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Shilese Jones Grabs National Team Spot, Day 2 Recap #USGymChamps

By
Jason MacDonald
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Final Results:  Juniors | Seniors
Interviews: Lilly Lippeatt  | Shilese Jones
Competition Routines
Championships Coverage Page

The chime came across the arena sound system signifying the end of the touch warm-up period for rotation one in Day 2 of the 2018 US Championships. Standing focused and ready, Lilly Lippeatt waited for the announcer to introduce her and the green light to go on. Below the huge American Flag, Lilly begins her beam routine with cheers of go Lilly in the background. She began tumbling down the beam ending in her straight body layout two feet. Solid throughout the routine including her favorite chimmy sideways on the beam scored two tenths better then night one.

Leading off again in rotation 2, Lilly continued to stay true to her goal of making the presentation count. Smiling and tumbling while bringing the audience onto the floor with her during her clapping section was a treat to watch. Her 12.5 was an improvement over her day 1 score.

              video by:USA Gymnastics

After her Yurchenko full on vault she moved 1/2 way around the arena to bars where she struggled on her Ricna in day 1. Unfortunately she had the same outcome on day 2 taking her Ricna a bit long and stomach dropping to the mat. However she got back up and finished her routine on a solid note, better then day 1 in my opinion, and finished up her championships with a 11.15. The crowd got a treat in this final rotation however as the top two bar workers for juniors were swinging their way atop the awards podium.  Midwest Gym Center’s Sunisa Lee, the class of the meet on bars, sent her huge Nabieva (layout Ray) into the sky before catching and sailing her beautiful Pak salto down to the low bar for 14.75. 2018 National All Around champion Leanne Wong from GAGE, who by the way made huge improvements on bars in one year, scored a 14.25  to which coach Al Fong was ecstatic and raised her hand up to wave to the appreciative crowd in the TD Garden.

The TD Garden crowd erupted when Simone Biles name was announced at introductions of the senior athletes and the energy and support from the crowd continued the whole meet. Our Region 5 ladies were riding a high coming into second day of competition from their performance on Friday in Day 1. Shania Adams started off her day on vault with a nice Yurchenko full. Over on floor, Shilese Jones had a long wait before she was able to salute and compete but she didn’t let it kill her energy launching another double double into the air landing standing straight up and down well just like Simone does. She had a little too much juice coming out of double Arabian and bounced forward. She maybe getting ready to punch a front out of it soon…. we shall see!!

In the second rotation, Shania once again looked very confident and aggressive on her bar set nailing her connections and handstands to finish 8th overall on the event. Shilese power was in over drive on vault as she took a big hop back on her Yurchenko double full for 14.35, a little more then three tenths lower then on night 1.

                 Video by: USA Gymnastics

Onto the third rotation and of course can’t talk about Shania on balance beam without mentioning her wolf squat turns, text book on what the turns should look like. The turns were so good even Tim Daggett commented on the live broadcast

[highlight]Wow that was great, really calm…. and if you only saw people like her do that you would think it was easy”[/highlight]

After impressing Tim on her mount she nailed her layout layout series and finished up strong with her best landed double full dismount combo of the week for a 13.3 good enough for 7th overall in the competition. While Shania was grabbing Tim’s attention, Shilese was nailing another routine this time on bars to the excitement of her coach Christian. Her combined total for both days of 27.55 landed her in a tie for 6th on the event.  The highlight for me in this rotation was the tumbling clinic put on by Jade Carey and Simone Biles, the two best on floor hands down. Yes Simone has a higher start value and scored higher, Jade was my floor champion on night 2.

In the fourth rotation well Simone did another almost perfect Cheng for a 15.6 and vaulting, catapulting herself to the national championship by over 6 points. Back on earth finishing in 2nd was Morgan Hurd, 2017 World Champion, and third went to Riley McCusker, who actually had the second best all around score of night 2 with a 56.7. Shania finished up on floor and almost touch the rafters I think on her double pike which she way over did and bounce and flew out of bounds onto her butt which was a bummer ending to what was otherwise a great competition for her. Shilese headed over to beam where once again had solid routine nailing her standing Arabian and her front tuck cold. She took a small step on her double back dismount combo for a 13.2 and a final total of 109.85 good enough for 5th all around and place on the 2018 USA National Team.

                                    video by: USA Gymnastics

Lots of great gymnastics this past week in Boston. Thats all for this Gymnas Tea party. Next up Pan American Championships and WORLDS!

Region 5 Shines, Simone Biles Soars in Day 1 of Championships

By
Jason MacDonald
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Results:  Juniors Day 1  |  Seniors Day 1
Interviews: Lilly Lippeatt | Shania Adams | Shilese Jones
Day 1 Photo Gallery
Meet Videos

The city of Boston is hosting its first major elite gymnastics competition since Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson battled for the Visa Championship back in 2008. Home to the Boston Celtics and Bruins,  the TD Garden, welcomes the countries best elite gymnasts for the biggest domestic competition of the season, the USA Championships.

