Flipping With Success

SAINT PAUL, Minn., Aug. 20, 2011 – Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA, won the U.S. senior women’s title at the 2011 Visa Championships at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. McKayla Maroney of Laguna Nigel, Calif./AOGC, and Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, finished second and third, respectively.

Wieber, the leader after the first night of competition, sealed the victory in the final rotation when she nailed a jam-packed balance beam routine that included a standing back full twist. Her score, a 15.300, was the highest on the event of the evening. She posted a two-day all-around score of 121.300.

“I just wanted to come out here and have fun, that’s the most important thing,” the newly crowned national champion said. “I tried to be really aggressive and confident.”

Earlier in the night, Wieber began on the floor exercise, wasting no time, mounting with a nearly stuck double twisting double backflip for a 15.000 score. In rotation two, Wieber soared through the air on a Yurchenko two-and-a-half twisting vault, needing only a small step to control the landing, and scored a 15.950. On the uneven bars, Wieber earned a 15.200, dismounting with a double twisting double flyaway.

In addition to the all-around crown, Wieber claimed the top spot on the uneven bars (29.750) and floor exercise (29.900).

All-around silver-medalist Maroney claimed the gold medal on the vault with a combined two-day average of 30.700. Maroney launched her first vault, a Yurchenko two-and-a-half, high in the air to earn a 16.000 score, the highest on any apparatus in tonight’s competition. Maroney’s all-around score was 115.150.

“I’m so happy to do my best and to improve my performance from day one,” Maroney said.

On the uneven bars, Maroney recorded a 14.100, while she earned a 14.250 on the balance beam. In the last rotation, floor exercise, Maroney competed an impressive three-and-a-half twisting back layout for a 14.500.

Raisman began her night on the vault, where her double twisting Yurchenko earned a 15.100.

“I’m really happy that I did well,” Raisman said. “I’m especially happy that I was able to hit my uneven bars routine two days in a row.”

The all-around bronze medalist recorded scores of 13.950 and 13.200 on the uneven bars and balance beam, respectively. Raisman closed out her Visa Championships with an energetic floor routine, which got the crowd clapping along, and received a 14.350 score. Her all-around score was 114.600.

Mackenzie Caquatto of Naperville, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics, finished fourth in the all-around with a score of 112.500 and took second on bars with a 29.700, while teammate Anna Li of Aurora, Ill., was third on bars with a 29.450.

2010 World Championships vault gold medalist Alicia Sacramone of Winchester, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, won the balance beam national title, showing an impressive repertoire of skills including a piked front flip mount and double pike dismount. Sacramone’s two-day total on the event was 30.100 with her 14.900 score in tonight’s competition. The nine-time U.S. national championships participant also placed second on the vault, showing her trademark front handspring Rudi vault and double twisting Yurchenko for a 30.600.

2008 Olympic team silver medalist Chellsie Memmel of West Allis, Wis./M and M Gymnastics, who was unable to finish her uneven bars routine, finished eighth in the all-around competition. She was second on balance beam, scoring a 30.000 for her routine, which included a barani to back handspring. Shawn Johnson of West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics, recorded scores of 14.550 (vault), 14.250 (bars) and 14.700 (balance beam). Johnson, the 2008 Olympic balance beam champion, finished fourth on the event.

Defending champion Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas/WOGA, was unable to finish the competition due to injury. Bross finished second on floor with a 29.500 and eighth on the balance beam with a 27.600.

Tonight’s competition marked the end of the four days of competition in the 2011 Visa Championships.

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SAINT PAUL, Minn., Aug. 20, 2011 – Katelyn Ohashi of Plano, Texas/WOGA, led the junior women’s all-around rankings for all eight rotations of the two-day competition, winning her first U.S. all-around title at the 2011 Visa Championships at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. Her all-around total of 120.950 put her ahead of Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics, the defending champion, and Sarah Finnegan of St. Louis, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Academy in third.

Ohashi also won three of the individual event titles: uneven bars, 30.150; balance beam, 31.050; and floor exercise, 30.050.

