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]
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]
No gymnastics fan needs to be reminded of all the angst and uncertainty the Cal Men's Gymnastics program was about to go through less than two years ago. As we all know, things ended on a happy note; the program was cut, and later reinstated, thanks to the efforts of many enthusiastic donors. The aftermath, however, left the program in a relative state of flux. No scholarship money and all the uncertainty left the Bears with an empty recruiting pipeline. Except for freshman walk-on [...more]
Now that all the great collegiate competition is over, it’s time focus our attention on the upcoming JO Nationals. This season’s meet will be taking place May 10-13 in beautiful downtown Cincinnati. As we mentioned in a previous post, this year’s Level 10 (16-18) competition is going to be especially fierce. More than a half dozen gymnasts have a [...more]
The 2011 season was a coming out party for Chandler Eggleston. After placing 12th All Around at JO Nationals in Long Beach, Eggleston added a 4th place finish on vault and won his first national title on floor. Qualifying for his first VISA U.S. Championships, Eggleston placed 3rd on floor. In perhaps the most impressive performance by a junior this season, Eggleston turned in the [...more]
Streaking Penn State did it again Saturday night. The Nittany Lions (360.60), led by Coach of the Year candidate Randy Jepson, set a school record and a new NCAA season high in their convincing win over Temple (342.20). They also tore the leather off the pommel horse in setting yet another school record (60.30). Freshman Craig Hernandez, a pre-season [...more]
As expected, Team USA dominated the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships, by running away with the team title by 7.35 points over runner-up Japan. It came down to the final event, floor, to decide the all-around champion. Barring a disaster, it was going to be either [...more]
The 2009 season was a turning point for Jake Martin. After topping out in the top 36 as a Level 9 at the 2008 JO Nationals, the next season became Martin's breakout year. A 7th place AA finish (Level 10/14-15) at the '09 JO Nationals in Cincinnati led to a 3rd place AA that summer at the U.S. Championships, where he also had top 5 placements on four events (FX, PH, VT, HB). Many club gymnastics fans were wondering where this kid came from. Well, after the '09 season, [...more]
