Trevor Howard (Level 10 16/18… signed with Penn State)

Yul Moldauer (Level 10 14/15)

David Jessen (Level 10 14/15)

Bobby Baker (Level 10 14/15)

Chandler Eggleston (Level 10 16/18)

Cameron Bock (Level 9)

Davis Grooms (Level 9)

Alec Yoder (Level 10 14/15)

Logan Bradley (Level 10 16/18)

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I’m going to be perfectly blunt about this.  Aside from a nice Facebook page and very minimal print coverage, the promotion of this event during the course of the competition was virtually non-existent.  No active Twitter updates, no videos, no live scoring, no nothing.  It’s an Olympic year, for crying out loud.  Failure to promote this year’s men’s JO Nationals was unfathomable to me.  I’ve heard from more than just a few parents, fans and athletes about the lack of promotion, so I’m not imagining things.  Most of these people are too polite to complain out loud.  Well, I think I’m a relatively polite guy, but I cannot in good conscience let this go without a rant.  This is all about the athletes.  They deserve a lot better.

Cameron Bock, the Level 9 AA champ, added additional hardware to his weekend collection by winning titles on FX and PB.  The remaining titles went to Brandon Ngai on PH, Davis Grooms on SR, Joel Diaz on VT and Tommy Mistretta on HB.  Marvin Kimble dominated the junior 10 event finals field by winning national titles on PB and HB, and he was runner-up to teammate Josiah Eng on SR.  Eng, by the way, is a first year Level 10 (14), and his SR rings score (15.75) was higher than the winning score in the senior division.  That is quite a feat!  Winning FX was Colin Van Wicklen, while Alec Yoder took the PH title and Kiwan Watts won gold on VT.  Trevor Howard was the big winner in the senior division, as he powered through the field on FX, VT and PB.  Timmy Wang won on PH, Kevin Wolting took the HB crown, and AA champ Donnell Whittenburg won on SR.  Although he placed 2nd to Howard in the VT final with a remarkable 16.75, I understand that Chandler Eggleston is the first athlete to ever score a 17.00 at JO Nationals.  He accomplished the feat during the event semi-finals.  Great job!

Level 9 Event Winners

• FX – Cameron Bock (SCATS) – 14.30
• PH – Brandon Ngai (Byers) – 14.00
• SR – Davis Grooms (Champions) – 13.85
• VT – Joel Diaz (Cypress) – 15.20
• PB – Cameron Bock (SCATS) – 14.20
• HB – Tommy Mistretta (WCOGA) – 13.35

Level 10 (14-15) Event Winners

• FX – Colin Van Wicklen (Cypress) – 15.20
• PH – Alec Yoder (Indy School) – 14.35
• SR – Josiah Eng (Swiss) – 15.75
• VT – Kiwan Watts (River City) – 16.20
• PB – Marvin Kimble (Swiss) – 14.85
• HB – Marvin Kimble (Swiss) – 14.80

Level 10 (16-18) Event Winners

• FX – Trevor Howard (Hocking Valley) – 15.60
• PH – Timmy Wang (South Coast) – 14.75
• SR – Donnell Whittenburg (Ultimate) – 15.45
• VT – Trevor Howard (Hocking Valley) – 16.85
• PB – Trevor Howard (Hocking Valley) – 15.10
• HB – Kevin Wolting (Azarian) – 14.70

Click here for complete stats.

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In less than a month, we’re going to see this all again at the U.S. Championships. One pleasant surprise was the return of Dominic Morris. After a three-year absence from JO Nationals competition, Morris sparkled with his 8th place finish. He’s still a powerhouse on pommel horse (2nd highest event qualifier), he also put up great numbers across-the-board. Looking forward to next season, there will be no drop-off at all in talent. Among the returnees from the older division are Modi, Belanovski, Allan Bower, Chandler Eggleston and Alex Powarzynski. Speaking of Eggleston, he nailed his VT in the final and scored a 17.00. Hope somebody posts a video of that soon!

