This week we bring you a special episode devoted exclusively to our interview with US National Champion, NCAA Champion and 2000 Olympic bronze medalist, Elise Ray. She talks about learning her three eponymous skills, coach Kelli Hill, making the decision to go elite, the negative response her US team received after their sixth place finish at the 1999 World Championships, training with three time Olympian Dominique Dawes, how she felt watching a video of her terrifying vault crash at the Olympics, how she thinks the vault height debaucle in Sydney should have been handled, and why competing for the University of Michigan helped her deal with the emotional turmoil she experienced after 2000. Her honest, open and funny responses had us laughing and tearing up during this interview. Follow her on Twitter @CoachEliseRay.
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Elise Ray has three uneven bars skills named after her:
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- Ray I: Facing inward, a stalder backward with release and counter movement forward in flight to hang
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- Ray II: Toe-on Tkatchev release move (rated D in the most recent Code of Points)
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- Ray III: Double twisting double layout dismount rated G – the highest difficulty rating possible
Elise Ray Montage by Lex
Elise Ray – 2000 Olympics AA – Uneven Bars
At the 2:26 mark, Elise Ray’s scary Vault crash in warm-ups when the vault was set at the wrong height for all-around finals in Sydney