Region 5 Elites who chased Olympic Glory: Alyssa Beckerman, CGA

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July 9, 2016

Our next Region 5 gymnast who has helped pave the way for the next generation to the Olympic Trials was not originally from Region 5, but she did compete all of her elite career in Region 5 at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy in Ohio.

Alyssa Beckerman, originally from New Jersey, trained under Mary Lee Tracy at CGA in Fairfield, Ohio. Alyssa was a strong competitor with beautiful lines. I really enjoyed watching her on Beam and Floor.

Alyssa became an international elite in 1996, but it wasn’t until 1998 that she really hit her stride and started to find success on the national level. At the 1998 U.S Championships Alyssa placed 2nd on bars and 8th AA. Alyssa had a stellar year in 1999, she was 3rd AA at the American Classic/Pan Am Trials, she also added a 2nd place AA and picked up two national titles on Beam and Vault to her resume at the 1999 John Hancock U.S Championships. Alyssa also placed 3rd at the 1999 World Championship Trials, however Alyssa was unable to compete at the Worlds due to a wrist injury. She would get another shot to prove her readiness to the Olympic Selection Committee, mainly Bela Karolyi who was the National Team Coordinator, that she would be an asset to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Team.

At the 2000 John Hancock U.S Championships, this was Alyssa’s time to shine, she was coming off a great showing at the U.S Classic meet placing 3rd in the AA a few weeks before. At the Championships Alyssa placed 5th in the AA, 2nd on the uneven bars and 1st on the balance beam. Beckerman also secured herself a spot at the 2000 U.S Olympic Team Trials.

At the 2000 U.S Olympic Team Trials Alyssa had a pretty good meet, she struggled a bit on bars in day 1 and stepping out on floor on day 2, but she ended up finishing 8th in the All-Around. I remember watching these trials and thinking that she was going to make the team, especially because others had either made mistakes or sustained injuries. However, Alyssa along with all the other competitors sat in a room in the back of the arena while the selection committee deliberated for 30mins on live tv before coming out and announcing the girls who made the team, those who were selected as alternates and those whose olympic dreams would be put on hold for another 4 years.

Alyssa’s name was not called as a member of the Olympic Team, however she was named the 1st alternate to the team, which meant she would travel to Sydney and be one standby just in case she was needed. A few days into the Games, Alyssa’s club mate Morgan White broke her ankle and would not be able to compete, so she headed home. Alyssa thought this would be her time, that she would get called up to the team. This was not the case, Bela had called up the 2nd alternate who was not even in Sydney at the time to compete on the team. Alyssa had to sit in the stands and cheer for the USA Team as they competed in the team finals without her.

After earning the Alternate spot on the Olympic Team Alyssa had this to say:

“At this point I’m thankful for what I’ve got. I’ve been working my butt off for so long now. I’ve been to every training camp working hard. I’m honored Bela really believes in me.”—Alyssa Beckerman 2000 Olympic Trials

Even though Alyssa’s Olympic Journey did not go as planned or as those Region 5 and CGA athletes before her, she was still part of the Olympic Team and the Olympic Games in 2000. After the Games ended Alyssa went
on to receive a full ride scholarship to UCLA, along with 2 of her Olympic Teammates, she competed for UCLA from 2001-2003. Alyssa earned a degree in Sociology from UCLA.

On June 22, 2014 Alyssa married Matt King in a ceremony in Westboro, NJ. They now reside in Middletown, NJ.

Thank You Alyssa Beckerman for being such a strong willed competitor and for continuing to strive towards your dreams. You have been an inspiration for the next generation of Region 5 Elites and Region 5 Olympic Hopefuls. I hope you continue to succeed and inspire in your life.

