Brooks does have two vaults in his arsenal, a handspring double front and a Kasamatsu 1 1/2 twist, which would definitely improve his world team chances if he were to complete both vaults successfully in Dallas.

Cons: Outside of NCAA, Brooks has very little experience, and will only be competing in his second U.S. Championships this year and in his first nationals as an all-arounder. Brooks’ inconsistency is also alarming, as evidenced by him scoring higher on three events (floor, pommel, and high bar) on day one and the other three events on day two of this year’s Winter Cup.  Unfortunately, his strengths on floor and high bar don’t provide anything to the team that we don’t already have, whether it is an individual worlds or a team worlds. Hagerty, Horton, and Legendre are as good, if not better, than Brooks is on floor, and a team of Hagerty, Horton, and Leyva on high bar would also suffice.  Brooks’ advantage of competing two vaults is also not especially significant, as Steven Legendre and David Sender do also intend to compete two vaults at nationals.

Outlook: Brooks stated in a NewsOK interview back in April that he thinks he can be at the Olympics if he chose to dedicate his time and effort toward that goal. His time and effort would be best spent on learning a 7.0 vault (like a handspring double front 1/2), which would increase his chances of making an event final at a world championship and such an upgrade would have the potential to contribute a few more tenths in a team competition. Brooks has form issues on both vaults; he cowboys his handspring double front and crosses his legs on his Kas 1 1/2, but overall does have better technique on the former vault.  Brooks can only make a world or Olympic team via vault and floor, the same way Steven Legendre would.  Legendre’s plans to upgrade significantly on those events for this competition and down the road mean that if Brooks has any hope of making a world/Olympic team, he must do the same.

Joseph Hagerty :  Expectations Going In: Al Trautwig played a pun on Joey Hagerty’s last name at the 2005 U.S. Championships when he commented on his inconsistent showing, "Joey Hagerty has had a very haggard day."  However, there weren’t many of those come 2008.  Hagerty went on to deliver excellent performances at the U.S. Nationals, finishing 3rd AA, and the Olympic Trials, finishing 2nd AA, en route to making the Olympic team.  Since winning a bronze medal in Beijing, Hagerty placed 1st at the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge and 3rd at the 2009 American Cup.  Hagerty’s consistency and excellence on events like floor and high bar make him a strong pick for this year’s world team.

Pros: Already an excellent gymnast on high bar, Hagerty placed first on that event at both last year’s nationals and Olympic Trials and has plans to unveil a set with a D-score of 7.0 in Dallas.  Having such a difficult set would be particularly impressive as no other U.S. man has such a difficult routine in their arsenal and no one achieved that start value at the European Championships either.  Blessed with an incredible ability to handle the pressures of competition, Hagerty hit 12 for 12 routines at this meet last year.  He also won both days of competition in the all-around at the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge, and also placed 1st on floor and parallel bars at that event.  Hagerty has shown the capability to medal in several events at these championships, including all-around, floor, parallel bars, and high bar, thus helping Hagerty’s chances to make his first world team.

Cons: Hagerty had intentions of competing the aforementioned 7.0 high bar set at the Men’s National Qualifier in early July, but failed at that endeavor, only marking a 6.3 D-score (he had a 6.5 at the Winter Cup) and having a low 8.3 E-score.  Hagerty’s chances of going to worlds as an all-arounder are sketchy at best, because if there will be no more than two all-arounders at worlds, then Jonathan Horton (4th AA in 2007) and David Sender (who beat Hagerty at last year’s Nationals and this year’s American Cup) would be more likely to do all six events in London.  Hagerty can feasibly find his way off the team if Danell Leyva, a competitive all-arounder who is strong on parallel bars and high bar (two of Hagerty’s best events), performs well at nationals. Hagerty’s case for making a floor final is also fairly weak because, while he is capable of doing so, Horton, Legendre, and Sender all have as good a chance at doing the same.