Top 10 Level 10 (16-18)

• Donnell Whittenburg (Ultimate) – 88.80 – 88.75 – 177.55
• Trevor Howard (Hocking Valley) – 88.90 – 88.30 – 177.20
• Akash Modi (Monmouth) – 87.85 – 88.70 – 176.55
• Timmy Wang (South Coast) – 88.55 – 87.55 – 176.10
• Dmitri Belanovski (Swiss) – 88.35 – 87.45 – 175.80
• Joey Peters (Parkettes) – 87.75 – 86.80 – 174.55
• Konner Ackerman (Metro.) – 87.00 – 87.01 – 174.10
• Dominic Morris (Black Hills) – 85.90 – 87.55 – 173.45
• Kevin Wolting (Azarian) – 86.00 – 87.05 – 173.05
• Jack Boyle (Premier West) – 86.45 – 86.60 – 173.05
• Jonathan Deaton (Daggett’s) – 86.05 – 86.65 – 172.70

David Jessen was the only top 10 finisher in the Level 10 (14-15) division that had a higher score (86.85) in the finals than in prelims (85.70), however, it was not enough to surpass Marvin Kimble’s overwhelming two-day performance. Kimble had a blistering 89.55 in prelims, which was the highest AA score of either age division. He cooled off somewhat in the finals, but still recorded the 2nd highest score of the session (86.75). That was more than enough to enable him to finish almost 4 points higher than the 2nd place Jessen. Kimble’s victory capped off a remarkable season in which he also made a successful international debut at Pacific Rim back in March. Next month, he has an opportunity for an encore performance at the VISA U.S. Championships, where he’ll be the prohibitive favorite.

Jessen and Yul Moldauer essentially switched spots in the standings, as Moldauer had mishaps on PH, SR and VT. He dropped from 2nd place to 7th, but still, his stock continues to rise and he’ll be one of the favorites to win next month. Apparently the judging was a little more stringent, which was apparent by the lower scores posted by most in the finals. In an encouraging sign of the growing strength of the men’s program, half of the 18 VISA qualifiers are first-year Level 10s. While not as deep as the senior 10 division, this season’s crop of junior 10s has been quite talented, especially those at or near the top. Special mention goes out to Bobby Baker, Hunter Justus, Kiwan Watts, Alex Diab, Colin Van Wicklen and Robert Neff. Van Wicklen is back this season after being out with an injury, and is a force on FX and VT. Baker, Justus and Watts all qualified for event finals on 3 apparatus. Diab and Neff qualified on two events.

Top 18 AA – Level 10 (14-15) VISA Qualifiers * denotes 1st-year Level 10

1. Marvin Kimble (Swiss Turners) – 89.55 – 86.75 – 176.30
2. *David Jessen (Rise) – 85.70 – 86.85 – 172.55
3. Bobby Baker (Aerial) – 86.25 – 85.60 – 171.85
4. Hunter Justus (Cypress) – 87.25 – 84.30 – 171.55
5. Kiwan Watts (River City) – 86.95 – 84.15 – 171.10
6. Yul Moldauer (5280) – 88.55 – 82.50 – 171.05
7. *Alex Diab (Premier) – 86.45 – 84.40 – 170.85
8. Colin Van Wicklen (Cypress) – 85.00 – 84.75 – 169.75
9. Robert Neff (Swiss Turners) – 85.55 – 83.40 – 168.95
10. *Fabian DeLuna (WOGA) – 84.85 – 83.30 – 168.15
11. *Marty Strech (Azarian) – 83.60 – 82.85 – 166.45
12. *Michael Burns (Hocking Valley) – 82.25 – 83.60 – 166.85
13. *Alex Magsam (N. Valley) – 83.70 – 82.10 – 165.80
14. *Tanner West (Cypress) – 83.95 – 81.40 – 165.35
15. Dylan Ellsworth (USA Gym.) – 83.30 – 82.00 – 165.30
16. Jacob Barrus (Ridgewood) – 83.50 – 81.30 – 164.80
17. *Tristan Burke (Cypress) – 83.05 – 81.35 – 164.40
18. *Grant Breckenridge (Buffalo Grove) – 83.00 – 81.35 – 164.35