Here are Alyssa’s routines from the 2000 Olympic Trials

Vault, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise

***Images from Google Search, Facebook. Bio Provided by Wiki and USA Gymnastics, Videos from Youtube account Gymnfanus19972000***

Favorite Five w/ Amelia Hundley

By

Jason MacDonald

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July 8, 2016

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Amelia sat down with the Insider in St. Louis to talk about her elite career. She took some time to answer some favorite five questions including the gymnast that has most inspired her during her career. Amelia competes in day 1 of Olympic Trials tonight in San Jose.

Region 5 Elites who chased Olympic Glory: Katie Teft, Twistars USA

By

Kim Dowis

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July 7, 2016

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Our next Region 5 Athlete who chased her Olympic Dream all the way to the Olympic Trials, but just missed making the 1996 Olympic Team, is Katie Teft from Gedderts Twistars USA in Michigan.

Katie, who is from Grand Rapids Michigan had a pretty successful elite career prior to the 1996 Olympics Trials. Katie who competed under John & Kathryn Geddert at Great Lakes Gymnastics Club found much success between 1993 & 1996, placing top 10 in the AA in almost every meet she competed. I briefly spoke to John Geddert about Katie and here is what he had to say about his first Olympic Hopeful…..

“Katie was easily one of the most talented and gifted athletes ever to come out of Region 5. She had a unique ability to combine grace and power with a fearless attack during competitions. She had remarkable swing on bars (9.9 at one classic in 1996 and I believe only Dominique Dawes outscored her on optional bars at the 96 Olympic Trials. She was fearless on beam… RO layout mount to immediate flic lay series, RO flic double tuck dismount, She was also a great tumbler (whip whip to full in, triple full, front double twist and her trademark double illusion turn (havent seen one since)”

John also, spoke about some of Katie’s accomplishments before and after the Olympic Games….

“She won JOs in 1993…. in Maryland…. and went directly into the elite program where she won the American and US classic in 1994 before severe severs took a little pep out of her step. She still managed to make the Jr Elite National Team. Her debut at the senior level was at the trial for Senior Pan American games. She stunned plenty by making that team that was loaded with experience and talent (Shannon Miller, Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Kristy Powell, Mary Beth Arnold, USA won gold and Katie qualified to beam finals…. missing AA finals by .025″

In 1995 Teft was also part of the Gold Medal Winning Pan Am Games Team, she was also on the winning team at the 1995 Visa Challenge. After a successful year Katie was well on her way to being in the mix for the 1996 Olympic Team. However, 1996 would prove to be a rough year for Katie dealing with injuries, gym turmoil and eventually a gym change. Before the 1996 National Championships Katie’s long time coaches, John & Kathryn Geddert decided to leave Great Lakes Gymnastics and Katie decided to go along too. There was a period of time that Katie and the Gedderts found themselves without a training facility. So, they had to find a place for Katie to train until Gedderts Twistars USA was officially opened in July 1996 right between US Nationals and the Olympic Trials.

John spoke about this period in Katie’s training……

“She endured a gym break up in the midst of her bid for the 96 team. We had to train on the road as we were not allowed to training at MSU (our interim home until we opened Twistars) due to a NCAA rule (she lived more than 50 miles from MSU and therefore it was considered a recruiting violation. With the help of the national office she managed to train well and ended up 8th AA (5th highest optional AA). This was the last year of the compulsories and they counted 60% of your score. She had a rare fall on compulsory bars which virtually killed any small chance of making the actual 96 team (in the days of politics that team was pretty much decided prior to the event itself which Moceanu and Miller making the team without competing at trials). As it turned out the USA won Olympic gold for the first time so the team was definitely the right one…”

At the 1996 Olympic Trials, Katie at 14 years old was one of the youngest competitors out on the floor, she made the age cut for the Games by only 3 months! Katie had a terrific meet! She had some of the most entraining and different routines in the entire competition, it was always fun to watch Katie perform especially on Bars, then her memorable beam mount (which the Layout Stepout is now being performed by Alyssa Al-Ashari who also hails from Twistars USA). Katie went onto finish 8th AA at the 1996 Olympic Trials, just missing a spot on the team. However, Katie was named 3rd alternate to the team.

