StickItMedia is once again pleased to have our brilliant young guest blogger Matthew Rusk analyze 12 of our top gymnasts vying for the highly coveted six spots on the 2010 U.S. World Championship team.  Matthew outdoes himself in this, our 2nd annual installment.  Only 17 and a resident of Houston, TX, Matthew is now a crafty media veteran, whose refreshingly candid, technical approach endears him to serious gymnastics fans.  Part 1 of our series focuses on Jonathan Horton, Chris Brooks, Chris Cameron, Wes Haagensen, Kyle Bunthuwong and Joey Hagerty.  In Part 2, Matthew will analyze the chances for Glen Ishino, Steven Legendre, Danell Leyva, Tim McNeill, John Orozco and Paul Ruggeri.

The 2010 VISA U.S. Championships take place August 10-14 in Hartford, CT.  Click here to see the men’s field. Last year’s analysis by Matthew was well received and widely read.  We hope you all enjoy his latest gem.   

By Matthew Rusk

The senior men’s field at the 2010 Visa Gymnastics Championships will be one of the deepest and most competitive fields in memory, with 45 athletes competing for just six slots on the World Championship team.  While all ended well with the U.S. men’s team winning the bronze in Beijing, USA Gymnastics had an inauspicious field of athletes four years ago, when the U.S. men’s team finished 13th at the World Championships.  This competition will be the major deciding factor for determining the team, and with several talented, albeit uneven, athletes, the selection committee will have quite a task to certify who will be allowed to compete in Rotterdam.  While the American men are in far superior form than how they looked at this stage of the game last quad, glory will not come easily to the team that ends up taking the floor in the Netherlands.  With China and Japan sure to go 1-2 in either order, the American team will need to bring its A-game to fend off numerous other countries in order to return home with a bronze medal.

Not to be lost in the process of naming the World Championship team will be naming the U.S. all-around champion.  Jonathan Horton, the reigning champion and the only man competing to have won a senior National all-around title, appeared as the favorite earlier in the year with solid, if unremarkable, competitions at the Tyson American Cup and the French International.  At the Japan Cup, however, Horton pulled out of the all-around there due to injury, putting his status for these Championships in doubt.  Tim McNeill, who finished 7th in the all-around at last year’s World Championships, has yet to compete all six events this year, as is also the case for last year’s bronze medalist, Wes Haagensen.  Chris Brooks had an excellent start to his year, winning Winter Cup and placing 3rd at the Tyson American Cup, but he was not chosen to compete in the all-around at the Japan Cup in favor of another athlete, Chris Cameron, who won the NCAA all-around title.  Danell Leyva and John Orozco may be the new guys on the block, but they would also like something to say about whom the medals belong to at this competition.  Leyva placed 5th at the senior event last year, while Orozco dominated the junior competition, winning the all-around and every apparatus title besides vault.

As this competition comes off the heels of Paul Hamm’s recent comeback announcement, Hamm should motivate the other men, even before he steps foot into a competition, to train and compete like never before.  The competition may be intense now, but it is paradise compared to how it will be two years down the road.  If Hamm can get within striking distance of his old form, there will be one less title to win and one less ticket to fight for.  With such stiff competition to come down the road, opportunities cannot be relinquished now.

Chris Brooks on HB at 2010 Tyson American Cup

Overview:  Injuries prevented Brooks from doing two of his strongest events, floor and vault, at last year’s Championships.  However, this year, the 23-year-old Houstonian enters these Championships injury-free and with a solid first half of his competitive year behind him. Brooks beat his former OU teammate, Jonathan Horton, to win the Winter Cup, and he later replaced Tim McNeill at the Tyson American Cup, where he performed admirably with a third place finish.  Brooks’s consistency and strong gymnastics across five apparatus (all but pommel horse) make him a strong candidate for the world team, as well as a contender for this year’s all-around crown.