Despite missing his Tkachev on HB, Cameron Bock held on to win the Level 9 all-around title.  His fantastic performance on Friday night really made the difference in the finals. Overall, the scores were quite a bit lower, much like the earlier junior 10 session. Bock, a very hard-working gymnast from SCATS, is looking every bit the favorite going into next season. USAG will soon be announcing the realignment plans for the new divisions.  Apparently, there will be two separate divisions (11-12 & 13-14) for what is now Level 9.

Bock’s winning margin over Matthew Wenske was just .3, making this an exciting meet. Finishing .2 behind Wenske was Davis Grooms. Tanner Justus (younger brother of Hunter) and Maxim Andryushenko completed the top 5. Gymnasts in the top 14 will make up the new National Team.

Top 14 Level 9 (Junior National Team Members)

1. Cameron Bock (SCATS) – 83.15 – 79.95 – 163.10
2. Matthew Wenske (Cypress) – 80.65 – 82.15 – 162.80
3. Davis Grooms (Champions) – 80.05 – 81.85 – 161.90
4. Tanner Justus (Cypress) – 81.80 – 79.40 -161.20
5. Max Andryushenko (Lakeshore) – 80.60 – 79.95 – 160.55
6. Favian Valdez (U.S. Gym) – 81.00 – 79.40 – 160.80
7. Shane Wiskus (North Shore) – 79.05 – 81.25 – 160.30
8. Nikita Bolotsky (VSSG) – 80.50 – 79.50 – 160.00
9. Sean Brackenridge (South Coast) – 81.70 – 78.00 – 159.70
10. Connor Lewis (Integrity) – 79.90 – 79.60 – 159.50
11. Trevor North (Hocking Valley) – 79.65- 79.65 – 159.30
12. Andrew Brower (U.S. Gym) – 80.80 – 77.65 – 158.65
13. Bennett Huang (WCOGA) – 79.50 – 78.75 -158.25
14. Bailey Perez (Premier) – 80.05 – 78.10 – 158.15

Click here for all the stats.

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Davis Grooms, one of the pre-meet AA favorites, posted the top scores on PH (14.10) and SR (14.30). Grooms is still in the running, though he’ll have to make up 3 points in the final. Joel Diaz had the remaining top event score on VT (15.40). The spread between 11th place and 20th place was equally as tight as the top 10, meaning the 14 National Team spots are completely up for grabs… A total logjam!

Speaking of the Junior National Team, it begs the question as to why there are only 14 National Team spots for both Level 10 age divisions combined. Not saying it hasn’t worked well in the past, but perhaps a little expansion might open up some additional opportunities for the ever-increasing number of elite gymnasts. This is not a critique of the current system, but rather intended to be a proposed point of future discussion.

Top 10 Level 9 Qualifiers

1. Cameron Bock (SCATS) – 83.15
2. Tanner Justus (Cypress) – 81.80
3. Sean Brackenridge (South Coast) – 81.70
4. Khalil Jackson (Champions) – 81.55
5. Favian Valdez (U.S. Gymnastics) – 81.00
6. Andrew Brower (U.S. Gymnastics) – 80.80
7. Matthew Wenske (Cypress) – 80.65
8. Maxim Andryushenko (Lakeshore) – 80.60
9. Nikita Bolotsky (VSSG) – 80.50
10. Davis Grooms (Champions) / Bailey Perez (Premier) – 80.05