Katie did find success following the Olympics she was assigned to the Pac Rim Championships in Malaysia where she helped the USA team win gold and received some individual placements as well. Throughout Katie’s career she had the opportunity to travel to many meets international and represent the USA these meets include: the Catania Cup in 1993 (Sicily), An assignment to Spain where she was 3rd AA in a stiff field of competition, The Olympic Test event in 96, The Hilton Challenge and Visa Challenge where she helped USA win gold against Belarus, China, Ukraine and other countries.

After the Olympics, Katie took some time off due to injuries, she competed in High School Gymnastics and Level 10, she did not return to the Elite Level. In 2000 Katie did attend the University of Massachusetts on a Gymnastics Scholarship, Katie competed of UMass for 3 years before they lost their women’s program. Katie competed her senior year at Central Michigan University, which she posted numerous perfect 10s, broke the schools Uneven Bars record and qualified to the NCAA Championships as an individual.

After graduation Katie was an assistant coach at the Michigan State University, in East Lansing Michigan for 7 seasons. Katie is now married to Mike Minasola and living in Iowa where is has been an Assistant Coach for the Iowa State Women’s Gymnastics team since July 2011.

Katie has been an outstanding athlete, coach and mentor for young gymnasts all over not only Region 5, but the entire country. I remember watching Katie compete as a young gymnast. In 1996 I went to a meet hosted by Great Lakes Gymnastics and I remember receiving a score booklet as a gift and inside it had pictures and fact about Katie and I remember thinking it was so cool that this Olympic Hopeful was from this gym and I was at the meet hosted by her club! I remember watching her in the Olympic Trials in 1996 and feeling a connection because we were both from Michigan. It was a very cool experience as a young 10 year old gymnast.

John and Kathryn also continue to speak highly of Katie….

“Above all of her outstanding gymnastics accomplishments what stands out most about Katie Teft is her integrity, character and appreciation for those who contributed to her success. It has been over 20 years and she is still like a daughter to Kathryn and I. She is a remarkable young lady and a role model for the sport of gymnastics.”

Thank you Katie Teft, for chasing your Olympic Dream and paving the way to the Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games, not only for young gymnasts in Michigan but all of Region 5!

Katie’s 1996 Olympic Trials Routines:

Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise

***Photos provided by Google Search and Facebook, Video provided by and Information Provided by John Geddert***

Region 5 Elites who chased Olympic Glory: Jaycie Phelps, CGA

By

Kim Dowis

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July 2, 2016

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Our next Region 5 Elite who chased Olympic Glory is Jaycie Phelps. Jaycie was born and raised in Greenfield, Indiana outside of Indianapolis.

Jaycie took a different road to the Olympic podium than Amanda Borden. In 1993 after finishing 24th as a junior at the National Championships, Jaycie was ready to throw in the towel and quit the sport of gymnastics. However, her parents urged her to give another coach a try and she agreed. She moved to Cincinnati, Ohio with her mom to begin training with Mary Lee Tracy. This move proved to be an extremely beneficial one for Jaycie. In 1994, Jaycie finished 6th as a senior at the 1994 National Championships cementing her spot on the US National Team. Jaycie would go on to compete in the 1994, 1995 & 1996 World Championships before qualifying to the 1996 Olympic Team. Like her teammate, Jaycie would also find her name in the FIG Code of Points with the “Phelps” (video from USAGym) on Vault.

Jaycie, who really started gaining momentum after arriving at CGA, enter into the Olympic Games with extreme confidence. Jaycie found herself being the leadoff athlete on two events (Vault & Bars). Between Jaycie and her CGA teammate Amanda Borden, CGA lead off every event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Jaycie competed on all four events in the team competition. Even though she did not qualify to an event finals or walk away from the games with an individual medal, Jaycie did come away with an Olympic Gold Medal.

