No list of Junior qualifiers to the VISA U.S. Men's Gymnastics Championships has been posted thus far, so I thought I'd compile a list of gymnasts whom I believe will be competing next week in St. Louis. I'm leaving out [...more]
It's an Olympic year and new changes to the men's JO program are about to be implemented across the country. Changes include the usual routine tweaks to the compulsory levels (4-7), but the major ones are being unveiled for the optional levels. The key phrases being bandied about are "we're going to slow things down," and "we're going to clean things up." The long-term thinking is not necessarily concern about the American men's program not having [...more]
Here are some videos from JO Nationals that have so far been posted on YouTube. We will continue to add more [...more]
The 2012 men's JO Nationals concluded with Sunday's event finals. This year's meet, although I did not attend, was truly quite a spectacle, and offered a huge glimpse of the future of our sport. The senior 10s put on quite a show, demonstrating a very high level of skills and execution. This year's field was arguably one of the deepest, if not the deepest, in many years. The junior 10s were very impressive, with many of the top finishers scoring right up there with [...more]
In a much anticipated contest among a deep field of talent, Donnell Whittenburg put together two spectacularly consistent displays of gymnastics over two days to win the 2012 JO Nationals Level 10 (16-18) all-around title. His two-day tally said it all -- 88.80 & 88.75. It had to be that way to overtake first-day leader Trevor Howard by a slim .35 margin. Howard also had a remarkable two-day performance -- 88.90 & 88.30, but [...more]
With the Level 9 prelims now complete, the stage is now set for Saturday's all-around finals at the 2012 JO Nationals. SCATS' Cameron Bock (83.15) is sitting comfortably on top of the leader board by 1.3 points, which is exactly the point spread between 2nd and 10th place. Bock had his best meet of the season, hitting all six events and earning the day's top scores on [...more]
Day 1 of the 2012 Men's JO Nationals is in the books. The day's action featured the Level 10s. There weren't too many surprises, although many of the all-around favorites in the 16-18 division didn't even crack the top 10. As expected, Swiss Turners won the Level 10 team title, while Regions 3 and 7 won the regional team competition for the 14-15 and 16-18 age divisions, [...more]
Hawaii's most decorated gymnast, Josh Yee, is putting the finishing touches on his last season as a club gymnast at Hawaiian Island Twisters (HIT). Yee is coached by his brother, Michael, and receives much guidance, coaching advice and support from his mother, Lori, who happens to be the head girls' compulsory team coach at HIT. It's one big family effort, and quite a support group for Yee. Being so isolated from the mainland, maintaining his competitiveness is a big challenge. Trips to large meets are relatively few and far between, compared to the mainland gymnasts. Yee has met all his [...more]
The Senior field for the 2012 VISA U.S. Men's Gymnastics Championships is nearly set. Fourteen gymnasts punched their tickets at the final Qualifier held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Three current Juniors, Jake Martin, Jesse Glenn and Trevor Howard, were among the fourteen. Glenn is among the favorites to win the all-around at next week's JO Nationals, and will begin his collegiate career in the fall at West Point. Ohio State-bound Martin would also have been one of the favorites, [...more]