Ohashi began the second day of competition on the vault, posting a 14.800 score for her Yurchenko double twist. On the uneven bars, Ohashi worked with precision, showing a unique el-grip endo to straddled Jaeger to earn a 15.100 on the event. In the third rotation, Ohashi moved to her specialty, the balance beam, flawlessly executing a layout back flip with a full twist. Despite a fall on her sheep jump, she posted a 14.950, the second highest score on the event for the day. In the final rotation, Ohashi displayed grace and beauty combined with power as she tumbled a nearly perfect full-twisting double pike. Her score, a 15.150, secured the all-around gold medal.

Ross, who began the final day of competition in third position, started with a huge Yurchenko two-and-a-half twist and a 15.650 score, to move into second position overall, where she would stay for the remainder of the competition. She posted a total score of 117.650 for the all-around.

“My goal was to get top three, so I was pretty happy that I accomplished that,” Ross said. “I was happy that I hit all my routines today and that I went out there and did what I know I can do.”

On the uneven bars, Ross stuck her double layout dismount for a 14.850. Moving to the balance beam, Ross barely wavered, posting the day’s highest score on the event, a 15.150. On the floor exercise, the all-around silver-medalist performed an Arabian double to stag jump and a stuck full-in for a 14.500.

Third place in the all-around, Finnegan began her day on the uneven bars with a 13.500. On the beam, her difficult routine, which included a standing Arabian, earned a 14.700. In the third rotation, Finnegan moved to the floor, performing a stylish, upbeat routine for a 14.400. Then, the St. Louis native earned her highest score of the day in the final rotation on the vault, where her double-twisting Yurchenko earned her a 14.800.

Lexie Priessman of Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy, who finished fourth in the all-around, won the gold medal on the vault. Priessman performed a Yurchenko two-and-a-half twist, earning a two-day total of 31.550 on the event.

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SAINT PAUL, Minn., Aug. 18, 2011 – Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich/Geddarts’ Twistars, claimed the top spot in the senior women’s all-around competition after the first night of competition with a score of 59.850 at the 2011 Visa Championships at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. The women’s competition concludes on Saturday, Aug. 20, with live television coverage on NBC Sports beginning at 7 p.m. Central time. Tomorrow, Aug. 19, marks the conclusion of the men’s gymnastics competition, while rhythmic gymnastics starts it two days of competition.

“The competition went really well,” Wieber said. “I had a lot of fun. The main goal was to come out and be confident, hitting four-for-four and I did that.”

Wieber started the competition on the balance beam with a 14.600, performing a standing backflip with a full twist and stuck two-and-a-half twisting dismount. In rotation two, the Michigan native moved to the floor exercise, mounting with a tuck double twisting double backflip for the highest score of the night on the event, a 14.900. With a nearly stuck two-and-a-half twisting Yurchenko vault and a 15.800 score in the third rotation, Wieber took the lead for the remainder of the competition. On the uneven bars, Wieber closed out her first night of competition at the Visa Championships with a 14.550.

Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, the 2011 CoverGirl Classic all-around champion, finished second in the all-around with a 58.000 due to solid efforts on the floor exercise (14.800), vault (15.050) and balance beam (14.700). Raisman’s floor routine was highlighted by a spectacular one-and-a-half twist through to an Arabian double front to punch front, the only gymnast in the world to compete the tumbling pass.

2008 Olympic silver-medalist and 2005 World all-around champion Chellsie Memmel of West Allis, Wis./M and M Gymnastics, rounded out the top three, totaling a 57.350 in the all-around. Memmel earned her highest score, a 15.250, on the balance beam where she moved flawlessly through a barani to back handspring and standing Arabian.

Defending champion, Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas/WOGA, started slowly on the uneven bars and balance beam but found her stride in the third rotation on the floor exercise. Performing a new routine, Bross mounted with a front layout to double front and earned a 14.850 – the second highest score on the event. Bross’ all-around total, a 56.900, was good for fourth place after night one.

2008 Olympic silver-medalist Alicia Sacramone showed the form that won her the gold medal on vault at last year’s World Championships, performing a front handspring one-and-a-half twisting vault with ease. Her two-vault average, a 15.500, was the highest on the event. Sacramone also finished second on the balance beam with a 15.200.

Shawn Johnson, 2008 Olympic balance beam champion, competing in her second competition since Beijing, started strong on the vault with a double twisting Yurchenko (14.650). Johnson went on to record a 14.350 on the uneven bars and a 14.700 on the balance beam.