Outlook: If Hagerty maintains his consistency that he is known for, and if he were to produce that 7.0 set on high bar, in all likelihood he should make the world team.  It would be somewhat illogical to have three guys on the world team (Hagerty, Horton, Leyva) who have prowess on high bar because only two will make the event final anyway.  Hagerty would likely be a more valuable option than Leyva, given his experience, overall consistency, and ability to make a final on another event (floor).  With that said, it will be imperative that in Dallas, Hagerty hits high bar both days, floor both days, and beating Leyva in the all-around (as he did at this year’s Winter Cup) couldn’t hurt either. Regardless of whether he qualifies to the team this year, Hagerty’s strength on two crucial pieces of apparatus do make him a desirable candidate for future World Championships and the Olympic Games to come.

Jonathan Horton :  Expectations Going In: Horton has proven to be quite solid internationally, placing 4th in the AA at the 2007 World Championships and winning a high bar silver and team bronze at the 2008 Olympics, but the national championships haven’t been the kindest of competitions to the 23-year-old Houstonian.  Having never won a national AA title, Horton will no doubt be eyeing it this year, along with individual event titles on floor, rings, parallel bars, and high bar.  However, it remains to be seen what form he will be in after shaky performances this year at the Winter Cup and Japan Cup.

Pros: In 2008, Horton made several comments to the press praising Paul Hamm and his ability to compete under pressure. In Beijing, Jonathan Horton transformed into a competitor even Paul Hamm would be envious of, hitting 18 out of 18 routines. Horton has an extraordinary ability to improve significantly in a short period of time and to upgrade routines in a short period of time.  In two weeks he went from 6th AA at the 2007 U.S. Gymnastics Championships to 4th AA at the 2007 World Gymnastics Championships, and he famously completed that high bar set he won a silver medal with in Beijing with no experience training if beforehand.  Horton is a legitimate contender for a world title on high bar, and has the potential for making event finals on floor, rings, and parallel bars.  Horton also stated in an IG interview that he has upgraded several events in what he hopes will result in an all-around medal at worlds.

Cons: Horton stated in that same interview that he has actually contemplated skipping worlds, and while he seemed to come to the conclusion that he would go if asked, it does beg the question of whether he will be competition ready for this meet.  Horton had a very lackluster showing at the Winter Cup, marking a low 14.05 on rings (he only competed on that event on day two) and averaged only a 14.325 on parallel bars and a 14.15 on high bar. He fared better overall at the Japan Cup, but still struggled on floor (14.0) and parallel bars (13.55).  Pommel horse has always been a significant weak point to Horton’s gymnastics, and has not competed on a pommel set since the Olympics.

Outlook: Even if Horton is not fully back to speed in Dallas, he should be chosen to go to London because he has peaked at the World Championships/Olympic Games the last two years, and not to mention he has the strongest possibility of winning an AA medal among all the American men.  Horton has stated that he intends to compete his Olympic high bar routine in Dallas, and plans to upgrade on floor, pommel horse, and parallel bars.  Trying new skills at this competition and at worlds (assuming he qualifies and decides to go) will be very beneficial to Horton, as at these nationals he won’t need to be in Beijing form to qualify and at worlds he won’t have the added pressure of competing in a team event. Horton has every potential to win his first U.S. all-around title, but how and when he chooses to peak is entirely up to him.

Speaking of Stanford, Sho Nakamori suffered a torn ACL at the Japan Cup.  He suffered the injury upon landing his dismount on high bar.  Now that VISAs and Worlds are out of the question for 2009, Sho remains focused on rehabbing and working on his upper body strength.  His surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, July 31.  Typical Sho… turning a negative into a positive.  His ultimate prize of making the 2012 Olympic Team remains clearly in sight.

Congrats to another Stanford grad, David Sender, for winning three gold medals at the Maccabiah Games.  Sender won gold on rings, vault and high bar.  He also earned a silver in the all-around.  Incoming Stanford freshman, Ben Rudolph, also fared well at the Games with a bronze medal finish in the all-around.  David Frankl, from the U.S. Development Center (NJ), won gold in the Junior Division.

Our friend at GymnasticsCoaching.com, Coach Rick McCharles, has had a busy summer gallavanting all over the world.  Earlier, he spent time hiking in Death Valley, and lately he has been doing the same in Europe.  He still finds time to post timely stories on his fine blog.

Heard through the grapevine that New Hope gymnast, Yoshi Mori, is headed to Illinois.  This is a great pickup for the Illini, and Mori will contribute right away.  Mori placed 4th in the all-around at the 2009 JO Nationals.

