Lightbulb Hands

2009 American Classic/Challenge participants
By state, information shows name, hometown/club (event, level)

California
Kaitlyn Clark, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Precision Gymnastics (Classic, senior)
Sophina DeJesus, Temecula, Calif./Southern California Elite Gymnastics Academy (Classic, junior)
Carinne Gale, Simi Valley, Calif./Monarch's National Gymnastics Training Center LLC (Classic, junior)
McKayla Maroney, Laguna Niguel, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Danielle McNair, Dove Canyon, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics (Challenge, junior)
Nicolette McNair, Dove Canyon, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Kristen Nogaki, Orange, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics (Challenge, junior)
Danielle Ramirez, Corona, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics (Challenge, junior)
Chanen Raygoza, Upland, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Kyla Ross, Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Ashley Stott, Temecula, Calif./Precision Gymnastics (Classic, senior)

Georgia
Makenzie Kitchens, Powder Springs, Ga./Gymnastics Academy of Atlanta (Challenge, junior)
Eryn Underwood, Kennesaw, Ga./Gymnastics Academy of Atlanta (Challenge, Hopes)

Florida
Morgan Smith, Clermont, Fla./Brandy Johnson's Global Gymnastics (Classic, junior)

Hawaii
Randi Lau, Honolulu, Hawaii/What's Up Gymnastics (Classic, junior)

Iowa
Kara Lovan, Des Moines, Iowa/Triad Gymnastics (Classic, junior)

Massachusetts
Alexandra Raisman, Needham, Mass./Brestyan's American Gymnastics (Classic, junior)

North Carolina
Kimberly Jacob, Raleigh, N.C./Superior Gymnastics (Classic, senior)
Sarah Persinger, Mt. Holly, N.C./Southeastern Gymnastics Center (Classic, senior)

New York
Sabrina Vega, Carmel, N.Y./Dynamic Gymnastics (Classic, junior)

Oklahoma
Alexandra Marks, Cushing, Okla./Dynamo Gymnastics (Challenge, Hopes)
Dare Maxwell, Edmond, Okla./Dynamo Gymnastics (Classic, junior)

Pennsylvania
Lauren Beers, Warren Center, Pa./Southern Tier Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Jazmyn Estrella, Allentown, Pa./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center (Challenge, Hopes)
Madeline Hanley, Danielsville, Pa./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center (Classic, junior)
Elizabeth Price, Coopersburg, Pa./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center (Classic, junior)

Texas
Caitlin Atkinson, Houston, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Mackenzie Brannan, Austin, Texas/Capital Gymnastics Super Center (Classic, junior)
Briley Casanova, Dallas, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Ericha Fassbender, Katy, Texas/Stars Gymnastics Training Center-Houston (Classic, junior)
Lillian Hardin, Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Raven Helland, Oak Point, Texas/Denton Gymnastics Academy (Classic, junior)
Kristen Heuston, Corpus Christi, Texas/Northwest Kids Sports Complex (Challenge, Hopes)
Sophia Lee, Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Grace McLaughlin, Allen, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Abigail Milliet, Denton, Texas/Denton Gymnastics Academy (Classic, junior)
Braie Speed, Schertz, Texas/Olympic Hills Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Christa Tanella, Lucas, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (Classic, senior)
McKenzie Wofford, Spring, Texas/Stars Gymnastics Training Center-Houston (Classic, junior)

Virginia
Gabrielle Douglas, Virginia Beach, Va./Excalibur Gymnastics (Classic, junior)
Kaitlynn Hedelund, Chesapeake, Va./Excalibur Gymnastics (Challenge, junior)
Krystine Jacobsen, Norfolk, Va./Excalibur Gymnastics (Classic, junior)

Washington
Destinee Davis, Woodland, Wash./Naydenov Gymnastics Inc. (Challenge, Hopes)

This looks more like the WOGA and Gym-Max show. I'm curious to see how Chanen Raygoza does. Like previous Gym-Max gymnasts Shantessa Pama and Ivana Hong, Chanen also does a German giant in her UB routine, however instead of doing a reverse hecht out of it, she does a HB-LB transitional skill:

Everybody knows that Shawn Johnson is on Dancing with the Stars, right? So no other exposition is needed? Okay.

This is really rather creepy. It's fortunate that something was done before this guy could really do anything. Glad Hollywood learned something from Rebecca Schaeffer.

West Des Moines gymnast and television star Shawn Johnson remains shaken by the arrest of a deranged fan who came to the set of “Dancing With the Stars” with loaded weapons in an attempt to find the Olympic gold medalist.

Details of a restraining order granted today in California outlined the arrest of Robert O’Ryan.

Documents allege O’Ryan, 34, jumped a fence Monday in an attempt to locate Johnson. A search of O’Ryan’s car revealed two loaded guns, duct tape, zip ties and the 17-year-old Johnson is “in fear of her life,” according to court records.

Johnson’s father, Doug, said his daughter was understandably disturbed by the incident.

