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Post by Admin on Jun 16, 2016 2:07:22 GMT
 Aly Raisman wanted to put together one solid meet for U.S. national team coordinator Martha Karolyi before the upcoming competitions that will determine whether she makes a second straight Olympic team. The 22-year-old from Massachusetts, who took gold in London in the floor exercise, won the all-around title Saturday at the Secret U.S. Classic. She scored 59.25 points to finish just under a point ahead of 18-year-old Rachel Gowey. Raisman and Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas are looking to become the first women to make back-to-back Olympic teams since Dominique Dawes competed in her third games in 2000. Raisman got off to a slow start, falling during her routine on the uneven bars. But she recovered on the beam, scoring a 15.0, before posting a 15.5 to win her best event, the floor exercise. She then nailed her vault to the screams of the mostly pre-teen crowd, scoring a 15.7 to win that event as well.  "I'm not making the Olympic team for bars," she said. "I made the improvements that Martha wanted on my other three events, so she was happy."  |
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Post by Admin on Jun 28, 2016 1:41:59 GMT
The roster for the U.S. women's senior national team was announced after the conclusion of the P&G Championships, with the fifteen gymnasts named also invited to the Olympic Trials.  The gymnasts who will get the opportunity to compete for the five-woman Olympic team are: Alyssa Baumann Simone Biles Christina Desiderio Gabby Douglas Brenna Dowell Rachel Gowey Laurie Hernandez Amelia Hundley Madison Kocian Ashton Locklear Maggie Nichols Aly Raisman Emily Schild MyKayla Skinner Ragan Smith  The U.S. women's Olympic Trials will take place in San Jose, Calif. on July 8 and 10. The team will be named around 10:50 p.m. ET on July 10. |
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Post by Admin on Jul 2, 2016 1:48:24 GMT
 The 19-year-old Texan cruised to her fourth straight national gymnastics title Sunday night, posting a two-day total of 125.00 to finish nearly four points ahead of three-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman and 4.5 points over rising star Laurie Hernandez. Defending Olympic champion Gabby Douglas was fourth. Biles became the first American to win four consecutive national championships since Joan Moore Gnat from 1971-74. The U.S. women’s program was still in its infancy then. It’s the best in the world now by a large margin as it prepares to defend its Olympic title in Rio de Janeiro in August. Raisman began the year struggling with her form following a disappointing — by her standards — performance at the 2015 world championships, when she failed to qualify for the all-around final after finishing behind Biles and Douglas during qualifying. Raisman vowed to regain national team coordinator Martha Karolyi’s trust, and she put together two of the best days of her career at nationals. Steady on beam. Powerful on floor. Technically efficient on uneven bars, Raisman may be the best gymnast in the world not named Biles at the moment. The current Olympic champion on floor exercise began the night with a gravity defying tumbling pass she managed to finish with a smile. She joked after the first round on Friday that staying within a couple of points of Biles is a victory in itself and Raisman’s score of 60.650 on Sunday was just 1.5 behind Biles.  The five-woman Olympic team will be selected in San Jose, California, in two weeks. Biles’ place is secure, and the rest of the picture appears to be clearing with opening ceremonies in Brazil just 40 days away. |
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Post by Admin on Jul 4, 2016 1:52:54 GMT
 For the 15 women competing at next week's U.S. Olympic trials in gymnastics, this competition is about as stressful as it gets. The U.S. program is so strong that making the Olympic team might be harder than winning a medal in Rio. Previous Olympians Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman, as well as three-time world all-around champion Simone Biles, are looking like they'll be named to what is a five-member team. How are the gymnasts dealing with it? We posed the question to two-time Olympic gold medalist Raisman, now in the thick of her second Olympic selection process. Raisman won the all-around title at the Secret U.S. Classic last month, then impressed again with a second-place finish at last week's P&G Championships (U.S. nationals). She offered these tips on how elite gymnasts keep from going crazy during the sport's most competitive season. The workouts get more intense as the Olympics get closer, and you get the feeling that every turn you take counts toward earning yourself a place on the team. Everyone has bad practices, but I sometimes find bad practices so devastating and still get upset after all these years. And I have a couple of those every week! I've worked hard at learning to let things go. Going for an Olympic team is an exhausting process, mentally and physically. Resting as much as possible, mentally and physically, is uber-important. Walking outside or sitting in my backyard by the pool goes a long way toward helping me unwind.  As for what's written about the U.S. and our chances of repeating as Olympic gold medalists, I don't pay too much attention to it. I'm trying to rest as much as I can and not overthink what's to come. Everyone will tell you the same. Our team camaraderie is really good: All of us girls are sticking together and trying to help each other get through the selection process.  I've channeled my love of fashion into designing my own competition leotards. This year at nationals, I planned two very different looks: one in coral (it's a color not a lot of people wear in competition, and it really pops) and a patriotic white, red and blue one with lace flower appliqués and a nude back inspired by a wedding gown I saw in a magazine. I loved stepping out onto the floor in these leotards, and planning them provided a fun distraction from the stress before the meet. The floor exercise is my red carpet to show off my style! This can be really hard, but we aren't expected to be completely perfect at each meet. Even at trials, I'm guessing the selection committee would rather see us at 90-95 percent so we can be 100 percent in Rio if we make the team. We do need to be consistent -- major mistakes are still bad -- and you have to show you can handle the pressure of these big meets. But you don't have to be perfect -- yet. |
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Post by Admin on Jul 14, 2016 1:38:17 GMT
 Aly Raisman had just finished fifth in the world, a fact seemingly contradicted by the tears welling in her eyes. At that championship last fall, the Olympic medalist struggled to find confidence as she failed to make the all-around final behind two of her American teammates. The concern she had about national team coordinator Martha Karolyi not taking her back seems as misplaced now as it did then, and with a shift in confidence in the past eight months Raisman can see that. “I think that I was just too hard on myself. I think I learned that because my preparation was there,” Raisman said late Friday after she had finished her best all-around competition since returning to try to make a second Olympic team.  “I think I was just so nervous and I just put way too much pressure on myself. I think it’s OK to be nervous like I was (Friday), but at the same time, if I make a mistake, I’m not gonna be so mad at myself.” |
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