Air Force just announced their list of seven incoming freshmen for the upcoming 2010 season.  According to Head Coach Kip Simons, "these seven young men are, by far, the strongest recruiting class that I have brought to the Academy."  Click here for the article.

Congrats to Anne Phillips for the recent one-year anniversary of Gymnastike. Phillips’ site continues to dazzle with great and timely videos.  Anne has the best job in the world, traveling to gyms and gymnastics events all over the country.  She’s doing a great job of getting the word out about our great sport.  The gymnasts and coaches she has interviewed all deserve the coverage they are getting.

We’re looking forward to posting some insightful commentary from a young guest blogger regarding the upcoming VISAs and Worlds.  We’ll be posting within the next few days.

Woodward West is a thriving camp for gymnastics, tumbling & trampoline, cheer, skateboarding, inline skating and BMX biking.  The camp formally refers to itself as an action sports camp, though after observing the outrageous stunts the gymnasts, skaters and bikers perform, extreme sports is a more apt description for us.  StickItMedia recently visited Woodward West, and we found it to be in a stunningly beautiful location, surrounded by farms and ranches.  We saw many horses, sheep, cattle and agricultural activity as we drove along a winding road leading into the camp.

Nestled in the surrounding mountains,  Woodward West is located near the quaint town of Tehachapi, about 30 miles southeast of Bakersfield and about 130 miles north of Los Angeles.  At an elevation of about 4200 feet, the summer climate is relatively mild compared to the nearby high desert communities of Palmdale, Mojave and Lancaster.  Temperatures range from 85-95 degrees during the day to the low 60s at night.  The camp is pristine and very well maintained.  Dominating the campgrounds is a huge world-class concrete skate park, a huge wooden ramp park, competition vert ramps, countless rails and a dirt course.  Skaters and bikers from around the world flock to Woodward West every year to ride these very challenging venues.

The summer camping season at Woodward West is eleven weeks long and is for campers age 7-17.  The cost for a week-long session is reasonably priced at about $800, depending on the week.  The camp has a wild west theme and has many nice amenities such as a bowling alley, pool tables, swimming pool, video games, snack bar, digital photography lab, airconditioned cabins and a dining area that serves great nourishing fare.  The cabin counselors are very friendly and range from 18-year-old gymnasts to gym dads who want to stay close to their kids and/or to take advantage of the tuition discount.

The gymnastics camp is run by Andy Timm, who is the Gymnastics/Cheer/Equipment Director.  Timm is a former gymnast who competed at Arizona State under Coach Scott Barclay.  Many may also know him as an Event Coordinator at the Pacific Coast Classic. He greeted us at the entrance to the gym with lots of enthusiasm as he prepared for another week of camp.  The impressive gymnastics facility is 24,000+ square feet, complete with state-of-the-art equipment.  Thanks to Timm’s efforts, gymnasts are treated to guest VIPs/Coaches such as…

Igor Vihrovs
Pablo Capote
Kristy Powell
Alicia Sacramone
Brett McClure
Melissa Metcalf
Num Kutz
Guard Young
Doug Boger
Geoff Eaton
Jason Gatson
Jamie Dantzscher
The Platt Brothers
3 Danish National Team Members
Charlie Tamayo
Raj Bhavsar – coming week 11 (August 16-22)
Kerri Strug
Elise Ray
Mircea Badulescu
Jen Hansen
Kiara Nowlin
Aubrey Balkin

Video of Woodward West VIPs

Charlie Tamayo

2009 Week 5 at Woodward West

*** In the feature photo, the two lovely ladies Andy is standing next to are former Olympian Jaycie Phelps and his fiance Joelle Farrar. ***

Here is our recent interview with Woodward West’s Andy Timm.

SiM:  How did you get started in gymnastics?

Timm:  I started when I was three years old at Arizona Flairs with Mike Naddour.  I’m a triplet (with a brother and sister) and I have an older brother that is 18 months older as well.  We all did gymnastics when we were little and I was the only one to stick with it.  I did quit when I was 10 to pursue wrestling and baseball, but did go back to gymnastics when I was 15 because I missed the gym.  I still continued to do wrestling after that, but by high school I had to choose one sport.  I chose gymnastics, and in college I decided to compete for Arizona State University.

