Archives for February 2014

Welcome to the finals of the Winter Cup! Right now, the meet officials are attending to the floor. They are lifting up the rug and the foam on the floor, and they’re trying to scoot the floor boards closer together. It appears that some of them have slid over the past couple of days. While they take of that, let’s discuss what’s going on tonight…

What’s at stake? Being named to the National Team. According to Scott Bregman, The 6 men who competed at the 2013 World Championships and the 2 alternates have guaranteed spots on the National Team. In other words, these guys don’t have to worry about a thing:

• Jake Dalton
• Steven Legendre
• Sam Mikulak
• Alex Naddour
• John Orozco
• Eddie Penev
• Paul Ruggeri
• Brandon Wynn

For the rest of the field, there are 7 spots open on the National Team. These spots will be determined, in part, by the National Team Points Program. If I did my math correctly, these are the current point leaders:

• Jake Martin, 24 points
• Donnell Whittenburg, 21 points
• Adrian de los Angeles, 21 points
• Josh Dixon, 20 points
• Alec Robin, 20 points
• Marvin Kimble, 17 points
• Sean Melton, 15 points
• Chris Brooks, 14 points
• CJ Maestas, 13 points
• Danell Leyva, 12 points
• Akash Modi, 11 points
• Craig Hernandez, 11 points

[Read more…] about Quick Hits: 2014 Winter Cup Challenge – Finals

When John Orozco tore his ACL during the post-Olympic tour, some gymnastics fans thought that John wouldn’t compete in 2013. But John proved them wrong. By the 2013 P&G Championships, he was back, and he earned a spot on the U.S. World team. At the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, he won a bronze medal on parallel bars, and he hasn’t slowed down since.

Earlier this year, John won the all-around at the Houston Invitational with an impressive score of 92.250, and after one day of competition at the Winter Cup, John is tied for second with Ohio State’s Sean Melton. Both gymnasts totaled an 86.150 in the all-around–only 0.050 behind Marvin Kimble, the current leader.

Yesterday, Uncle Tim chatted with John about his performance at the Winter Cup, his new (possibly eponymous) skill on floor, his experience training with the Chinese gymnasts, and his preparation for the American Cup.

Uncle Tim: How do you think the first day of competition went for you?

John Orozco: “There were some good things and some terrible things. (Laughs.) I’m happy with my vault. I did a better vault than usual. But pommels was definitely a disappointment—and floor. But pommels was more of a disappointment because I have been doing that routine for a really long time now, and I think I was just focused on the wrong things. I was thinking about everyone watching me and expecting me to hit before I go to the American Cup. And then, on floor, I was trying a new skill—my own skill that I’m trying to get named after me. I just held back a little bit. I’m not sure if I’m going to go for it in finals or not. But everything else was all right. I wasn’t as sharp as I usually am on all my skills. During finals, I have a lot to improve on, so that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

[Read more…] about Catching up with John Orozco at the 2014 Winter Cup Challenge

For many, Chris Brooks is perhaps best remembered for “getting extreme” after his vault at the 2012 Visa Championships:

Before Chris Brooks earned the reputation of being an excitable dude with a Blanik vault (handspring double front pike), he was seen as one of the best in the world on high bar. In 2010, he won the event at the Visa Championships, and at the World Championships in Rotterdam, he finished sixth in finals, where he competed against the likes of Zhang Chenglong, Epke Zonderland, Fabian Hambuechen, and Philipp Boy.

In 2011, Chris Brooks did not have the chance to improve on his sixth place finish. After finishing fourth in the all-around at Visa Championships, he was named an alternate to the U.S. World team, and in 2012, déjà vu. After finishing fourth in the all-around at Olympic Trials, Chris was named an alternate yet again, this time, to the U.S. Olympic team.

After coming so close to his goal in 2012, Chris Brooks was eager to prove himself in 2013, but an injured thumb kept him out of competition for most of the year. At the 2014 Winter Cup, Chris Brooks competed in the all-around for the first time since the 2012 Olympic Trials. Uncle Tim sat down with Chris to discuss his progress.

Uncle Tim: Can you give me an update on your injury?

Chris Brooks: “After taking some time off with the Kellogg’s Tour and enjoying and celebrating, I came back in 2013, and things were going pretty well. I got into shape quicker than I imagined. So, I went and did a competition in Germany. I had some problems there, but I came back on fire to train. It was just a typical day in the gym. I did a Tak 1/2 on high bar and caught my thumb awkwardly, dislocated it, and popped the UCL ligament in my thumb.”

“I immediately called my doctor and said, ‘Hey, man, I dislocated my thumb, and it feels really weird. I don’t know if it’s just loose or what.” He got me in the next day, and he literally just touched my thumb and was like, Yeah, the ligament’s completely gone. It’s completely torn. So, I had surgery and anchored it down. Recovery took a little longer than we anticipated. The doctor repaired it tighter than he normally would because he knows how much stress gymnasts’ bodies go through. So, it took a little bit of time to get the flexibility back. But now, it’s 100%. It’s not keeping me from doing anything. I came in here healthy and trying to earn a spot on the National Team and get on top of the podium.”

[Read more…] about 2014 Winter Cup: Chris Brooks on Broken Bones, Blaniks, and Rio

On the podcast, Jake Dalton is known as “Mr. Toe Point”–and for good reason. (Have you looked at his toes while he’s competing?) His impeccable feet and consistency have helped him earn a reputation as one of the top male gymnasts in the world.

