Your Questions Answered - 12/5-12/11

First, I'd like to let you know that Thursday's post will be all about 1996 girls and their Olympic chances, since literally eight of you asked about that!

Lindsay & Zoe asked about what happened to Ivana Hong. 

The last time we saw Ivana Hong after winning the Bronze Medal on beam at the 2009 World Championships was at the 2010 WOGA Classic. In March of 2010, Ivana tore her ACL during a vault verification at the American Cup Selection Camp. In October of that year, she reported that she was working skills on beam and on trampoline. After committing to the Stanford Cardinals gymnastics team, Ivana Hong did not compete in the 2011 season. I do not anticipate her returning to elite gymnastics.

Jackie asked "Are there any current 11-year-olds who will be age eligible for the 2016 Olympics that you think have the potential to make an impact?"


While we're still a LONG ways from the 2016 Olympics, the only 2000 baby who comes to mind is Elena Spenger. She won the 2011 Hopes Division of the US Challenge and had a 14.4 on beam earlier in the season. I'm sure that there will be many more to come that will make a big splash in the coming years! 


Hilde, Rachel and Jeremy asked if McKayla Maroney is training a Triple Twisting Yurchenko.


I have not officially heard whether or not McKayla is training a TTY. In a fall 2011 interview with Get a Grip, she stated that if her body were capable of anything, she'd compete the skill. She also told several sources after worlds that she'd like to add another half twist to the vault. My gut's telling me that she'll compete the Triple at some point during the 2012 season, even if it's not consistent. 

Jessica asked what happened to Lizzy LeDuc. 

Lizzy LeDuc injured her elbows prior to the 2011 Elite Season. In late fall of this year, she moved to Zenith Elite, the same gym that McKenzie Wofford competes for. Although she was rumored to have dropped down to Level 10 (she reportedly told Valeri this upon leaving), she is still training as an elite and she attended last month's National Team Training Camp. 

Keep on sending your questions! This will be the last Monday edition until the new year, but I'd love to get LOTS of new questions to start the year off right! 

New Elites to Watch for 2012

Every year, The Covergirl Classic serves as an amazingly big stage to for those up and coming elites. I wanted to showcase several girls who I think have the potential to amaze us all this season.

(GymDivas.us)

Alexis Beucler (who's affectionately known as "poof") turns 14 this December and is the newest member of a CGA Elite team made up of current and former National Team Members. While Beucler doesn't have a long resumé of titles she's won, I've never seen Mary Lee Tracy add a gymnast to her elite group without good reason. She's currently ranked 3rd on Floor amongst Level 10s in Ohio. Floor seems to be her strongest event, even if she does fall out of her double turn.

(GymDivas.us)

Elena Spengler, of Girls Co-Op is currently 11 years old and won this year's Challenge Competition for the HOPES 11 division. Her score was nearly seven points ahead of the second place winner! She's still going to need some upgrades is she wants to be competitive in the elite field, but she's definitely one to watch. Earlier in the season, Elena scored a 14.4 on beam, which would have earned her 5th place in the junior division of Championships.

(GymDivas.us)

Wesley Stephenson was a HOPES competitor this season who earned the silver medal at the American Classic in her division. She comes from Legacy Elite, which of course, produced both the "Caquatti" and Anna Li. She currently holds the Silver Medal from the Level 9 Easterns Jr. 1 Division in the All Around. Her vault, which I believe was a Yurchenko Full, really stood out to me. Wesley will need to make quite a few upgrades in order to make a big splash on the elite scene, but seeing as she said that she didn't begin to train for HOPES until after her JO Season ended, she's got fantastic potential.

(Property of USAG)

Alexandra McMurtry is the current reigning Level 10 Jr. A All Around Champion. While I'm not sure if she's announced that she's trying for Elite status, I'd be incredibly surprised if she chose not to. For what it's worth, every Jr. A National Champion has gone on to the Visa National Championships since at least 2005. Alexandra's known for her performances on vault where she performs a clean DTY (which earned a 9.95 at JO Nationals) and on floor where she's capable of a full in. Regardless of whether or not she goes elite, Alexandra McMurtry is a name to remember. 

Who am I forgetting? Are there more up and coming Elites that I should blog about? Let me know in the comments!