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The 14-15 division played out almost exactly as many predicted. After putting up outstanding all-around numbers all season (mostly in the high 80s), Marvin Kimble showed why he was the favorite coming into this meet by posting an 89.55. In fact, his score was the day’s highest of either age division (even with falls on FX & VT)! Right behind him was Yul Moldauer (88.55), Hunter Justus (87.25), Kiwan Watts (86.95) and Alex Diab (86.45). Moldauer (VT-16.10, PB-14.45) and Kimble (SR-15.35, PB-14.45) each posted the highest scores on two events. Nine gymnasts in this division had scores of 85.00 or better. An interesting stat, Kimble’s teammate Josiah Eng (a 1st year Level 10), had the day’s top score (15.60) of either age division on SR. This is a great young division, with a lot of high level gymnastics being put on display.

The senior division (16-18) competition did not disappoint. Penn State-bound Trevor Howard tallied the top score (88.90), but it wasn’t by much, as Donnell Whittenburg was only a tenth behind (88.80). Timmy Wang (88.55), Dmitri Belanovski (88.35) and Akash Modi (87.85) rounded out the top 5. Wang had the day’s top scores on two events–PH (14.95) and PB (15.00). As I pointed out in my previous post about this division, the depth is phenomenal, with 20 gymnasts putting up scores of 85-plus. Only 3.7 points separated first place from 20th place! An unbelievable contest for the top 18 spots in both divisions is in store for Saturday, with the reward being a trip to next month’s U.S. Championships. The ensuing battle will be exciting to see who earns Junior National Team spots (top 7 in each division).

Sadly, there was no live scoring offered up for the first day, which is perplexing to me because there is no cost to do so and little to no effort required. I don’t expect any for Friday’s Level 9 competition, but it would be great if live scoring could be put in place for Saturday’s AA finals. This would enable a great social media component to this high level event.

Level 10 Team Results

1. Swiss Turners – 265.35
2. Cypress Academy – 258.20
3. SCATS – 256.55

Region Results (14-15)

1. Region 3 – 427.85
2. Region 5 – 423.20
3. Region 4 – 419.30

Region Results (16-18)

1. Region 7 – 438.80
2. Region 5 – 434.25
3. Region 1 – 432.65

Top Qualifiers (14-15)

1. Marvin Kimble (Swiss) – 89.55
2. Yul Moldauer (5280) – 88.55
3. Hunter Justus (Cypress) – 87.25
4. Kiwan Watts (River City) – 86.95
5. Alex Diab (Premier) – 86.45
6. Bobby Baker (Aerial) – 86.25
7. David Jessen (Rise) – 85.70
8. Robert Neff (Swiss) – 85.55
9. Colin Van Wicklen (Cypress) – 85.00
10. Fabian DeLuna (WOGA) – 84.85

Top Qualifiers (16-18)

1. Trevor Howard (Hocking Valley) – 88.90
2. Donnell Whittenburg (Ultimate) – 88.80
3. Timmy Wang (South Coast) – 88.55
4. Dmitri Belanovski (Swiss) – 88.35
5. Akash Modi (Monmouth) – 87.85
6. Joe Peters (Parkettes) – 87.75
7. Max Mayr (Universal) – 87.00
8. Konner Ackerman (Metropolitan) – 87.00
9. Jack Boyle (Premier West) – 86.45
10. Allan Bower (Xtreme) – 86.30

Click here to see all the stats.

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Michael has been Josh’s coach for the past several seasons, nicely filling a huge void after his previous coach left the island for the mainland.  Josh’s success since then has spoken volumes about his dedication and hard work ethic.  Yee has represented Region 1 as a member of the all-star team two out of the last four seasons.  His reward for all the countless hours in the gym will be a roster spot on a Division I team, which will set him up nicely for his future aspirations to be on the Senior National Team and to compete internationally.  According to his Mom, “most kids wake up on Christmas day ready to open up presents.  Josh wakes up Christmas morning and wants to go in to the gym to train.”