As usual, the juniors took to the competition podium first on day 1 in front of a modest crowd for a Friday afternoon. Leanne Wong of Gage and her pencil straight lines leads the competition followed closely by Sunisa Lee (beautiful bar set) in second and Kayla Di Cello rounds out the top 3. Cincinnati’s Lilly Lippeatt had a good competition for her despite missing her Ray on bars but got the crowd clapping along with her routine on her last event floor. As she mentioned in her interview after podium training, Lilly is dealing with an injury that is affecting her leaps and outer rotation. However she has made it a point to smile and sell her performances to the crowd.

[highlight]”Entertaining everyone and just seeing them happy and smiling made me so happy. I shined, smiled and was happy.”[/highlight]

After falling on bars in rotation 2, Lilly hit a solid beam routine and put together four strong tumbling passes including a full in pike and 1 1/2 through to double back for a 12.35 and successful finish to first day of competition at these championships.

               video by: USA Gymnastics

Next up the seniors entered the arena fully sparkled and ready to have a Boston “Tea” D Garden party of their own. The opening hype video on the jumbotron was rocking the TD Garden, literally, as the risers in media row were shaking! The athletes moved to their first rotation and got the meet movin FLOSS dance style as championships MC John Macready instructed the audience to do the dance.

Though the focus in the arena was on the Olympic Champion Simone Biles,  World Champion Morgan Hurd and 2017 Jesolo all around champion Riley McCuster, our Region 5 ladies definitely were ready to take part in the party. On beam, Shania Adams wolf turned her way to a solid beam set and a 13.55 as Shilese Jones began on bars and the NBC cameramen quickly taking notice of her handstand line and speed in which she swings for a 13.95.

The momentum continued into the second rotation where Shilese not only nailed her huge standing Arabian but was solid throughout taking only a small step on her two back handsprings to double back dismount for a 13.3. Shania opened her floor set with one of the best 2 1/2 front tucks she has done in competition. Though she stepped out on her double pike, her routine was very nicely performed for a 13.0. Oh and Simone got a 15.6 on an almost perfect Cheng.

              video by: USA Gymnastics

The only way to describe the third rotation is simply…. nailed it. Shania rocked and by rocked I mean stuck a Yurchenko 1/1 cold for a 13.7. Meanwhile moving over to the middle of the arena and center stage, Shilese dropped out of the sky as she tumbled as high as the third red strip from the bottom on the huge American Flag in far side of the arena. After an easy double double, she met the floor like glue on her Double Arabian and finished the third rotation with a 13.35.

Shania on doing the Yurchenko Full
[highlight]”We made the decision during morning training just to be clean and not risk anything”[/highlight]

The fourth rotation was over very quickly for our Region 5 ladies as both were first up. As Shania saluted the judge to begin her bar set, Shilese was blasting a Yurchenko double full which I had to watch on the jumbotron with one eye. She scored a 14.7 which would be the third overall score on vault (this is from the first vault attempt from all athletes not including those who did two vaults). Shania was confident for the start as she did her toe full Maloney Pak salto combination with ease. She moved back up to the high bar with Maloney 1/2, popped her Jaeger way above the bar and dropped back to earth with a solid full out for a 13.7. Three routines that need mentioning in the final rotation where Simone’s 15.2 on beam, Morgan’s 14.65 on bars, and the beautiful beam work of Kara Eaker for a 14.2.

          video by: USA Gymnastics

Simone leads the field by over 3 points after day 1 (60.1) but our Region 5 ladies are both very much in the mix for the national team with Shilese in 6th (55.3) and Shania in a tie for 9th (53.75). Looking forward to more exciting gymnastics in day 2 of these championships.

 

Photo Gallery: 2018 USA Championships Day 1

By
Jason MacDonald
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Championships Coverage Page

 

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Photo Gallery: 2018 US Championships Podium Training

By
Jason MacDonald
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20 Questions with JO National Qualifier Katya Sanders (Perfection)

By
Kim Dowis
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Our next 20 Questions athlete first caught my attention when she won the 2017 Level 9 Eastern National All-Around Title, I knew this young lady was something special and going to be one to watch. I was absolutely correct in my hypothesis, Katya Sanders of Perfection Gymnastics in Cincinnati, qualified to her first JO National Championships as a 1st year level 10 finishing 5th in the All-Around and capturing the Balance Beam title. Katya is a stunning athlete to watch on the competition floor, her routines are filled with big skills, beautiful lines and outstanding shownmanship. You cannot help but smile and dance along to her high energy floor routine. Katya is heading into her 2nd year as a level 10, lets get to know Katya a little bit better as she finishes up her summer training and starts the journey to a 2nd JO National Championships.

