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Quick hits: Junior women's finals at the 2011 U.S. Championships COMPETITION

Rotation four

Notes: The men's World team has been announced! It's Jonathan Horton, Danell Leyva, John Orozco, Alex Naddour, Jake Dalton and Steven Legendre. Chris Brooks is the alternate. 

Back to the juniors: With one rotation to go, Ohashi leads Ross by 2.65 for the AA title. Priessman in third, followed by Finnegan, Hundley, Dowell, Winston, Price.

Maddie Desch, vault: DTY, tiny hop forward.
 
Kiana Winston, bars: Well, Ohashi was on floor while this happened...
 
Amelia Hundley, beam: Ditto. Sorry guys. 
 
Katelyn Ohashi, floor: Very classical routine, starting with piano...1.5 to front double full, stuck, adds a scissone out. Nice! Wonderful Memmel turn. Better than Memmel herself (sorry Memmel). Switch ring to Tourjete half, very well controlled. You just don't see floor routines like thsi these days. Full in pike, step back. Switch side half. 2.5 to front full, wonderful. Ladies and gentlemen, your junior national champion! The age of Ohashi has dawned. 
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Ericha Fassbender, vault: DTY. 
 
Nica Hults, bars: I didn't see it, but the crowd went "ooh" so I think she might have taken an intermediate swing. 12.0. 
 
Lauren Marinez, beam: Front pike somie. Double tuck to good landing. 14.4. That's a hit. 
 
Mykayla Skinner, floor: Double double tuck, very good. A tango with a kind of techno beat. Rudi to back layout stepout. Double turn with leg up. 1.5 to double full, bounce and some legs in the air. Full in tuck, very good!
 
Samantha Partyka, vault: Sits Yurchenko 1.5. Has looked kind of frustrated all week. 
 
Kennedy Baker, bars: Toe blind, hesitation. Front stalder half to Tkatchev. Toe Tkatchev? to Pak. Maloney to bail. Full in tuck to great landing. 
 
Polina Shchennikova, beam: Saw front aerial, bhs, layout, good. Full turn with a small wobble. Double full dismount. 
 
Kyla Ross, floor: Arabian double front. Full in tuck. Switch ring to switch half. 1.5 to double tuck, small hop back. Tourjete full. Full turn to splits, nice. Double pike, no problems today!
 
Simone Biles, vault: DTY, powerful. 
 
Bailie Key, bars: Very nice routine. 
 
Lexie Priessman, beam: Fairly long pause before standing full, but makes it well. Front aerial, pause, bhs, layout, little bit of leg form and a wobble at the end. Full turn with leg up. Punch front. Tourjete half, makes it today! Switch. Full in tuck with step back. 
 
Mackenzie Brannan, floor: Full in tuck. Arabian double. Double pike. 2.5 to double stag jump. 
 
Ariana Guerra, vault: DTY with a step back. 
 
Dare Maxwell, bars: Toe full to toe hecht to high. Blind to front stalder to Jaeger, lovely! Stalder to bail to Ray. Full twisting double tuck, a little low but good landing, just a small hop. Wonderful swing, perhaps the best in the junior field. Getting a chat from Kim Zmeskal. 
 
Brianna Brown, beam: Front aerial, bhs, layout. Side somie. Double tuck to very good landing. 
 
Elizabeth Price, floor: Spanish guitar. Stuck double layout! 1.5 to triple, big step forward. Stuck double pike to end the routine. Didn't see her full in tuck third pass (I assume it was a full in tuck, because that's what she trained). 
 
Brenna Dowell, vault: DTY.
 
Macy Toronjo, bars: Toe stalder to Geinger. Bail to Ray. Full? to blind to half turn. Stuck double pike dismount. Very nice routine. 
 
Abby Milliet, beam: Off on bhs, layout. Too bad! She has had a very good meet today. 
 
Sarah Finnegan, vault: DTY. 
 
Peyton Ernst, bars: The last routine of the junior U.S. championships...Toe stalder to toe hecht to high, to eblind to Jaeger (flexed feet), stalder full (legs a little apart) to bail to Ray. Toe stalder full to full in double tuck, stuck. 

Rotation three:

Notes: After two, Ohashi has widened her lead slightly to 2.85 over Ross. Priessman is third, followed by Finnegan, Hundley, Price, Dowell and Skinner.  
 
Tampa Bay Turners coach Brad Harris? (I didn't quite catch the name) is presented with the J.O. coach of the year award. 
 
Priessman's Tkatchev on bars is crooked...she comes off on it in warmup, but I'm not too worried.
 
Peyton Ernst, vault: FTY with a step back. 
 
Abby Milliet, bars: Hit routine with Geinger release.
 
Elizabeth Price, beam: Didn't see it.
 
Sarah Finnegan, floor: A lovely SPanish themed routine...Full in tuck, small step back. Wild on wolf turn and puts her bottom down after two spins, though I guess technically she spins three times...Stuck double Arabain second pass. Switch ring to Tourjete half. 1.5 to 2.5 and looks like Terin Humphrey at the end. 
 
Kiana Winston, vault: Stuck DTY. Great!
 
