1 post tagged “mattie larson”

Well...we are closer to knowing who the US is sending to China in August. Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin were both named to the Olympic Team yesterday and neither one was a huge surprise (both finished 1& 2 at Nationals as well). So...now we look at who should fill the four remaining spots - the following is from International Gymnast

Projected Olympic team

The U.S. doesn't have the depth it had in 2004, but will be able to put up three very strong routines on each event. The only question mark is uneven bars, which is where the Chinese could take a big advantage with two potential scores of 17.000.

Shawn Johnson: Solid as a rock here, throwing the hardest routines on three of the four events. I don't think floods — or even tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes or asteroids — could distract Shawn. She looks very unphased by everything. Her parents and coaches have done a tremendous job with her.

Nastia Liukin: Had a few misses here, but she and her dad know the time and place to nail everything when it counts is in August in Beijing, not June in Philadelphia. They've got to head back to Texas and perfect uneven bars, because a truly flawless routine there could lead to three golds for Nastia: team, all-around and uneven bars. Nastia is not just an artistic gymnast, she is a performer. But most significantly, she is a fierce competitor in the style of Svetlana Khorkina, doing routines and making skills the unbelievers say can't be done with her age and physique. She is the sport's leading lady today.

Alicia Sacramone: Even Marta Karolyi, who has tried to be as vague as possible about the potential team, admits Sacramone is a lock for this team. Alicia is unquestionably the best vaulter on the U.S. team, and also can contribute on balance beam and floor exercise in team finals. With her refreshing personality and poise, she is one of the best representatives for women's gymnastics today. Most importantly, she is a great leader and deserves to be team captain again. But with a sore calf and aching Achilles, this 19-year-old needs to avoid overtraining in the next six weeks to be fresh for Beijing. Marta and Mihai, let Alicia rest a little and enjoy her star status this summer.

Samantha Peszek: Proved her consistency all year with strong performances at the American Cup, U.S. Championships and U.S. Trials. The U.S. will need her double-twisting Yurchenko vault and possibly floor in team finals, and she can compete on any event in prelims. Sam has lots of tricks and clean form across the board and that plus consistency have moved her into Marta's winners column.

Chellsie Memmel: Clocked a ticket to Beijing with her strong performance on bars, an event where the U.S. desperately needs every tenth to not get clobbered by the Chinese. Memmel can also help on balance beam and floor exercise, where she does not hold back on the acrobatics. The only question mark for Memmel is her history of untimely injuries, but Marta can't deny a healthy Memmel. { Personally, I hate her gymnastics, BUT the US does need her on UB, just PLEASE don't let her do the AA!}

Bridget Sloan: The U.S. Olympic team won't be announced until late July precisely because of gymnasts like Sloan, who needs more time to recover from her knee injury. The U.S. needs her on uneven bars, and extra focus here is what could secure her spot. Marta likes gymnastics like Bridget has, which is clean for the most part and done with an elegant body line.

Trials - Bridget, Alicia and Sam

Now.......One gymnast that I hope does very well at Camp and gets on the team is ......

Mattie Larson: Another beautiful gymnast who Marta would love to show off. Her floor exercise will likely be well-received in preliminaries and the U.S. could use her there in the team finals. Even the non-gymnastics fan can see this gymnast's floor routine is more pleasing to watch than nearly every other one.

Mattie Larson

Trials - Shawn, Mattie and Nastia