This is a huge loss for the Air Force Academy and our condolences go out to Torkelson’s loved ones. Torkelson was recently awarded the Bronze Star for his meritorious service in Iraq.

The compulsory men will finally get a taste of the new system in the 2009 season. The first year is always the toughest to compare one’s performance to those in previous years. 2009 will establish a new baseline for scoring. Things will be a lot easier for the optional guys since they broke in the new system last year, but 2009 will foment some initial confusion for the compulsory guys without a baseline for comparison. Oh well, by the end of the season, they’ll be used to it, and at least a baseline will be established.

It will be nice to have everybody on the same page, although many will certainly miss the opportunity to score that 9.9 or the coveted perfect “10!”

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Related stories:

Explaining the New Olympic Gymnastics Scoring System

For those who were unable to make the trek to Rapid City, don’t worry. NBC plans to broadcast the event on Sunday, January 18 at 2:00 p.m.

John Orozco has certainly made an indelible impact on men’s club gymnastics over the past several years. Consider the following achievements:

• 2008 VISA Championships: 1st place All-Around
• 2008 JO Nationals: 1st place All-Around (Level 10/14-15)
  
• 2007 VISA Championships: 1st place All-Around
• 2007 JO Nationals: 2nd place All-Around (Level 9)
  
• 2006 JO Nationals: 3rd place All-Around (Level 9)
  
• Current member USA Junior National Team

Orozco, who trains at World Cup Gymnastics in Chappaqua, NY under Coach Jason Hebert, is on the fast track, already gaining valuable international experience at the 2007 Junior Pan American Championships and the 2008 Pacific Rim Championships. It’s no secret that Orozco has some lofty goals, one of which may lead him to London in 2012.

Orozco will again be competing as a Level 10 (14-15) in the 2009 club season. The 2009 Level 10 (14-15 age group) consists of an amazing list of returnees and an outstanding crop of incoming gymnasts from Level 9. It will be exciting to watch these men battle it out. Orozco is already off to a great start, as he recently won the World Cup Local by posting a blistering 90.00 All-Around score.

StickItMedia had the recent pleasure of interviewing John Orozco.

SiM: Which gymnastics achievements have made you especially proud?

Orozco: Qualifying and competing in the Pacific Rim Championships with three of our Olympians (Paul Hamm, Raj Bhavsar and Sasha Artemev). I felt honored to compete for our country.

SiM: What have been your biggest obstacles and challenges so far, and what helped you overcome them?

Orozco: I have sacrificed having a lot of friends because of my training. I live far from the gym, so I have no time after school or after gymnastics training to hang out. To overcome any obstacles, I stay self-motivated because I know what I want more than anything. That is to go to the Olympics.

SiM: What are your goals for the 2009 season?

Orozco: I hope to succeed at the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge so that I can make the Senior National Team.

SiM: What are your future academic and gymnastics goals?

Orozco: I definitely plan on going to college. As for gymnastics, my ultimate goal is to win a medal at the Olympics. In the near future, going to the World Championships would be great!

SiM: Which of your peers do you really admire? Do you all learn from each other?

Orozco: I admire all my peers; they have worked very hard to get to where they are today. We all learn from each other.

SiM: Among the elite and Olympic gymnasts, which ones do you most enjoy watching?

Orozco: I enjoy watching Sasha Artemev for his unique style and elegance on pommels.

SiM: Describe your experience of competing with such notable gymnasts as Paul Hamm, Sasha Artemev and Raj Bhavsar. What’s the best advice they have given you?

Orozco: They have never given me any advice, but just by competing with them, I was able to gain knowledge and guidance by observing them.

SiM: Other than gymnastics, what do you like to do? (Hobbies, music, reading, gaming, etc.)

Orozco: I love to listen to music, watch movies and go on the internet.

SiM: If not for gymnastics, in what sports do you think you would compete? What other sports do you like to follow?

Orozco: I don’t really follow any other sport closely except for gymnastics. As for competing, I think it would be in the martial arts. I used to do martial arts before gymnastics.

SiM: What advice would you give to new young gymnasts just beginning to compete, to help them reach levels 9 and 10?

Orozco: I would say to keep your head up and never lose sight of your dreams or goals in life.