Pros:  Brooks is an extremely powerful gymnast, which helps him particularly on floor, where he displays fine tumbling, and vault, but where his handspring double front seems far too elementary for him.  At the same time, he is able to maintain good form throughout most of his gymnastics, something not seen often in such physically strong gymnasts.  While Brooks has always been known for his expertise on the power events, he has made creditable strides on parallel bars and high bar this year.  With the selection committee looking for gymnasts who can contribute on as many events as possible, Brooks makes a strong case for the World team because he could easily do those four events in team finals.  In addition to the individual success Brooks has had this year, he contributed greatly to his team’s success at the Japan Cup, where the U.S. men won the bronze medal.

Cons:  Brooks is very weak on pommel horse, where he has not marked above a 13.15 this year, and his rings are only adequate.  Despite Brooks’s success earlier this year, he was passed over for an all-around slot at the Japan Cup.  Later, when Jonathan Horton withdrew, Brooks was passed over again when Paul Ruggeri was chosen to replace Horton.  While Brooks’ chances are great for making this year’s World team, he could be hurt when the team downsizes to five gymnasts for the Olympics, because his strengths and weaknesses match up closely with those of Horton and Ruggeri.  Being in contention for an all-around title and a world team will be newfound pressures for Brooks entering in this event, as he has had little hope for attaining either honor until now.

Outlook:  Brooks’ potential to contribute on four events makes him a strong candidate, although not entirely a lock, for the World team.  With Horton being nearly assured of a spot on the team if healthy, there is a small possibility for Brooks to be left off the team; however, he will be on it if he performs as he has been doing all year.  Much would need to happen for Brooks to be left off:  Ruggeri would have to score higher collectively on FX/VT/PB/HB, Danell Leyva would need to perform to his full potential on PB/HB, and the same would need to be true for Steven Legendre on FX/VT.  While four great events and one adequate event are great for now, Brooks ought to focus on rings a bit more leading up to London.  If it comes down to Brooks and Ruggeri for one spot, improvement on rings would prompt Brooks to have a leg up on his rival for a coveted Olympic berth.

Kyle Bunthuwong on PB at 2009 VISAs

Overview:  Kyle Bunthuwong, whose older brother, Kyson, is also a competitive gymnast, shocked many with his 4th place all-around finish at last year’s Visa Championships, which was his first time competing at the Championships in the senior division.  The 20-year-old, who competes for the University of California – Berkeley, also placed 4th on parallel bars, 6th on pommel horse, and 8th on rings and vault at last year’s Championships.

Pros:  Bunthuwong’s gymnastics is extremely clean and polished, and he excels at an event that is the Achilles heel for so many American gymnasts: pommel horse.  While there are also gymnasts (i.e. Daniel Ribeiro) who are only good on that event, Bunthuwong is at least adequate on each event.  His relative strength on pommel and rings could also help the team, as good quality gymnastics on that combination of events is something that Brooks, Horton, Legendre, Leyva, and Ruggeri (among others) do not have.  Bunthuwong’s talent as an all-arounder should help his status for making a world team, as all-arounders can give the team greater cushion for error in prelims.

Cons:  Bunthuwong has a serious roadblock for a world team spot:  Tim McNeill.  McNeill is far more experienced than Bunthuwong, and McNeill’s consistency, all-around prowess, and strength on pommel horse deflate Bunthuwong’s worth to the team immensely.  McNeill is a stronger rings worker as well, so Bunthuwong’s strength there should not be of much necessity as well.  With McNeill having a strong case to be named to the team, there will still be other athletes to contend with for a slot.  Wes Haagensen’s rings can contribute more to the team than Bunthuwong’s pommel set can, and rings is a far more reliable event than pommel is when it comes to hitting routines.  Chris Cameron’s all-around abilities, in addition to his strength on pommel and rings, will present yet another obstacle to Bunthuwong.

