Briley Casanova, Sophia DeJesus headed to Japan; U.S. National team invited to Worlds selection camp

2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin performs on balance beam at the 2009 U.S. Championships. Liukin and the rest of the U.S. senior women's team have been invited to the first of two training camps to determine who makes the World Championship team. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

WOGA gymnast Briley Casanova and Sophia DeJesus of SCEGA (Southern California Elite Gymnastics Academy) have been chosen to travel to Yokohama, Japan to compete at the Junior Japan International Competition Sept. 22-23.

Casanova and DeJesus placed eighth and ninth, respectively, at the 2009 U.S. Junior National Championships.

On floor, Casanova opens with a full-twisting double back, followed by a double-twisting front somersault and a 1.5 twist to immediate front full. She ends with a double pike. She does a 1.5 twisting Yurchenko vault.

DeJesus, 14, has very nice lines and swing on uneven bars, where she dismounts with a full twisting double back. On floor, she tumbles an Arabian double front, front double full and double pike.

At the U.S. Championships in Dallas, Casanova, 14, indicated that she is already thinking about college gymnastics, though she hasn't thought much about where she'd like to go.

The U.S. men slated for this assignment are up-and-comers John Orozco and Jake Dalton.

In other news, the entire U.S. women's senior national team -- including Olivia Courtney, who broke her ankle days before the U.S. Championships -- has been invited to Huntsville, Texas, for the first World Championships team selection camp Sept. 8-12. The final selection camp is happening Sept. 30-Oct. 4.