“Well, yeah,” Doug Johnson told The Des Moines Register. “It would rattle anybody.”

Shawn Johnson spoke with WHO (TV-13) late tonight.

“We’re doing good. It’s been a little crazy,” said Shawn Johnson, who won Olympic gold in the balance beam at Beijing, China. “I’m so glad my parents are with me.”

Ryan was arrested Tuesday by Los Angeles police.

Court records indicated both guns in O’Ryan’s car were loaded. Duct tape and love letters also were in the car and Johnson’s mother, Teri, said police told her O’Ryan believed he was meant to have a child with her daughter.

Documents also alleged O’Ryan “believes that she speaks to him personally through the television set and through ESP."

Doug Johnson said there have been concerns with fans before, “but not to that extent.”

He indicated that the family could not comment on the situation, because they’ve been advised it involves an ongoing investigation. He said the family feels more comfortable, though, since the restraining order was granted.

“She’s doing fine — and everything seems to be under control right now,” Doug Johnson said.

In the brief interview with WHO, Shawn Johnson search for a bit of humor in the fact that she now employs a bodyguard.

“I have a new big brother who goes everywhere with me,” Johnson joked. “He weighs about 400 pounds.”

According to court documents, O’Ryan was stopped by security at CBS Studios, where “Dancing With the Stars” is produced, after he jumped on a fence.

A hearing on whether to grant a lengthy restraining order will be held on April 14. O’Ryan is in jail on $35,000 bail on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm in public.

Records allege that O’Ryan told security guards and police that he packed up all his belongings and traveled to California from Florida in the hopes of being with Johnson.

A report by security guards at CBS Studios states that O’Ryan was carrying an expired concealed weapons permit.

Source

Sanne Weavers withdrew; Yang Yilin withdrew due to a back injury. She's had that injury for a while, I think. Too bad Weavers withdrew from the BB finals. NastiaFan101 mentioned her excellent turn (I completely forgot about that) and she could have gotten it named after her (completely forgot that you could have skills named after you at WCFs).

 BB:

1. Lauren Mitchell (!) 15.250
2. Yulia Lozhechko 15.200
3. Li Shanshan 15.150

Very close final! Cheng Fei had a very wobbly set, ultimately falling on her sheep jump (it took me awhile to find out what she fell on; the feed I was watching kept screwing up). Izbasa was very close to bronze, but knocked out by Lozhechko and Li. Dariya Zgoba had a decent set, but dismounted with a RO-LO. Must be that injured foot, but still, it's kind of odd to do a level 7 dismount at a World Cup Final.

The feed I'm watching is a Brazilian one and a Portuguese gym fan said that the commentator was rather biased in the fact that throughout the rotation, he was saying, "Next up is Hypolito, just wait to watch her fight for gold and don't forget that Diego won!" (Diego won FX, IIRC). Of course, Daniele fell on her mount, effectively removing her chances for gold...

And then the feed cuts out right to a lottery right after Daniele finishes her routine...

FX:

1. Cheng 15.375
2. Jiang 15.225
3. Izbasa 15.000

Suzanne Harmes, what horrible luck. She hurt her ankle on her FHS and on the video, you see her ankle snap. Ugh. Koko Tsurumi was doing so well right up to her dismount, where she fell on her double pike. I really think Zamo has given everything that was left in her to this sport. She seems so empty now.

Izbasa fell short on her triple and that really cost her. Cheng rocked her set. I think she has atoned for Beijing now. I think the biggest surprise of the rotation was Jiang's Gomez. When was the last time we saw that skill, aside from Gomez herself? I dunno if she was actually credited for that, though.

All in all, a very satisfying final World Cup final for the women. I would have liked to have seen Yang Yilin, since she's my favorite of the Chinese, underage or no. Can't have it all.

A couple of surprises:

VT:

1. Cheng Fei (not a surprise) 15.050
2. Ariella Käeslin 14.912
3. Aagje Vanwalleghem 14.425

Zamo splatted her vaults, unfortunately. Elsa Garcia was so close to bronze, but knocked out by Aagje.

Uneven Bars had an East Asian sweep:

1. He Kexin 16.250
2. Jiang Yuyuan 15.7
3. Tsurumi Koko (yush!) 15.250

Interestingly, He nearly peeled off the low bar like she did in Beijing. She saved it, but her B scores were rather funny. The Australian judge gave her a 7.5 while the Chilean judge gave her a 9.0.

Yang Yilin scratched. No reason has been given yet. Likely injury.

Recently announced:

Pan American Gymnastics Union Individual Event Championships, Rosario, Argentina, Nov. 19-23

Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas/WOGA
Olivia Courtney of Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro
Corrie Lothrop of Danvers, Mass./Hill’s Gymnastics
Samantha Shapiro of Los Angles,CA/All Olympia

I'm loving that team right there, especially Lothrop and Shapiro. Likely Bross will be competing all but vault, Lothrop bars and FX (and I'm hoping she's developing a second vault because she could be the vault specialist of the next quad), and Shapiro bars and beam. I'm not too familiar with Courtney's gymnastics to make any guesstimations on what she'll be competing.