Outlook:  Bunthuwong is developing into a fine gymnast, but his chances for an all-around medal and a world team berth are looking very cloudy, particularly with both Chris Brooks and Chris Cameron on the upswing.  Bunthuwong does have a legitimate hope for being an alternate, however, because of how much the team needs a decent pommel and rings worker. With so much depth now in the United States, Bunthuwong’s chances for major international assignments might have to wait until after 2012.

Chris Cameron on PH at 2009 Big 10 Championships

Overview:  The 21-year-old native of Winter Haven, Florida, became this year’s NCAA all-around champion in April.  A rising senior at the University of Michigan, Cameron has competed at multiple elite gymnastics events this year, including Winter Cup (placing 3rd AA), Pacific Rim Championships, and the Japan Cup.  Cameron enters these Visa Championships as a medal contender in the all-around, and his strengths on floor, pommel horse, and still rings could propel him to his first world team as well.

Pros:  Lauded by coaches and teammates alike for his work ethic and competitive drive, Cameron is a powerhouse all-arounder who can fill a needed hole for the U.S. on pommel horse.  Entering this competition in perhaps the best condition of his career, Cameron has had a breakthrough year, placing a respectable 9th against a formidable international field at the Japan Cup and winning the NCAA all-around title by a staggering 1.55.  Cameron qualified to four event finals (FX, PH, SR, and PB) at NCAA’s, and his strength on pommel, improvement on rings, and overall strength across six events makes him a force to be reckoned with for the all-around title at these Championships, as well as a spot on the world team.

Cons:  Although Cameron attained success with his team at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships, he failed to win an all-around medal in a fairly depleted field.  He also finished dead last in rings finals, an event that will play a pivotal role in deciding his fate for a ticket to Worlds.  Both Wes Haagensen and Tim McNeill have the potential to match or surpass Cameron’s ability on rings, and Cameron struggled on pommel horse, another crucial event for him to hit in Hartford, at the Pacific Rim.  Like Chris Brooks, Cameron has yet to experience competing at Nationals with serious hopes for both a world team spot and an all-around medal.

Outlook:  While there are American gymnasts who are solid on pommel, rings, or both, Cameron provides something to the selection committee that many of those men don’t have.  While the selection committee should design the team around scoring potential for team finals, prelims cannot be ignored, and Cameron’s all-around strength enables him to help out the team in prelims and to fill in on any event if a teammate is to go down with injury.  USA Gymnastics will likely have three spots designated for decent pommel workers as Brooks, Horton, Legendre, Leyva, and Ruggeri are all weak there.  With McNeill likely to take one, two spots are still available, with at least one being there for rings as well.  Considering both prelims and finals, Cameron fits the bill for a slot very well.  However, the committee can only believe this if he is hitting at Nationals; otherwise, another specialist should be issued a plane ticket instead.

Wes Haagensen on SR at 2009 VISAs

Overview:  A top junior gymnast, the native of Sheridan, Wyoming took several years to find that same success on the senior level, but a move to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in December 2008 prompted remarkable improvement.  Haagensen won the bronze medal at last year’s Visa Championships, a 19-rank improvement from his 2008 result.  Haagensen competed at his first Worlds last year, where he, unsurprisingly, failed to qualify for an event final.  This year’s Visa Championships will mark the first time Haagensen has competed since 2009 Worlds.

Pros:  Haagensen’s gymnastics may not be flashy, but it is certainly among the most workmanlike: clean, consistent, and creditable across all six events.  With Kevin Tan struggling on rings at the Winter Cup (averaging 14.45), and Raj Bhavsar retiring, the U.S. team has spaces available for strong ring workers, and Haagensen is ideal for taking one.  Winner of the bronze medal on rings at last year’s Nationals, Haagensen’s stock on that event has since grown considerably because of David Sender’s retirement.  Although far from a brilliant pommel worker, he is stronger there than several of the top contenders for this team, and his strong, reliable, contribution on rings is likely to outweigh other gymnasts’ potential advantages over him because of pommel.

