Catching Up with the USA
Article by Lauren Hopkins
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The biggest news to hit the US circuit this month was USA Gymnastics’ announcement regarding the restructuring of the women’s elite program, set to take effect in January 2013.
Martha Karolyi’s “national team coordinator” title will stick, though it’s now more true to form, as her sole job will revolve around the national team rather than everything else that goes on in terms of elite development. This side will now be managed by WOGA director/head coach Valeri Liukin as the “elite athlete development coordinator.” He was noted earlier this year for spending more time at the ranch and there was talk of him working on programs with so it’s no big surprise to see him headed in this direction. He will be in charge of all development camps, will direct the educational structure, and will head up the Talent Opportunity Program (TOPs), which focuses on the development of young gymnasts (aged seven to ten) who show talent and promise. Steve Rybacki, known as chairman of the International Elite Coaches Committee and a member of the USA Gymnastics Board of Directors, is now the “director of elite athlete programs,” essentially an administrative role.
Many want to better understand what’s changing and how this will affect the team and its athletes. Essentially, Martha Karolyi is still running the show. She’ll continue her reign until at least 2016, but I think it’s safe to say that with 64 World and Olympic medals garnered since 2001, USA Gym’ll keep her as long as they can. With Liukin now heading the development side, he’ll clearly have to work closely with Karolyi in order to ensure cohesion between the two halves.
We won’t see any major changes to the way elite development is managed, especially as it’s been proven to work incredibly well over the last decade. The restructuring is more of an effort to both take a load off of Karolyi’s back (believe it or not, this sprightly old gal is seventy!) while simultaneously giving Liukin a taste of the national team coordinator job; he could very well be the one they’re prepping to take hold of the reins when Karolyi does decide to retire.
Before the restructuring hubbub, USAG announced Indianapolis as the host city for the 2015 U.S. Gymnastics Championships (formerly Visa Championships). It’s a little odd to see 2015 announced before 2014, but since Indianapolis is USAG’s home turf and a city that has hosted many U.S. events in the past, we’re happy to see that the logistics worked out so quickly for something so far away! Hartford, the site for 2013, was announced several months ago; USAG finalized the schedule last week with competition beginning on August 15 and lasting over a four-day period. It seems there’s a bit of a reversal from the 2009-2012 quad, with the women beginning the competition on day one rather than the men; the days have shifted from Wednesday-Saturday to Thursday-Sunday, however, so the women will still be competing first on Thursday and then on Saturday.
Now that business is out of the way, here’s a bit of fun info – first-year senior elite Abigail Milliet successfully vaulted an Amanar onto a resi at her gym! The video Milliet posted to her Facebook page over the weekend quickly got a lot of attention from fans after it was discovered…because not only did she land it, but she looks good doing it. This is pretty cool, especially as Milliet was only competing a Yurchenko 1.5 as of this summer…she’s clearly working hard with the goal to take over as a major player for next year when a good chunk of the current senior national team will likely retire. She’ll have to worry about the crazy talented upcoming juniors like Lexie Priessman, Madison Desch, Simone Biles, and Katelyn Ohashi…but if the rest of Milliet’s upgrades are going as well as her vault? I’d say she has a shot!
Last but not least…we’re less than two months away from the start of NCAA competition! Keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks, especially if you’re new to collegiate gymnastics. We’ll be introducing you to the top teams and athletes, gushing over our favorite incoming freshmen, and sharing reports of preseason intrasquad meets really soon! We’ll also keep you updated with new recruits…two recent big verbal commits include WOGA’s Madison Kocian to UCLA and Texas Dreams’ Peyton Ernst to Florida.
Oh, and you guys remember the fun of Olympic Fantasy Gymnastics this summer, right? Get ready for NCAA Fantasy Gymanstics! It’ll be bigger, better, and more user-friendly. We’re hoping to start recruiting around December 1st, so keep checking back for information on how to get involved.
Article by Lauren Hopkins
Photo from USA Gymnastics
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