Region 5 is making their move into 2019. Check out some of the new skills being done from our gymnasts around the Region. If you want your upgrades to be included in future Making Your Move posts upload your video to your Instagram page (must be public or put up on gym IG) and tag us @region5gyminsider. #R5MakingMovesMonday
JerQuavia Henderson “Q” (GymCorner) Maloney on bars
Our next 20 Questions athlete is a 3x JO National Qualifier who hails from BIG in Illinois. Kaitlyn, who is a 3rd year Level 10, has definitely been one of my favorites to watch for some time now. I first noticed Kaitlyn at the Hunt’s Born to Fly Meet a couple years ago and she simply captivated my attention, there was just something special about this young talent that I knew she would be one to watch for a the next fews years. She certainly did not disappoint having qualified to 3 JO National Championships. Kaitlyn, who suffered a pretty serious elbow injury last year, was on fire this year! It was definitely good to have her back to full strength on the competition floor. Kaitlyn, who was part of the Junior E Team that took the National Team Title in 2018, really does not have a weak event. Kaitlyn is an all around gymnast and shows great difficulty all over the gym, she also has fantastic floor music, so with that being said lets get to know this talented athlete as she finishes up her summer training and looks forward to her 4th year of level 10 and her 4th chance at another JO Nationals Team.
How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you? I started gymnastics when I was 2 years old in mom and tot classes. Growing up I tried every sport you could think of like dance, soccer, softball, volleyball, but I couldn’t stick with just one. Gymnastics was my favorite.
What is your favorite event? My favorite event is bars especially the feeling when you learn a new skill.
What is your favorite skill to train/compete? My favorite skill to train is a full in because it takes a lot of determination and work to learn it and do it well. My favorite skill to compete is a tkatchev because I love the feeling of flying in the air.
What is your dream skill? My dream skill is a yurchenko double on vault.
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is meeting friends from all over the region at meets, camps, and Nationals.
How you decided what college you would like to attend?I have not decided on which college I want to attend yet.
What is your favorite meet to compete at? My favorite meet to compete at is either my home meet, The BIG Classic or Nationals. At BIG because everyone in the crowd and on the floor is cheering for you on every event. I also love going to Nationals because the experience is always unforgettable with the new people you are with.
What is your biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? Biggest accomplishment is making J.O. Nationals 3 years in a row (1 year as an alternate)
Who do you admire the most in the sport of gymnastics? The people I admire the most in gymnastics are past teammates who have gone onto college and competed. They work so hard and have done so well which makes me want to do the exact same.
What is your favorite Region 5 Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Insider feature is the Eye on 5’s
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What is your go to song or playlist before meets? My go to songs beforemeets are motivational and upbeat songs to get me pumped for competition.
What are 3 things you could not live without? 3 Things that I could not live without include my family, friends, and my dog.
If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? If I could be an animal I would choose to be a koala because they swing through trees and sleep almost the entire day.
What are the 5 most important things you must have in your gym bag? 5 most important things I have to have in my meet bag include my grips, tiger paws, headphones, tape, and lucky toy from level 4.
Do you have any superstitions or rituals that you do prior to competition? I don’t have any superstitions but I wear my hair the same way for every competition.
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? Outside of gymnastics I like to hang out with friends and family, go water skiing, and binge watch Grey’s Anatomy haha.
What is your most embarrassing gymnastics or meet moment? Most embarrassing gymnastics moment is when my tattoo for High Tech camp was upside-down.
If you weren’t a Gymnast, what sport would you do or try? If I weren’t a gymnast I would probably do diving.
What athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? The athlete I respect the most would be Aly Raisman because of how hard she’s worked in and out of the gym and always uses her voice to help others.
What is the most valuable piece of advise or wisdom your coach has given you? The most valuable piece of advice my coach has given me is “To be a role model not only in the gym but in life, whether you win or lose.”
Bonus Question……Tell me something interesting about yourself……I have been at BIG my entire gymnastics career.
Region 5 is making their move into 2019. Check out some of the new skills being done from our gymnasts around the Region. If you want your upgrades to be included in future Making Your Move posts upload your video to your Instagram page (must be public or put up on gym IG) and tag us @region5gyminsider. #R5MakingMovesMonday
This weekend the die hard gymnastics fans were able to witness the American Classic and Hopes Classic via live stream for the first time. This was also the first time this classic meet was held somewhere other then the former National Training Center. This years event took place in the well known Huntsman Center on the campus of the University of Utah, home of the Utah Utes gymnastics program. Though there have been elite qualifiers throughout the JO session, this competition was the official start to the elite season with Hopes Championships and USA Championships qualification on the line.
Region 5 had seven athletes competing during the two day competition. In the final session of the weekend, Shilese Jones of Future Gymnastics, claimed the top spot in the all around with a 53.9 and qualified to the USA Championships in Boston. Despite a fall on beam in the first rotation, Shilese had the top scores on floor and vault in her second and third rotations to help propel her to the top spot on the podium. Shilese, known for her powerful gymnastics, basically walked into a huge double twisting double back on floor and soared on her double twisting Yurchenko for a 14.35.
Buckeyes’ Shania Adams claimed the silver medal in the all around with her consistent four event performance. She is not competing at full strength as she is still coming back from injury but looked solid throughout the entire competition. The wolf turn, though worth a lot of in terms of bonus, are considered by many to be an eye sore. Shania, however, not only does it very well but it looks artistic and could be considered one of the best in the business. She score over 13 on three events including a 13.45 on beam and 13.5 on floor (still watered down).