Cons:  Haagensen has not competed in nearly ten months and recently withdrew from the men’s national qualifier in early July because he is still coming back from shoulder surgery.  Haagensen’s worth to the team could be deflated considerably if Kevin Tan is to return to his former form on rings.  Tan, whose potential is sizably higher than that of Haagensen on rings, was also a midway decent pommel worker back in 2008.  A Kevin Tan in fighting form on those two events in Hartford will make Haagensen’s case to make the world team a weak one.  Adding that with Chris Cameron’s ability on pommel and rings would completely negate Haagensen’s chances for a second world team.

Outlook:  Kevin Tan’s status is completely up in the air on rings, but he was relatively adequate at Winter Cup on pommel horse the first day, only to crash and burn on the second.  Although Haagensen’s all-around strength will help him if he and Tan are even to the bone on pommel/rings in Hartford, it isn’t entirely necessary when the rest of the U.S. team is likely to have up a number of decent all-arounders.  However, with three pommel spots to fill, it can be argued that Tan is the only gymnast standing in the way of Haagensen making the world team, assuming that Haagensen is in top form for Nationals.  Two high profile gymnasts competing at the Championships, Steven Legendre and Danell Leyva, actually find themselves in very tough positions for making the team.  Both men have two great events apiece (Legendre-FX/VT, Leyva-PB/HB), but their strongest events can already be covered by other athletes, athletes such as Brooks, Horton, and Ruggeri who can contribute on four-five events in team finals.  Thus, Haagensen’s world team chances are very much alive.  His competitive story will be one of the most interesting in Hartford, as he has been out of competition for so long, something that Tan, perhaps Haagensen’s top rival for a ticket to Rotterdam, can say as well.

Joey Hagerty on PB at 2009 Winter Cup

Overview:  Joey Hagerty came out of nowhere to deliver strong performances at both the 2008 U.S. Nationals and Olympic Trials to make the Olympic team even before the Hamm twins withdrew.  However, after contributing to the team’s bronze medal and placing 3rd individually at the Tyson American Cup, Hagerty has slipped back under the radar.  A weak, unusually inconsistent performance at last year’s Visa Championships prevented him from being named to the world team, and he was even passed over for an alternate position.  Hagerty had not competed this year until the recent national elite qualifier, where he displayed little brilliance on the three events (FX, VT, and HB) that he competed on.

Pros:  Hagerty is a clean gymnast and is one of only three athletes competing in Hartford to have Olympic experience.  The 28-year-old will be one of the oldest and most experienced gymnasts competing at the Championships, and his admirable work on floor, parallel bars, and high bar should give the selection committee something else to think about when selecting the team.  Hagerty was rock solid throughout the Olympic selection process, when he was considered a complete underdog to make the team.  Having not performed well since the Games, Hagerty has little pressure on him to do well at this competition, and he proved two years ago that being the underdog can do wonders for his gymnastics.

Cons:  Although Hagerty is an Olympian and someone who is fairly ancient in gymnastics years, it is easy to forget that he has never competed at a World Championships.  The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist had far less glamorous results than that prior to the Olympic year, and while he managed some strong results in the earlier part of 2009, his showing at Nationals gave the selection committee little reason to send him to Worlds.  Hagerty’s scores of 14.8 on floor and 14.5 on high bar at the National Qualifier meet, although not terrible, are not going to give him any hope of even attaining an alternate position for Worlds.  Having not competed much this year, Hagerty will have to perform brilliantly at this event to even have a meager chance of making the team.

Outlook:  Hagerty has not had a great competition in over a year, thus making it probable that his best days are behind him.  A flash in the pan would describe Hagerty, whose success in 2008 has not been reiterated much elsewhere throughout his career.  Hagerty’s no-show record at Worlds is doubtful to change this year, with so many other men being given international assignments and making good use of them.  Even a peaked Hagerty would have a difficult time making the team, as there are other men who can perform to Hagerty’s ability on his strengths (FX, PB, and HB) while contributing elsewhere as well.