Here are a few highlights from Yee’s gymnastics career:

• 2009 – JO Nationals (48th AA), Region 1 Championships (5th AA)
• 2010 – JO Nationals (22nd AA, 3rd-HB), Reg. 1 (3rd AA), Reg. 1 all-star
• 2011 – JO Nationals (26th AA), VISAs (10th AA, 7th PH, 7th VT, 7th PB)
• 2012 (so far!) – Region 1 (4th AA), Region 1 all-star

StickItMedia recently had the pleasure of interviewing Josh Yee.

SiM:  What have been your biggest challenges training in Hawaii?

Josh:  My biggest challenge training in Hawaii came three and a half years ago.  I had just started getting really serious about my training and my coach and I had started making big plans for my next competition season.  Then, towards the end of August 2008, he came in and told us he would be leaving in a couple weeks to pursue a job on the mainland.  I was pretty upset at the time and just started going in to the gym everyday and training like crazy on my own.  We had a few different coaches that came and left during that first year-and-a-half, and my other level 10 teammates either quit or graduated.  Then my brother turned 18, took over as the optional boys coach at our gym, and started taking me to my meets with my mom.

When I look back at it now, I think this experience has made me a stronger gymnast and person. I had to quickly become responsible for my training, start planning out my workouts, and then follow through with those plans no matter what or how many hours it took.  It also made me realize how much I loved the sport and how badly I wanted to take it as far as I possibly could.

SiM:  What have been your biggest challenges to remaining highly competitive?

Josh:  My biggest challenge to remaining highly competitive is not having any competition in Hawaii and only being able to travel to one or two mainland meets before Regionals and Nationals.  It makes it hard to know how I compare to the other guys in the nation and if I’m doing enough to keep moving up the ranks.

SiM:  What are your proudest achievements?

Josh:  Qualifying and competing at the 2011 Visa Championships is one of my proudest achievements.  It was a great experience being there and competing with the best guys in the country.  I hit all my routines both days with only a few rough spots.  It was a lot of fun and I went back to Hawaii wanting to come back and do even better.

SiM:  Which events challenge you the most?

Josh:  Rings is the most challenging event for me.  Some things come naturally to me, but rings strength is not one of them.  I know it’s an area I need to improve on and I am working towards making it one of my strengths and not a weakness.

SiM:  What are your gymnastics goals for the next four years?

Josh:  My main gymnastics goal for the next four years is to make the US National team and compete for our country internationally.  It would be an honor to represent the United States.  I think about it all the time and it helps get me through the tough days in the gym.  

SiM:  What are your academic goals?

Josh:  I would like to get a degree in business or kinesiology, maybe both.  I want to have my own gym someday and also have a career that will help me be able to afford opening up a gym.

SiM:  What have been your most favorite competition experiences?

Josh:  Besides competing at Visas, I would say making the Region 1 team in 2010 and then competing at Nationals with my Region 1 teammates is one of my favorite competition experiences.  It was great having a team to support and that supported me.  I’m looking forward to representing Region 1 again this year.

SiM:  Who are your role models, and why?

Josh:  When I was younger, I looked up to Blaine Wilson and Jason Gatson.  They were amazing gymnasts and achieved a lot in the sport.  These days, it’s Kohei Uchimura.  He makes everything look so effortless. I’d like to be able to do that someday.

SiM:  How has it been for you over the years having a mom and brother in the coaching ranks?

Josh:  It really has worked out pretty well having my mom and my brother on the floor with me at my competitions and overseeing my training.  They know what I’m capable of and understand what my goals are for each competition and for the future.  I know I can trust their advice and that they support me 100%.

SiM:  Do you plan to compete at the collegiate level?

Josh:  Yes, I’d really like to compete for a college team.  I think it would be a great experience being part of a college program with other guys that have similar goals to mine.

SiM:  What do you think must be done to make men’s gymnastics more popular?

