Dark Horses for London - Kennedy Baker

(Property of USA Gymnastics)

In an interview earlier this year, Kennedy Baker said that she'd love to go through the Olympic Selection process. Not only do I anticipate her doing this, but I think she'll make to the other side.

It may be because of her lack of presence in online media, or maybe it's because she's one of twelve elites at Texas Dreams, but people seem to forget just how good Kennedy is. She WON bars in 2009. Did you forget about that? Yeah, unfortunately, so did just everybody else. Which is awful, because she's just so good!

This year she competed a 6.2 SV on Bars. That's two tenths higher than Mackenzie Caquatto. With a little blip on high bar, she scored a 14.75 on the routine below, which would have earned her 4th place in the world in the World Championship Event Finals. I know, you're not supposed to compare scores across competitions, but I just thought it was worth pointing out.

She's got a clean double on Vault. I've never seen her miss it. To say that she could get an Amanar in the next 6 months might be a stretch, but it wouldn't be impossible. She's has added a half twist to her Yurchenko every year since 2009.

I really liked Kennedy's floor routine this year. Her music had pieces of "Ramalama" with Kelli Hill-esque choreography. I thought it worked well for her. However, her mediocre start value (5.6) and messy tumbling may keep her out of really factoring in on this event.

(Property of USA Gymnastics)

And then we come to beam. It's upsetting, because when she hits, she's fantastic. If she would have hit Day 2 as well as she hit Day 1, She would have placed 4th on Beam, rather than tying for 13th. She has a 6.1 Start Value, a fantastic Patterson dismount, and a Straddle Jump that even Dominique Dawes would envy. The trouble comes with consistency. Luckily her double turn in tuck position (A Humphrey minus 1/2) is becoming more consistent, but she's fallen several times in the past year.

What scares many people about Baker is that she literally has ZERO international experience even though this is her 2nd year on the National Team. But in my opinion, if Marta sends Baker to Jesolo, Pac Rims or another international competition early next year and she performs well, Kennedy has a fabulous shot at being an alternate or possibly even making the team.

Is there a "dark horse" who you think that I should cover? Let me know in the comments!