Simone Rose
Two junior-level gymnasts earned their U.S. elite status at this weekend’s All American national qualifier held in Puyallup, Washington.
Both Simone Rose of Ascend Gymnastics Center and Myli Lew of San Mateo Gymnastics competed at the first qualifier of the season last week, where Rose came a little over a point away from getting her junior optionals score while Lew put on an exemplary performance in the compulsory session, though she competed only an optional bars routine. But this week, the two ended up taking the all-around gold and silver while becoming the only two gymnasts to reach their qualifying scores.
Rose had strong routines across the board to win the all-around with a 50.700, up nearly three points from last week. Her best work came on beam, where she put up a 13.050, and she was in the top three on all four events in this field of seven juniors. Lew, meanwhile, earned a 50.050 with a weaker vault and floor, though she had the top scores on bars with a 12.4 and on beam with a 13.3.
In third with a 48.200 was Ascend’s Jayla Hang, who got her junior elite score at the Las Vegas qualifier a week ago. She had the top vault score here with a 13.45, and also did strong work on beam to earn a 13.0.
Only two seniors competed here, neither of whom did the all-around. Nola Matthews of Airborne, who qualified elite with a two-event score for bars and beam last week, seems to be slowly working her way up to the all-around, adding vault here but falling a bit short of the three-event score, while Chloe LaCoursiere, a brilliant level 10 talent and Alabama commit who is attempting elite for the first time at 16, competed only vault and bars, missing the two-event score by four tenths.
In addition to elite, nine gymnasts attempted to qualify for Hopes, though just one – 12-year-old Lila Richardson of Hopes and Dreams – was successful. Richardson earned a 44.700 to swept the titles in the 11-12 division and surpass the score requirement by two tenths, with beam her best event at a 12.0.
Jazmyn Jimenez of Gymnastics Olympica won the 13-14 division with a 46.450, showing strong work on vault and beam, though she fell about half a point shy of qualifying, while Allyn Damelio of San Mateo, who qualified last week, was second with a 45.450, and Brooke Reingold of Gymnastics Olympica was third with a 44.500.
Full results are available here, and you can find a list of all gymnasts who have qualified to elite and Hopes for the 2022 season here.
Article by Lauren Hopkins