Jonathan Horton on HB at 2010 Tyson American Cup

Overview:  All knew Jonathan Horton was talented leading up to the 2008 Olympics, but no one expected him to lead the team quite the way he did.  After the Hamm twins’ withdrawals, the press had a field day with how the American men had virtually no chance for a medal.  Horton decided to take matters in his own hands, delivering a stunning display of gymnastics in the team finals to take home the bronze medal.  He would go on to ad-lib a high bar routine in event finals that he won the silver medal for, which many, including gold medalist Zou Kai, felt might have deserved gold.  Horton’s true return to competition at last year’s Visa Championships proved successful, as he won his first U.S. all-around title.  However, the World Championships would prove to be a cruel competition for the reigning U.S. Champion.  Horton got by in prelims, but catastrophe loomed.  A dreadful performance in all-around finals caused Horton to finish 17th, and, just to top it off, Horton finished dead last in event finals with a routine that contained two falls.

So far this year, the 24-year-old has performed decently at the Tyson American Cup and at the French International in Paris.  However, according to Scapegoat on WWGYM, Horton sustained several injuries prior to the Japan Cup.  In addition to spraining his big toe, Horton had several bone chips floating around his foot and had been told that foot surgery would be required.  Horton withdrew from the all-around in Tokyo, clouding uncertainty for his ability to perform well in Hartford.

Pros:  Horton is an extremely strong, dynamic gymnast who takes advantage of his miniscule 5’1’’ frame to explode up into the air and complete tricks with little apparent effort at all.  The two-time Olympic medalist is fearless and is always a crowd favorite, with his suspension on high bar and immense power on floor and vault.  With the exception of pommel horse, Horton has the ability to compete on every event in team finals, making him a near lock for the World team.  Horton’s contributions to the team are so great that he is perhaps the only athlete competing in Hartford who can still be named the team even if he is not 100% healthy and performing well.  Horton’s experience is vast, with four years of NCAA, three World Championships, two Olympic Trials, and an Olympic Games all behind him.

Cons:  Horton, who has been doing gymnastics for 20 years now, surely has realized that his pommel set is simply never going to be strong, or even adequate.  Horton’s stocky frame may prevent him from doing difficult skills on pommel, but it has other disadvantages as well.  Horton is far from the most flexible gymnast out there, and certain skills that he performs are not great aesthetically.  The reigning U.S. Champion is someone who can lose his rhythm just as easily as he gains it.  If a competition begins poorly for Horton, it is doubtful to ever end well.  At last year’s Worlds, a relatively weak prelim session escalated into one of the worst competitions Horton has had in memory, and a potential opportunity for redemption in event finals was more than wasted.  Horton, being the defending champion, has much more pressure at this competition than younger athletes who are all hungry for their first U.S. all-around titles.

Outlook:  Despite his performances at Worlds, Horton’s showings at American Cup and French International would have made him the certain favorite for gold in Hartford.  However, injuries put his abilities at these Championships into question.  Despite this, the committee has every reason to name Horton to the World team even if he is not in top form at these Championships because of his potential contributions.  Injuries could be a blessing in disguise for Horton, as he will be forced to not repeat last year’s pattern of getting into shape quickly before Nationals and burning out before Worlds.  While the team needs Horton more than anything for a medal in Rotterdam, he needs his team more than anything also.  Team competitions motivate Horton unlike any other, and that motivation is actually what gives him individual success as well.  It is no coincidence that the only time (being the 2008 Olympics) Horton has won a major individual medal was preceded by winning his only major team medal as well.  Horton may not end something well that doesn’t start well, but the competitions where he has his mojo from the beginning are the competitions where he is likely to keep it to the end.  A team atmosphere, something Horton hasn’t experienced on a world stage since the Olympics, could be what gets that mojo back.

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