In 1999 Jaycie did make a comeback in hopes of trying to make the 2000 Olympic Team. Jaycie qualified to the 2000 National Championships, but only competed on one event day 1 due to a knee injury, she petitioned to the Olympic Trials but her petition was denied. Jaycie decided to officially retire from the sport of gymnastics.

In 2010, Jaycie Phelps and Dave Marus opened Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center (JPAC) in her hometown of Greenfield, Indiana. Jaycie has become an extremely successful coach having qualified many of her athletes to the JO National Championships and have many gymnasts receive college scholarships to top universities in the country.

On July 4th, 2014 Jaycie and Dave Marus tied the knot in front of friends and family in Greenfield, Indiana.

Jaycie Phelps Gold Medal Winning Routines from Atlanta

Team Finals Floor, Team Finals Bars, Team Finals Beam

Compulsory Bars, Compulsory Floor,

***Photos from Google Search, Videos from DionneWarwick Youtube Page***

Region 5 Elites who chased Olympic Glory: Amanda Borden, CGA

By

Kim Dowis

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June 28, 2016

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P & G Championships have come to an end and the US National Team and Trials competitors have been named. We take a look back at those Region 5 Athletes who have paved the way for our current athletes vying for one of the 5 coveted spots on the 2016 Olympic Team headed to Rio.

Region 5 has had a strong competitive presence at every Olympic Trials going back to 1992 (maybe sooner, but this was the first Games I remember watching, so we will start there). Leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games, I will be posting features & videos of past Region 5 Elites who have paved the way for the future of Region 5 Elite Gymnastics. Since 1992, 5 athletes, 2 alternates, and 2 head coaches have represented Region 5 in the Olympic Games.

Our first Region 5 Elite to compete at an Olympic Trials, make an Olympic Team and win Gold was Amanda Borden of Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy (CGA) in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Amanda’s first Olympic Trials go around did not turn out as she had planned. At the 1992 Olympic Trials, Amanda found herself in 7th place after the competition was finished, which would back then would have garnered her an Olympic Alternate spot. However there were two athletes who were unable to compete in the trials and would eventually be petitioned onto the team. One athlete made the team and the second would become the official alternate pushing Amanda out of the alternate spot and another young lady off the team.

Amanda decided to make the tough decision to stick around for another four years under the guidance of her long time coach Mary Lee Tracy, owner and operator of CGA, to try and make the 1996 Olympic Team to be held on home soil in Atlanta, Georgia. Between 1992 and 1996 Amanda had great success, being named to the US National Team 5 times, making 3 World Championship Teams, being named the 1995 USA Gymnastics Sportswomen of the Year. She also had a skill named after her on beam in the FIG Code of Points.

Amanda went into the 1996 Olympic Trials looking confident and ready to take on the competition. I remember watching Amanda on floor at the 1996 Olympic Trials from inside a small barn at Woodward Gymnastics Camp and just knowing she was going to make the team. Her floor and beam performances really spoke to me as a young athlete, there was just something about Amanda on floor. Amanda placed 5th at the Trials securing her spot on the Olympics Team headed for Atlanta. She was also voted, unanimously, Team Captain by her teammates and started the team off on two events during the Games in Atlanta, helping to lead the US Women’s Team to an historic, first ever, team gold medal in a fully attended Olympic Games.

After the Olympic Games ended Amanda retired from competitive gymnastics. She went on the Gymnastics Tour of Champions with her Magnificent Seven Gold Medal winning teammates and did some television appearances. Amanda attended Arizona State University graduating with a degree in early childhood education. In 2004 Amanda opened Gold Medal Gymnastics in Tempe Arizona. She is a regular gymnastics commentator for the Pac-12 Network. Amanda is married and has two children.

Amanda’s 1996 Gold Medal Winning Routines from Atlanta

Team Finals Beam, Team Finals Floor

Compulsory Floor, Compulsory Beam

***Images from Google Search, Videos from DionneWarwick Youtube Page***