To toot Jake’s horn a bit: In 2011, Jake was a member of the U.S. team that took home bronze at the Tokyo World Championships. At the 2012 Olympics, he finished fifth on floor. And in 2013, he was crowned the American Cup champion, and he took home a silver medal on floor at the World Championships.

Prior to the 2013 World Championships, Jake Dalton jammed his thumb. He competed with the injury in Antwerp, and after the competition concluded, he had surgery on his thumb. When Uncle Tim sat down with Jake at the 2014 Winter Cup, he asked him about his recovery. Here’s a transcript of their conversation:

Uncle Tim: Let’s start by talking about your hand. How’s your hand doing?

Jake Dalton: “It’s doing good. Just not a whole lot of flexibility in the thumb still. I’ve been working on that. But other than that, my thumb’s feeling great. My hand has been an issue. You know, when you do gymnastics, you get meat on your hand from parallel bars and pommel horse and things like that. So, the meat went away when I had the cast on for so long, and I just felt like I was getting a stone bruise every time I was swinging. But the meat has built up, and it’s coming back. And it doesn’t hurt too much.”

UT: I’m just curious. Why did you choose to do rings at Winter Cup? It’s a hand event, after all.

JD: “It is, but it’s just kind of grabbing. It’s not a support event, and I’m able to grab things. Rings was actually the event that came back first after the surgery.”

“I have kind of bad wrists from before the injury, and the cast didn’t help. When I stopped moving my wrists and pounding on them every day, they started to hurt worse. Since I hadn’t done anything on my wrists for a few weeks, floor and vault hurt quite a bit when I was coming back. Parallel bars and pommel horse are obviously out because of the pressure on the hand and the wrist, and vault—I didn’t have a new vault to show yet. I’m still working another vault. Rings—I was just able to jump back in on rings and feel comfortable competing again.”

[Read more…] about Catching up with Jake Dalton at the 2014 Winter Cup Challenge

LAS VEGAS, NV – The second session of men are currently warming up, so let’s take a moment to cover the basics about this competition.

What’s going on today? The juniors and seniors will be competing in two sessions. Session 1 starts at 1pm PST, and Session 2 starts at 6:30pm PST.

Who advances to the finals on Saturday, February 22? Short answer: Roughly half the field. The long answer:

• The top 24 gymnasts from the all-around competition
• Also: The top 18 individual event point winners (not included among the top 24 all-arounders)
• Finally, the top 3 athletes on each event.

How does the Winter Cup point system work? The top 20 gymnasts on each event receive points. 1st place receives 20 points, and 20th place receives 1 point. If there’s a tie for, say, 2nd place, both gymnasts will receive 19 points, and the next gymnast in line will receive 17 points.

Notable gymnasts in the second session:

• John Orozco, the 2013 World bronze medalist on parallel bars
• Brandon Wynn, the 2013 World bronze medalist on rings
• Eddie Penev, the former Bulgarian/Stanford gymnast who finished sixth at the 2010 Worlds on floor
• Akash Modi, the Stanford gymnast who is currently ranked first in the NCAA in the all-around
• Marvin Kimble, the 2013 Junior Olympic National Champion in the all-around
• Stacey Ervin, a member of the 2013-14 U.S. National Team
• Josh Dixon, a member of the 2013-14 U.S. National Team
• Donnell Whittenburg, a member of the 2013-14 U.S. National Team

Important Fact: John Orozco may be the sweetest gymnast in the world. Prior to the second session, he was trying to grab a Quizno’s sub, and all the little boy gymnasts wanted to take a picture with him. He happily obliged and signed many an autograph.

Winter Cup: The place where male gymnasts get the rockstar status that they deserve.

[Read more…] about Quick Hits: 2014 Winter Cup Challenge – Session 2

LAS VEGAS, NV – Welcome to Vegas, Gymternet! The men are currently warming up, so let’s take a moment to cover the basics about this competition.

What’s going on today? The juniors and seniors will be competing in two sessions. Session 1 starts at 1pm PST, and Session 2 starts at 6:30pm PST.

Who advances to the finals on Saturday, February 22? Short answer: Roughly half the field. The long answer:

• The top 24 gymnasts from the all-around competition
• Also: The top 18 individual event point winners (not included among the top 24 all-arounders)
• Finally, the top 3 athletes on each event.

How does the Winter Cup point system work? The top 20 gymnasts on each event receive points. 1st place receives 20 points, and 20th place receives 1 point. If there’s a tie for, say, 2nd place, both gymnasts will receive 19 points, and the next gymnast in line will receive 17 points.

Notable names in this session:

• Danell Leyva, the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in the all-around. (He’s also winning the short shorts contest in warm-ups.)
• Jake Dalton, the 2013 Winter Cup Champion and the 2013 American Cup Champion
• Steven Legendre, the 2013 World silver medalist on vault
• Chris Brooks, who may be warming up a Blanik on vault! EEE!
• Alex Naddour, a member of the 2011 U.S. World team that won bronze
• Bobby Baker, the man with the full-twisting double front
• CJ Maestas, the Illinois gymnast who finished 7th in the all-around at the 2012 Olympic Trials (He also has a HUGE cheering section here. They’re all wearing deer hunter/Illinois orange.)
• Trevor Howard, the 2013 NCAA Floor Champion from Penn State
• Michael Squires, the 2013 NCAA Rings Champion from Oklahoma
• Fred Hartville, the 2013 NCAA Vault Champion from Illinois

[Read more…] about Quick Hits: 2014 Winter Cup Challenge – Session 1