SiM:  What were the highlights of your ASU gymnastics career?

Timm:  While I was there we won 3 National Championships.  Those, of course, were the biggest highlights, but also the first time we beat Air Force Academy was a very big deal.  I also enjoyed being captain of the team my last two years.  Everything about competing for ASU was great.  I loved the morning workouts and training 5 hours a day.  The traveling to meets was also great as were the long weekends of doing homework on the plane.  Those were the days.

SiM:  How long have you been at Woodward West?

Timm:  I came here in June 2008.  I have been here about 13 months now.

SiM:  What led you to your present position at Woodward West?

Timm:  I have been working for USA Gymnastics since the 2003 world championships in Anaheim.  I’m in charge of equipment for USAG and also am a floor manager for events.  I still work for them today. I was recommended for the job by some people with USAG and AAI.  I drove down to Woodward in between some events last year around the Olympic Trials and interviewed with Debbie Williams and checked out the camp.  I then accepted the position about a week later and moved down here after Olympic Trials.

SiM:  What is the best part about your job?

Timm:  Making a difference in a kid’s life when they come here.  My favorite is the kids that come and are very nervous, and by the end of the week they seem to know everyone and are a changed person.  I also love seeing the kids faces when they see their favorite Olympians.  It reminds me of the way I felt when I got to go to Fenway and watched the Red Sox play at Fenway for the first time!

SiM:  What are some of the highlights you have enjoyed at Woodward West?

Timm:  The major highlight for me is that I get to hire some VIPs/Olympians that I grew up with and competed against throughout my career.  I grew up with Jason Gatson and get to have him come out here and coach for us.  I think out of everyone that comes and visits camp, I usually know the VIPs the best going into it.  It is nice to be a part of the sport for so long competing and now I run the best camp in the country.  Also, In January, my fiance Joelle Farrar, moved out here from Arizona and accepted a position in the office.  That has made working here even that much better!

SiM:  How well do the gymnasts get along with the other campers?

Timm:  The gymnasts get along great with the campers.  The action kids respect the gymnasts very much because they learn and realize how hard it is to do what the gymnasts do.  There is a lot of interaction with the two sports and they both respect each other very well.  On Wednesdays, we have Olympic challenge night, where the action kids can come in with the gymnasts and try the gymnastics stuff.  If the action kids do not have respect for the gymnasts by that night, after the night is over, they have realized how hard it is to do what the gymnasts do.

SiM:  What are the biggest challenges to running the camp?

Timm:  I would say not being afraid to tell people no.  Since I was a gymnast for so long, and know so many people that come here to work, people think that you will always do special things for them. You have to really stick to your decisions and not give anyone any special perks, or you will have to give it to everyone.  People understand your decisions, as long as you are even down the line, even if it is one of your buddies with an Olympic gold medal.

SiM:  How much of your year is focused on running the camp?

Timm:  I would say the whole year is based on the camp.  Everything I do in the off season, whether it’s train-aways, or marketing at meets, everything is driven toward increasing camp numbers.  I also run many meets in the off season and run a lot of equipment set-ups that help to put my face more out there to promote for Woodward.  Believe it or not, even in the off season, I’m always working on the weekends and during the week to help make Woodward better for the upcoming camp season.

SiM:  Is it true that you guys always have new equipment?

Timm:  Yes it is.  Every year, in the off season, we try to sell all of our equipment at low demo prices. Everything we sell is then replaced with something that is brand new.  Because most of the equipment we get is from AAI, we have special programs for teams that bring a certain amount of kids.  If a gym brings 10 kids or more, they can receive $75.00 per camper towards equipment from our gym.  This helps promote bigger camp numbers and helps us to get rid of more equipment and get the new stuff in every year.

OTHER WOODWARD CAMP LOCATIONS:

Woodward at Copper Mountain, CO (skiing & snowboarding)

Woodward at Lake Owen, WI (gymnastics, cheer, skate & BMX biking )

Woodward Camp at Woodward, PA (gymnastics, cheer, skate & BMX biking)