Tim Gentry, floor: Stanford's Gentry, 20, stood out for his uniqueness on floor, where he opens with a handspring layout front to a double front, followed by a full twisting double layout and a handspring front full to side somi. Third pass is a handspring double front pike, and he ends with a really nice double layout.
Tim McNeill, pommel horse. McNeill's routine, which includes his signature move, scored 15.6 on day two of the U.S. Championships.
Danell Leyva, high bar: Leyva, only 17, trains a Cassina on high bar, but the coolest part of this routine is the unique "pop" he does after his jam while changing from an eagle to a front grip. That and his coach/dad Yin Alvarez's reaction to this routine.
John Orozco, parallel bars. The 16-year-old from the Bronx dominated the junior division, finishing several points above any other competitor, and placed 11th after competing with the senior men on the second night of competition. One reason he's so well-regarded is this parallel bar routine, which just gets better as it goes on and ends with a full-twisting double back.
Steven Legendre, vault: The boy has some serious power, but he comes down from this handspring double front oh-so-gently.
McKayla Maroney, vault. The only competitior -- junior or senior -- to attempt an Amanar. And she made it on the second day.
McKenzie Wofford, uneven bars. Wofford, a junior who trains at Stars Academy in Houston, impressed with her natural clean swing and effortless-looking skills on bars. Good toepoint too. She's also one to watch on balance beam, where she took a fall on day two (Onodi) but has a diverse skillset and good presentation.
Madison Kocian, balance beam. Things that make this routine stand out: The sureness of this 12-year-old's tumbling skills, and the amplitude of her jumps. Her execution score for this routine: 9.1. Not to mention this was her second elite competition.
Bridgette Caquatto, uneven bars. Despite her fall on day one, Caquatto (whose sister Mackenzie placed fifth in the senior division) has a nice swing and a good variety of skills. The stalder to Tkatchev is something not often seen in competition.
Lizzy LeDuc, floor: LeDuc's smiles and showmanship make this well-choreographed routine a treat to watch.
Comments
*ick* on the addition of LeDuc to an otherwise unique and decent list. *chants* overrated overrated
There's more to ARTISTIC gymnastics than difficult tumbling...LeDuc performs her routine with a lot more enthusiasm than most seniors.
Chris Brooks has an even more incredible DF vault over at Gymnastike. And the reaction shows why NCAA is the class of men's gym.
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