In the individual event competition, Sacramone posted the highest score on the vault, while Anna Li of Naperville, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics, topped the bars standings, soaring through the air on a toe-on Khorkina II transition and nearly sticking her double layout dismount for a 15.050. Memmel posted the highest score on the beam, and Wieber leads on the floor exercise.

The combined scores from tonight’s competition and the final day of competition on Saturday will determine the U.S. senior women’s champion.

The 2011 Visa Championships, USA Gymnastics’ national championships, features the country’s best gymnasts vying for national titles and spots on the U.S. National Team in men’s, women’s and rhythmic gymnastics. Men’s and women’s gymnastics will be held at Xcel Energy Center, Aug. 17-20, and rhythmic gymnastics will be at Roy Wilkins Auditorium Aug. 19-20. Tickets for the four-day event are on sale now, with individual session tickets, as well as multi- and all-session ticket packages. Tickets may be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by phone at 800-745-3000, and online at www.ticketmaster.com. In recognition of Visa’s sponsorship, USA Gymnastics is proud to accept only Visa at the 2011 Visa Championships, along with cash. For ticket and event information, go to www.usagym.org/visa.

Television and webcast coverage

Universal Sports. Universal Sports television will broadcast the men’s and women’s senior competitions live on Aug. 18 and 19 beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Competition in the first day of the senior women’s competition will be simultaneously webcast on UniversalSports.com, while the final day of both the men’s and women’s championship will be available for on-demand streaming following the television broadcast. To find a Universal Sports channel in a specific area, click here.
NBC Sports. Live, prime-time coverage of the final day of the senior women’s competition on NBC Sports begins at 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 20. Action from the men’s competition will air on NBC Sports beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 21.
“Around the Gym.” “Around the Gym,” which provides commentary, recaps and interviews, will air on Universal Sports half an hour before and immediately following the Universal Sports telecasts on Aug. 18 and 19, as well as after the conclusion of the NBC Sports broadcast on Aug. 20. 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin and three-time Olympic team member John Roethlisberger serve as hosts for the show.

Ways to follow

Online. The 2011 Visa Championships and its ancillary activities are easier than ever to follow online. Schedules and general information for both fan activities and the competition, including the official event program, start lists, live scoring and more are available at www.usagym.org/visa, which is easily viewable on smart phones and other digital devices. The increased information online is just part of the overall effort to make the 2011 Visa Championships the “greenest” to date.
Social Media. USA Gymnastics are connecting with fans on Facebook (facebook.com/USAGymnastics) and Twitter (@USAGym), providing live updates and exclusive content including videos and photos from the Visa Championships. Gymnastics fans can follow the action easily on Twitter by using the official hashtag of the 2011 Visa Championships, #visachamps.
Fan Activities. USA Gymnastics will be hosting a wide-range of fan activities at Saint Paul’s Rice Park, adjacent to the Xcel Energy Center and Roy Wilkins Auditorium including 6:30 a.m. morning fitness, lunchtime gymnastics demonstrations and Painting in the Park presented by Art of the Olympians. Fans can also gather for fun between the women’s gymnastics sessions on Aug. 20 and post-competition Aug. 19-20 in Rice Park for the Visa Fan Fest to enjoy interviews, food, music and celebrate the Visa Championships.

Background information

USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show. The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show is held in conjunction with the Visa Championships and will be conducted next door at Saint Paul RiverCentre. The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show is the annual gathering of professional members that offers educational and business sessions, a large exhibitor’s hall and other business and educational opportunities.
Xcel Energy Center. Regarded as one of the finest arenas in the world, Xcel Energy Center is home to the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, the NLL’s Minnesota Swarm and a multitude of premier sports and entertainment events annually. The one-of-a-kind, multi-purpose facility is located in the heart of downtown Saint Paul, owned by the City of Saint Paul and managed by Saint Paul Arena Company, an affiliate of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment.
Saint Paul RiverCentre. Saint Paul RiverCentre is the city’s premier convention center that overlooks the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Featuring more than 250,000 square feet of versatile event space and flexible room configurations that include the Grand Ballroom and The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Saint Paul RiverCentre is the preferred choice for hundreds of events each year including star-studded galas, trade shows and conventions.
Visit Saint Paul. The mission of Visit Saint Paul is to generate economic growth for Saint Paul by effectively marketing the RiverCentre campus, Saint Paul and the region as a preferred convention and tourism destination.

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