Exciting Interviews Coming Up!

I love doing interviews, as you can see from the amount I put together for Full Twist! I've interviewed 94 gymnasts and coaches since I began writing for Full Twist in February 2013.

Some of my most recent interviews (including Georgia Godwin, Anna Li, and Lexie Priessman) can be viewed at my portfolio site, https://annarosejohnson.contently.com/

I am working on some very exciting interviews now; I can't reveal them yet but they will be coming up soon. Also, Training Updates Part #4 will include updates on Worlds competitors Elisabeth Seitz and Gabby Jupp, along with a slew of other gymnasts. Enjoy!!

The P&G Championships!

The U.S. National Champions are crowned this weekend! How exciting is that? :)

USA Gymnastics is providing livestreams for the competitions and the podium training, which I am watching right now! View the streams here: http://pgchamps.com/live/

Check out my post for Full Twist about P&Gs: http://fulltwist.net/meet-2014-p-g-competitors/

I think Simone Biles will come away with the senior victory, and that Jordan Chiles will win in the junior division--a repeat of what we saw at the recent Secret Classic.

This is going to be quite the national championships!!

Aly Raisman's Comeback

I recently caught up with 2-time Olympic champ Aly Raisman to discuss her training: http://fulltwist.net/catching-aly-raisman/

I love it when gymnasts decide to return to our sport after a break, and I'm certain that Aly can pull off a great comeback. I think she can be the first U.S. woman to compete in back-to-back Olympics since Dominique Dawes and Amy Chow in 2000. Wouldn't that be amazing?

Don't forget to "Like" my post at the bottom of the article! :)

My Autograph Collection

The autographed picture Katelyn Ohashi sent to me

I have a large gymnastics autograph collection, with over 40 autographs in total. I love writing to gymnasts and getting their responses! It is so nice that these athletes take time out of their busy schedules to answer fan mail!

Here's a list of the gymnasts whose autographs I have:

• Jordyn Wieber
• Aly Raisman
• Kyla Ross
• Alicia Sacramone
• Shawn Johnson
• Dominique Moceanu
• Anna Li
• Victoria Moors
• Sabrina Vega
• Elizabeth Price
• Morgan Hurd
• Erin Macadaeg
• Nadia Cho
• Rebecca Bross
• Madison Kocian
• Simone Biles
• Chellsie Memmel
• Katelyn Ohashi
• Bailie Key
• McKenna Kelley
• Laurie Hernandez
• Amelia Hundley
• Maggie Nichols
• Maile O'Keefe
• Nastasya Generalova
• Rachael Flam
• MyKayla Skinner
• Felicia Hano
• Bailey Ferrer

One of the autographed pictures Aly Raisman sent to me

The 2014 USA World Championships Team

With the Secret Classic over and the P&G Championships approaching, it's time to start thinking about who will make the USA World Championships team going to Nanning, China this fall.

Here's who I think will make the cut, and which events they might compete in the team final:

1. Simone Biles 

(VT, UB, BB, FX)

2. Kyla Ross

(UB, BB)

3. Madison Kocian

(UB)

4. Peyton Ernst

(BB, FX)

5. MyKayla Skinner

(VT, FX)

6. Rachel Gowey

(VT)

Check out some of my recent posts for Full Twist about the Secret Classic:

http://fulltwist.net/quotes-secret-classic-podium-training/

http://fulltwist.net/need-know-secret-us-classic-2014/

Honorable Mentions - Favorite Floor Routines

I've recently written two more posts for Full Twist--one is a profile on Peyton Ernst and her coach, Kim Zmeskal-Burdette (http://fulltwist.net/catching-peyton-ernst-coach-kim-zmeskal-burdette-usa/), and the other is a list of my top 10 favorite floor routines (http://fulltwist.net/top-10-favorite-floor-routines/).

Some "honorable mentions" outside my top 10 floor routines include:

• Sandra Izbasa's floor routine (2008)
• Cheng Fei's floor routine (2008)
• Anna Pavlova's floor routine (2008)
• Anna Myzdrikova's floor routine (2009)
• Jordyn Wieber's floor routine (2010-11)
• Anna Dementyeva's floor routine (2010)
• McKayla Maroney's floor routine (2011)
• Rebecca Bross' floor routine (2011) 

I think Rebecca Bross deserves a "Best Floor Routine" award. :) I really like all the routines she performed as a senior gymnast. Also, her score of 15.233 on floor in the 2010 World Championships all-around final was the highest floor score recorded at any Worlds in the last quad. It also would have placed second behind Aly Raisman in the 2012 Olympic floor final!

Rio 2016: My Current U.S. Olympic Team

My latest post is up on Full Twist: http://fulltwist.net/catching-jordan-chiles-usa/ It was a very fun interview!

Once she competes the upgrades she mentions in the interview, Jordan's skill level will be on par with the top gymnasts in the world. It's incredible for a 13-year-old to be performing the skills she does . . . she will definitely be one to watch this year, and in 2017, when she becomes a senior.

It's amazing to think that it's only three years until 2017, and only two years until the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. It doesn't feel like London was so long ago. We're now two years removed from the 2012 Visa Championships, where Jordyn Wieber defended her senior national title. I really hope she comes back to the sport this year, I've missed her gymnastics so much.

Two years out from Rio, I've put together who I currently think will make the U.S. Olympic team and the events they will compete in the three-up, three-count team final format:

1. Laurie Hernandez
VT, UB, BB, FX

2. Bailie Key
VT, BB, FX

3. McKayla Maroney
VT

4. Amelia Hundley
UB, FX

5. Norah Flatley
UB, BB

Alternates: Nadia Cho, Nia Dennis, and Sydney Johnson-Scharpf

Team USA in 2014

My new post, "The D-Scores of the U.S. National Team," is now on Full Twist. You can view it here: http://fulltwist.net/17517/

I'm always looking forward to the next competition in gymnastics. It's now less than two months until the Secret U.S. Classic, one of the most exciting meets of the year for me. Classics is the beginning of the summer season for our American gymnasts, and it will be held August 2nd. The next U.S.  meet is the 2014 P&G Championships, which will be held August 21-24.

This summer there will be added excitement with the return of Gabby Douglas. I think 2013 lacked a little in the excitement department, so Gabby's comeback is sure to make 2014 quite memorable!

August is probably the busiest month of the year for me, and 2014 will be no exception. I'm already planning to do reports for Full Twist about podium training for Classics and P&Gs, as I did last year. It's pleasant to think about my future posts during this dry spell after the European Championships, which were held several weeks ago.

Go Team USA!