SiM: What is your favorite thing about walking into the gym each day?

Orozco: Getting straight to practice!

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Danell Leyva has been dominating men’s club gymnastics for the past several years. In fact, he has been so good that he competed in the senior division at the 2007 and 2008 VISA Championships, finishing 9th AA and 11th AA, narrowly missing a trip to the 2008 Olympic Trials.

Leyva is on track to possibly become one of the youngest gymnasts, at 17, to ever make the World Team. He has an impressive resume of international competition, and just recently returned from the 2008 PAGU Championships in Rosario, Argentina, where he won gold on high bar, silver on pommel horse and parallel bars and finished 6th on floor.

Coached by his father, Yin Alvarez, Leyva trains at Universal Gymnastics in Miami, FL. He anchors a very impressive men’s team that includes fellow Junior National Team members Edward Mesa and Max Mayr and National Future Stars Development Team members Marcos Gatinho and 2008 National Future Stars Champion Rafael Javellana. That’s a lot of talent under one roof! This team figures to again be one of the dominant teams in the country.

StickItMedia recently had the pleasure of interviewing Danell Leyva. This bright, talented young man ended the interview by thanking us "for being a promoter of this sport: if you ask any gymnast, he would say that it doesn’t get the credit that it deserves."

SiM: What is it like training alongside so many great gymnasts at Universal?

Danell: I actually enjoy it because it gives me the push and the strive that I need.

SiM: What is the atmosphere like in the gym?

Danell: It’s a really good atmosphere. We’re almost family in there. Everyone is always happy and we’re always helping each other out on whatever we do (gymnastics related or not).

SiM: Which of your many gymnastics achievements have made you especially proud?

Danell: My most recent achievement, which was winning the gold medal on horizontal bar at the Senior Individual Pan American (PAGU) Event.

SiM: What have been your biggest obstacles and challenges so far, and what helped you overcome them?

Danell: Well, the truth is that the only "obstacle" and/or "challenge" is that I was born with asthma, and that would occasionally give me trouble in training when I was younger. Although I do remember that in one of my Future Stars National Championships I had somewhat of an asthma attack before my last event, which was horizontal bar. Yin (my Dad/Coach) didn’t want me to finish the competition. With what little breath I had, I argued with him in a panting way that probably made him a little sentimental, so he let me go up. When I finished my routine, I practically couldn’t breathe, but I couldn’t have been happier, seeing that I had just won the meet. The asthma went away with age, so it isn’t really an issue anymore.

SiM: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given (gymnastics-related or not)?

Danell: I guess it would have to be this "saying" that I came up with, that I always say to everybody who is having trouble with a skill, or just something that isn’t working out the way they want. I say, "if you’ve done it before, then there’s no doubt that you can do it again."

SiM: What advice would you give to a new young gymnast, hoping to go far in the sport?

Danell: I would say, train harder than your best, and always try to stay positive, even when it seems impossible. Always keep your head up, and never give up on your dream.

SiM: Which elite/Olympic gymnasts do you most enjoy watching?

Danell: Blaine Wilson, Jon Horton, Justin Spring, Raj Bhavsar, Sasha Artemev, Lucas Chiarlo (ARG), Paul Hamm, and Kohei Uchimura (JPN).

SiM: Which famous athlete would you most like to meet, and what would you like to talk to him/her about?

Danell: Hmm…I would have to say Michael Jordan, and I would ask him if he could give me the secret to flying.

SiM: Other than gymnastics, what do you like to do? (Hobbies, music, reading, gaming, sports, etc.)

Danell: I love to draw, play the piano, paint, listen to music… Oh, and of course, watch TV.

SiM: What have you learned most about yourself when you compete in a big meet?

Danell: That I can’t think about what I’m about to do too much, because I get nervous and end up having to fight my way through the routine. Or the opposite, when I don’t think about what I’m about to do enough, and end up having the same problem. So, pretty much that I have to relax, but not too much.

SiM: What new skills would you like to master during the 2009 season?

Danell: Peach Diamidov without putting my hand on the rail during the twist. Driggs on vault to a stuck landing. Hit my 17.2 routine on horizontal bar at VISAs, and to hit my 16.0 routine on pommel horse, also at VISAs.