How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you?  I was 4 years old when I went into my first gymnastics class. I began classes because my mom was already busy running around for my older brother and sister’s sports, so she decided to conveniently throw me into the gym with my sister! (#lazinessatitsfinest) I only started to train competitively when I moved to Louisville, Kentucky at age 6, and to be completely honest, the only memories I have of gymnastics practices before then was rainbow parachute and “sharks and minnows”. (Someone please bring these back to gym practice!!!)

What is your favorite event? It changes all the time, but usually bars!

Favorite skill to train/compete? My Favorite skill to train or compete is double layout on bars.

Dream skill? My dream skill would be either a maloney-half or pak-full on bars.

What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of Gymnastics is the feeling of achievement–whether it be finally catching that release, sticking your routine at a meet, or anything in between–is just the best. Knowing that all of the time, sacrifice, and hard work that you have put in is worth it? It feels pretty fan-freakin-tastic.

What college do you plan on attending?I’m not quite sure yet, but wherever it is, you’ll be sure to see me flipping!!

What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why? My favorite meet to compete at is any flight meet I go to is hands down the highlight of my season. It is always so much fun to travel to a new place and go around trying fun new restaurants and sightseeing with friends and family. I literally love them all, BUT if I had to choose, San Diego Classic would probably be my favorite just because California has my heart.

Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far?  My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far would have to be a toss-up between my experiences at Level 9 Eastern Nationals and Level 10 JO Nationals. At Easterns, I fell on beam (my first event), but ended up doing one of my best bar routines ever and won first place all around which was crazy-unexpected and super duper exciting. However, the time that I had at last year’s JO Nationals with my Region 5 team was so much fun and just a truly unforgettable experience.

Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics?  Many times when people are asked who they admire the most in the sport of gymnastics they answer olympic gymnasts like Simone Biles, or Nastia Liukin. But my gymnastics idol (as well as idol in several aspects of life) is my sister, Sasha. She has always worked so hard and even went on to do gymnastics on a full ride scholarship in college which is exactly what I want to do! P.S.- everyone go give her a follow @sasha_sander 😉

What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series?  I love Region 5’s “Eye on 5” series. In just a few quick minutes, I can get to know some of the best athletes in the region!

Enjoy our content help us out  

What is your go to playlist or song before meets?  My go to playlist or song before meet would be anything rap.

3 Things you could not live without?  Easy: family, friends, and rice.

If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?  If I could be any animal in the world, I would choose to be a dolphin. I got to ride on one in Cancun this Summer and they always look like they’re smiling!! Plus, even though I wouldn’t be in the gym, I could still do some sick tricks.

5 Most Important or Must have Items in your gym bag? The 5 most important things in my gym bag would be money, headphones, snacks, water bottle, tape.

Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions?  To be completely honest, I don’t do anything too technical before meets. I run through routines in my head a bit, but for the most part, I am really just try to chill mentally. I listen to rap music for a while and once it gets close to competition time I dance a little bit to get myself hyped up.

What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics?  I really like to stay busy so when I am not in the gym, one of my favorite things is to go to new places and try new restaurants/activities with family and friends! I also love to dance, go shopping, bake/cook, and play with my dog, Coconut.

Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment?  Hahaha this is probably the hardest question, because anyone who knows me knows that I am one of the most embarrassing people to exist. But if I had to choose, it would probably be my flop at the quarry… It was the Summer of 2016 and my friends and I had just finished up the school year. So, one my friends decided to throw an end of the (school) year party at her house that was on the quarry and invited a lot (and I mean A LOT) of people. There were snacks, paddle boats, a water trampoline, and a cliff out back where all the boys were doing flips into the quarry. Then, one of my friends comes up to me like, “Hey Katya, you’re a gymnast. Why don’t you do a cool flip or something?!”. And well, one thing lead to another, and I wound up doing an extremely hyped up double back which ended with me completely back-flopping flat on the water. Sooo not cool and even more embarrassing being handed an ice pack while your friends are all partying, but ya know, we got it on video so it was all worth it, right?

If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try?  If I didn’t do gymnastics, I would definitely do dance and swimming.

Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why?Lol umm, Matt Stonie! Anyone who can down 113 pancake in 8 minutes gets mad respect from me.

What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you?The thing about Enrique is that he is a man with much much wisdom… And thing about me is that I can get a quite stressed or frustrated from time to time. It is in these moments, that ET really helps me remember that I am capable of doing great things and that I just need to take a deep breathe and #trusttheprocess.

Bonus Question:   Tell me something interesting about yourself…. I love grocery shopping; sometimes I get random urges in the middle of practice to go to Trader Joe’s and my teammates all make fun of me hahah. Also, Costco is one of my favorite places ever! (Their acai bowls are ~life-changing~.)

Check out Katya’s JO Nationals Gallery Below

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