In the junior international session, JPAC’s Elizabeth Gantner was Region 5’s only competitor in the field as Cincinnati’s Lilly Lippeatt skipped this competition and is prepping for US Classic. Liz, who competed in her first elite classic meet, begin on beam and struggled on a jump and her dismount. She came back on floor with great landings on all her passes including a stuck 2 1/2 in her last pass. In her final event bars, Liz attempted her new combination of Toe Handstand Full pirouette to Pak but unfortunately fell back the wrong way and was unable to complete the connection. She finished up with a stuck landing on very nice double layout to wrap up her first experience on the elite stage. Liz will have another opportunity to qualify to championships at the US Classic coming up at the end of July.
In the HOPES Classic competition, Region 5 had four competitors with three competing in their first classic competition. In the 10-11 age group, Gabby Van Frayen from Gym Xtreme Gymnastics finished 20th in the all around and 9th on vault in her first go around at an elite classic. Gabby who finished 3rd at Level 9 Easterns this year in the all around, has been part of the elite development program for a couple years. She was able to crack the 12.0 mark on both vault and floor. Gabby is one of our up and coming athletes in our region and one to watch for years to come.
Another first time HOPES Classic competitor, Clancy Conley from GymNasti had a nice floor set but unfortunately struggled on beam and bars hindering her chance of qualifying to the Hopes Championships. Clancy competed level 8 in 2018 and has been part of the TOPS program for a few years. She is a talented kid who has lots of potential. Though it wasn’t Clancy best day, it was very impressive to see how she handled herself in her first big elite competition of her young career.
The 12-13 year old session featured a duo from Legacy Elite. 2016 Hopes Championships veteran Sydney Jelen competed in her first classic since 2016 and qualified to her second HOPES Championships by finishing 12th in the all around (top 18 with a 48+ all around qualify). Sydney has qualified for JO Nationals two times since her last classic experience and looks much more confident in her performance at this level. She began on beam and scored a 13.05 which would finish 3rd in the competition. Her only stumble came on her double layout bars dismount where she was a bit short and put her hands down. That mistake aside, Sydney looks to be ready to improve upon her 15th place finish at the 2016 Championships.
Sydney’s teammate at Legacy Elite Samantha Macasu was the third Region 5 gymnast competing in her first HOPES Classic meet. Sam, who recently finished 3rd in the all around at Level 9 Easterns, gained a lot of experience competing at this level. Despite a fall on her Jaeger on bars, Sam had a good competition overall including a hit beam routine in her first rotation. Her top score of the day was a 12.1 for her layout Yurchenko.
The focus will now move to preparing for the US Classic and Hopes Championships in Columbus Ohio, July 27-28th. This competition will be the final competition for the season for the HOPES competitors and the last opportunity for the junior and senior elites to qualify to USA Championships.
This weekend begins the first of two qualifying competitions for the USA Championships in Boston August 17th-19th. The Huntsman center on the campus of the University of Utah will not be filled with 15,o00 screaming Ute fans this weekend, however it will play host to some of our nationals best elites in the American Classic. These athletes have qualified to this competition either by achieving the classic qualifying score at a 2017 classic, 2o18 training camp verification or an 2018 elite qualifier along with members of our USA national team. This competition will also feature the HOPES Classic which is the qualifier for the HOPES Championships held in conjunction with upcoming US Classic in Columbus Ohio at the end of July.
The HOPES competition is broken down into two age groups: 10-11 year olds, and 12-13 year olds. If you are older then 13 you must compete as a junior international elite. The top 18 in each of these two age groups move onto the HOPES Championships.
USA Championships Junior qualifying score 51.00
USA Championships Senior qualifying score 52.00/ 3 score 39.75/ 2 score 27.00
Hopes Championships Top 18 in each age group with minimum score of 48.00
The competition is being streamed live by USA Gymnastics and will be posted on our site before each session here
July 6 | Hopes Classic
Hopes 10-11 3:00pm central time
Hopes 12-13 5:15pm central time
July 7 | American Classic
Juniors 10:00am central time
Seniors 3:00pm central time
Region 5 has four HOPES athletes, 1 Junior and 2 Senior athletes competing at the American Classic this weekend. Here is a little about each athlete.
HOPES 10-11
Gabriella Van Frayen (Gym X-Treme) is one of the athletes to watch especially for those in Region 5. In 2018, Gabby finished top 5 on three events and 3rd AA at Level 9 Easterns.
Clancy Conley (GymNasti) is another one of our region up and coming gymnasts. Clancy competed level 8 in 2018 and was the regional vault champion. Check out some of her training.
HOPES 12-13
Samantha Macasu (Legacy Elite Gymnastics) finished 3rd AA at the 2018 Level 9 Easterns and won the balance beam.
Sydney Jelen (Legacy Elite Gymnastics) competed in the HOPES Championships in 2016 and has qualified to Level 10 nationals the last two years. This year she won bars at JO Nationals.
Junior International Elite
Elizabeth Gantner, JPAC): 2017 Nastia Cup qualifier, 2x JO National qualifier, finished 9th on bars at this years JO Nationals.
Senior International Elite
Shania Adams (Buckeye Gymnastics) USA National Team Member, Region 5 Elite Ambassador
video from USA Gymnastics
Shilese Jones (Future Gymnastics Academy) 7th AA at both the 2016 P&G Championships and 2017 Secret Classic. Shilese was hurt and unable to compete at the 2017 P&G Championships.