SiM: What are your future academic and gymnastics goals?

Danell: Academic: finish college with two degrees under my belt (music and art). Gymnastics: Olympic All-Around champion, Olympic gold medalist on Horizontal Bar, Floor Exercise and Parallel Bars, and at least Olympic silver medalist on Pommel Horse. I think Sasha is going to be a tough guy to beat on pommels at the next Olympics.

SiM: What would you like to be doing 10 years from now?

Danell: On my way to my third Olympics. I plan on retiring when I’m 30 years old.

SiM: What is your favorite thing about walking into the gym each day?

Danell: The fact that I know that this is the place that is going to take me to where I want to be when I grow up.

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We encourage our readers to submit interesting stories and/or interview opportunities. We want to hear from everybody in the club community. Club gymnastics is the lifeblood of men’s gymnastics, and is the natural pipeline to our Olympic program. Despite the sad, continued dwindling of men’s Division I gymnastics programs, club gymnastics continues to thrive. These young men deserve expanded opportunities beyond their club years. They are after all among America’s hardest working athletes. They deserve to have their stories broadcast to the sporting world. We’re not knocking whatever coverage they are receiving now, but they certainly deserve to receive more than the very modest existing coverage.

To submit interesting stories, and we know there are plenty out there, please click here to go to our contact us form. StickItMedia is only interested in positive stories about our young gymnasts: obstacles overcome, interesting meets, funny happenings, gentleman rivalries, amazing scores, awesome coaches. Send us a suggestion and we’ll do the rest. We wish all the nation’s club gymnasts much success in the 2009 season. We know you all won’t disappoint.

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By Gary D’Amato of the Journal Sentinel, November 12, 2008

Paul Hamm is approaching the end of his gymnastics career with mixed emotions.

He’s sad that it’s almost over but excited about the future. He’s disappointed he didn’t get a chance to defend his Olympic all-around medal in Beijing but satisfied with what he accomplished in the sport.

“I know my life as an athlete is coming to an end and that’s hard to deal with,” Hamm said. “It’s my identity. It’s what I’ve done my whole life and it’s hard to give that up. But it’s also exciting to take on new challenges in life.”

– SNIP –

As for the future, Paul, who has an accounting degree from Ohio State, has accepted a job with Breakwater Capital LLC of Chicago and will start sometime around Jan. 1.

Morgan earned his degree in exercise science from OSU and plans to start a chiropractic school in Chicago. He also is getting married in May.

[excerpted from Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel article]

Meanwhile, Iowa also landed a huge recruiting class. Anton Gryshayev, Matt McGrath and Broderick Shemansky have been signed for the 2010 season.  All three gymnasts were top 30 all-around finishers at the 2008 J.O. Nationals.  Gryshayev currently trains at 5280 in Littleton, CO.  McGrath is from Bartlett Gymnastics and Shemansky trains at Champions Academy in Los Gatos, CA.  This is a very impressive class, and perhaps ranks as one of Iowa’s finest ever.

The early fall signing period is producing incredible new talent that will be unveiled in 2010.  This impressive group of signees nicely complements the new crop recently announced by Oklahoma.

Horton’s inspiring Beijing performance has positioned him to be Team USA’s leader and one of the world’s leading all-around medal contenders leading into the 2012 Olympics.  He’s not bashful about it, nor is he arrogant.  He’s going to go about business with the same attitude that he took with his Beijing high bar gamble.  “No fear, no regrets.”

Jake Dalton of Gym Nevada has been a fixture the past few years as one of the top performers at the J.O. Nationals and is a current Junior National Team member. Dalton was runner-up at the ‘08 JO Nationals. Alex Naddour of Arizona Flairs, placed fourth in the all-around at the ‘08 JOs and is also on the Junior National Team.

Naddour’s brother, Anthony, is transferring from Chandler-Gilbert CC. He led Arizona State’s club team to a national collegiate title last season. Cypress Academy’s Chris Stehl, another solid all-arounder, was a member of the Junior National Team in ‘05-’06.

This is what’s called reloading, folks.  Despite the losses of Jonathan Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, this incoming 2010 freshman class will keep Oklahoma in the national title hunt for years to come.