Josh:  I think men’s gymnastics should get more television coverage and that there should be more men’s college programs out there.  It can’t become more popular if people hardly ever get to see it, and if more guys don’t have the opportunity to continue in the sport after high school.

SiM:  Other than gymnastics and school, what are your favorite activities?

Josh:  I like to watch movies when they come out and I also like to surf, but don’t have the time to go to the beach very often.

SiM:  What was it like for you personally when Hawaii hosted the 2007 Region I Championships?

Josh:  It was a lot of fun having Regionals in Hawaii in 2007, but pretty scary at the same time.  It was my first year competing as a level 9 and trying to make it to JO National Championships.  I managed to barely make the cutoff score and then went to my first Nationals, had a pretty rough meet, and came in something like 294th.  I promised myself that that would never happen again.

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

Josh:  My favorite thing about walking into the gym everyday is knowing that at the end of the day I’ll walk out of the gym one step closer to achieving my goals.

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Other notable performances were turned in by Craig Hernandez on PH (T1st-15.15), Josh Dixon on FX (T1st-15.05) and HB (T1st-15.35) and Alex Buscaglia on FX (T1st-15.05) and VT (16.30).  All current members of the Senior National Team and the top six AA finishers at last month’s NCAA Championships were already pre-qualified for VISAs.  A few more Seniors will be added to the field, and will soon be announced.  The 2012 VISA U.S. Championships will take place June 7-10 in St. Louis.

Here is the list of 14 qualifiers:

• Jake Martin (79)
• Alex Buscaglia (75)
• Josh Dixon (71)
• Mackenzie Dow (Penn State-48)
• Ryan Lieberman (47)
• Edward Mesa (42)
• Andrew Elkind (41)
• Trevor Howard (39)
• Miguel Pineda (Penn State-37)
• Zack Chase (Minnesota-35)
• Craig Hernandez (Penn State-33)
• Wyatt Baier (Nebraska-28)
• Jesse Glenn (27)
• Matthew Felleman (Penn State-26)

Combined results

20 Points results

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MPSF All-Academic Scholar Athletes

Big 10 All-Academic Scholar Athletes

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Cal senior Patricia Roberts penned a tremendous letter-to-the-editor in the May 29 edition of the Daily Californian, the Cal student paper.  Roberts responded to a rather lackluster and poorly researched column published earlier in the week.  She is obviously a big fan of the Cal men’s program, and her well-written spirited rant is indicative of the kind of winning attitude displayed by all the supporters of Cal Men’s Gymnastics.  The author of the column, Warren Laufer, was indeed called on the carpet for his negative slant on the program.  Laufer’s column was dreadfully entitled, “Bears Fail to Live Up to Expectations.”  Really?  The team was ranked as low as 8th for most of the season.  In fact, due to the program’s uncertain fate, scheduling proved to be a problem, and the Bears went virtually an entire month during the season without a single competition.  Add up all the injuries, and things weren’t exactly looking especially promising for the Bears.

Some were not expecting the Bears to make the Super Six at the NCAA Championships.  But they certainly did, and their 4th-place finish in the Team Finals was a great accomplishment.  The Bears had three gymnasts earn All-American honors on six events:  Glen Ishino (PH,HB,AA), Steve Lacombe (SR,VT) and Dennis Mannhart (PB,HB).  Ishino had the added thrill of becoming the national champion on pommel horse.  The program might still not be completely out of the woods, but I have a strong feeling that the program will live on, thanks to all the Friends of Cal Men’s Gymnastics.  According to various sources, several top club gymnasts plan to compete for Cal next season, giving the program a much needed boost:  Kevin Wolting, Kevin Tran, Ryan Patterson, Travis Cameron, Kevin Ko, TJ Bzoskie and Kyle Zemeir.  That is some serious talent coming into the fold!  Now, wouldn’t it be nice if we could get at least a couple more varsity men’s programs on the west coast?

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