International Artistic Gymnastics Challenge, Woluwe Saint-Lambert, Belgium, Dec. 13

Amanda Jetter of Milford, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy
Olivia Courtney of Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro
Corrie Lothrop of Danvers, Mass./Hill’s Gymnastics

Funny how that Lothrop gets Olympic alternate before we really see her get any other assignments. I don't recall seeing her elsewhere as junior. Good on her either way. Obviously she and Courtney are showing something that Marta is liking to get these two assignments.

Jetter is a junior that will be going senior next year, so this may be good preparation for her. Her gym-mate Cassie Whitcomb was originally slated to go, but isn't now for reasons unknown to me.

Also Notable:

Ivana Hong (who has gone to the media about her complaints with her coach) was off the National Team roster for a short while, but is now back on there under "Independent." Still no definite word as to where she will end up for her 2012 bid. Chow's and WOGA are the loudest rumors, though. I still say AOGC is the best choice.

How many gymnasts (past and present) can you fathom doing this, so many years after an injury-forced retirement? With such a look on their face throughout?

Or participate in a rather original dance routine to music from the best movie EVER Amelie?

According to Dutchfan on The All-Around Forum, the Dutch federation is forcing the closure of all but two gyms in the Netherlands, and these two particular gyms are known for having weaker gymnasts. This forces gymnasts two choices, go to these substandard gyms or retire. If I read things correctly, the members of the 2008 European Junior bronze-winning team will likely retire. Sanne Weavers is coached by her parents and will no longer be allowed to do so (gymnasts can't bring their personal coaches). Yuri van Gelder, known for his brilliant rings work, is no longer being allowed to concentrate mostly on rings.

The main reason behind this seems to be that the Dutch Olympic Committee has decided, for some reason, to stop funding and that's where the gyms get their money from. Athletes and coaches are searching for new sponsors to keep the gyms open.

What I don't understand is why the two weaker gyms are being allowed to stay open and everybody else is being shut down? A little counter-productive, if you ask me.

Nastia did a phone interview with local DJ Eliot Segal for the show Eliot in the Morning. Hah, I love that show, but I'm never awake when it's on (it's at an unholy hour that I refuse to be up for if I don't need to be).

It's a pretty standard interview: he asks about how it's like being an Olympic champion, her upcoming Gossip Girl guest appearance, the infamous Alicia Sacramone punching a dude video, being in China and the ages of the Chinese girls, etc. Nastia also sounds like she still has some after-effects of that cold or flu she had previously.

Despite committing an error almost DPRK-esque in magnitude, China will get to keep their team gold. What does this mean for Chinese gymnastics and gymnastics in general?

1.) China will continue falsifying ages. It's naive to think otherwise. They're just going to be much more careful about it. Are they going to risk another He Kexin and fake the documents of another little prodigy and attempt to erase all articles referring to her as being age-ineligible for the Games mere months before the Olympics? Well, I don't know. That was a huge risk to take. Not only did it pay off for them, but they got away with it. If nothing else, they're no longer going to put important documents on the Internet anymore.

2.) China will now be put under a microscope. While I'm going to say that any articles about rising stars that end up on the Internet will not have any references to age, people will be keeping caches of any and all articles. Speculation will continually follow them.

3.) The FIG and IOC, long regarded as incompetent, have lost pretty much all credibility. This whole "investigation" was just a dog-and-pony show to put up the pretense that they're doing something and that they do not condone the cheating. They had the same evidence before the Olympics as they did when they started this whole thing. They just hoped that, like all news stories, it would soon fade away for the next big thing. Unfortunately for them, the only way that would have happened is if any team, not necessarily the USA, but any team had won over China. But China won and when a team that most people believe is cheating wins, those people want something done about it. What I wonder is what this will do to Grandi's bid to raise the age limit. When they refuse to enforce the age limit in place now, it's stupid and unfair to impose a higher limit.
 

Knowing that this decision will be unpopular, the FIG and IOC brought in Yang Yun and Dong Fangxiao from the 2000 Sydney Games. Yang famously said she was just 14 in a documentary aired on state-run television and Dong showed up as a worker at the 2008 Games with papers that suggested she would have been ineligible for Sydney, not to mention that her own blog also supported that. I highly doubt it's still up on her blog, though.

However, the statute of limitations for medal revocation is almost up. And what would be the point now? Some have suggested that China is barred from the 2010 Worlds (being barred from London 2009 isn't much of a punishment because the National Games are also around that time and China never sends their A-listers to the Worlds vs. the National Games). Given the rules in gymnastics, not only would China miss a major competition, but they wouldn't get to qualify for the Olympics. Since the top 24 teams in 2010 get to go onto 2011 and those 12 teams qualify a full team to the Olympics (that is, if I have that right).

But you want my prediction on the absolute outcome of everything? Nothing. Absolutely nothing will happen.