Amelia Hundley, bars: Jump to high, hop change, Jaeger. Stalde to toe full to Tkatchev. Pak. Ray. Toe stalder to full twisting double tuck stuck even though she hit her foot on low bar on giant before.
 
Katelyn Ohashi, beam: Standing Arabain to bhs, beautiful. Bhs, bhs to two feet, layout full, AMAZING. Switch ring. Onodi. This is perfect so far. Small pause. Front aerial, sheep and falls! Oh no! Switch half, small check. Now her concentration's been broken. And it was so good before that point. Aargh. Full in pike to end, well done, small step. Hmpf. 
 
Maddie Desch, floor: Saw a wonderful triple full to end....
 
Nica Hults, vault: Scratch. 
 
Lauren Marinez, bars: Hesitation on hop change, then falls on Tkatchev. She's a gorgeous gymnast, but has just looked a little out of shape all week...
 
Mykayla Skinner, beam: Full turn in wolf position. Switch, back pike, small check. Standing full, excellent. Switch side. 
 
Ericha Fassbender, floor: Spanish music. Full in pike, small controlled step back. Double turn. Arabian double front. Hit routine. 
 
Kennedy Baker, vault: DTY with fairly big step back. 
 
Polina Shchennikova, bars: Jump to high. Stalder full to Tkatchev. Toe stalder to Pak. Ray, lovely. blind. Full twisting double tuck, stuck. Great routine. Polina doesn't smile much. 
 
Kyla Ross, beam: Switch ring, small check. Nothing serious. Front aerial, bhs, layout, nice. Switch, back pike. Side aerial. Side somie. Punch front, small step forward. Stuck double tuck.
 
Samantha Partyka, floor: 2.5 to front layout, nice. 1.5 to double tuck. Hadnspring front double full. 
 
Bailie Key, vault: FTY, little feet shuffling on landing. 
 
Lexie Priessman, bars: Hit routine (though Tkatchev is crooked). Had to adjust her grip slightly after catching her Jaeger, and it was amazing she did not come off or take any deduction on that. "Oh my God," Lexie is heard saying as she comes off the podium. 
 
Mackenzie Brannan, beam: Hit routine.
 
Simone Biles, floor: Sky high double layout, small hop back. 1.5 to 2.5, easy. Big band beat. Switch. Tourjete half. Lands chest low on her double pike to end and almost does one of those things where they bounce back and have to put their hands down, but then doesn't. Great routine. 
 
Dare Maxwell, vault: Didn't see it. 
 
Brianna Brown, bars: Hit routine. MLT is clapping especially hard. 
 
Ariana Guerra, floor: Switch full before first pass. Full in pike with a step back. 2.5 to front layout. Dive roll. Music is like a chase scene from a movie -- Inspector Gadget, maybe? Double tuck. Lots of power, sometimes a little difficulty controlling her landings, being precise. Double pike with a step forward. 
 
Macy Toronjo, vault: FTY. 
 
Brenna Dowell, floor: Double front wonderful, legs totally together, tiny little hop. Hit routine.
 
Rotation two

Notes: Ohashi's lead, after one rotation, has sunk to 2.6...it's official: she needs to make mistakes to lose. Ross is chasing, followed by Finnegan, Priessman, Dowell, Skinner, Hundley and Price. 

Brianna Brown, vault: FTY, tiny hop back. Well controlled.
 
Mackenzie Brannan, bars: Hindorff. Pak. Maloney. Double layout. Big applause.
 
Brenna Dowell, beam: Fell, didn't see on what. Side aerial, very nice. Such good form...Two bhs to two feet to 2.5 twist dismount.
 
Macy Toronjo, floor: Double tuck. 1.5 to front layout, hop forward. 2.5 twist, not quite around. Double tuck. Love the music for this routine, a Mexican themed fiesta of a piece.
 
Abby Milliet, vault: DTY, nearly stuck. Oh heck, we'll say it's stuck. DTY, stuck.
 
Elizabeth Price, bars: BIg routine with lots of nice big releases. Double layout with a step bakc. 
 
Sarah Finnegan, beam: Makes 2.5 turns of the Humphrey turn before putting her hand down. Standing Arabian. Bhs, bhs, layout to two feet, leg comes up but she saves it. Side somie. Lovely presentation. Two bhs to double tuck. Good routine.
 
Peyton Ernst, floor: "Stairway to Heaven." Well controlled double Arabian. Didn't see second pass. Good double tuck to end. 
 
Amelia Hundley, vault: DTY, very well done. 
 
Katelyn Ohashi, bars: Toe hecht to high. Toe full to Tkatchev. inbar blind ot front sanlder to Jaeger, connected. Bail to Ray. Giants to double full out. It was silent in here while she did that, as though a great composer were giving a piano concert. 15.1.
 
Maddie Desch, beam: Fell, didn't see on what. Good double tuck dismount, almost stuck it.
 
Kiana Winston, floor: Double Arabian first pass. DIdn't se seocnd. Switch ring to Tourjete half, very nice. Two front layouts. Switch side half. 
 
Lauren Marinez, vault: FTY. 
 
Mykayla Skinner, bars: Big Tkatchev. Hitting routine so far...stalder full...full twisting double tuck with a hop. 
 
Ericha Fassbender, beam: Only saw her flight series. Sorry! 
 
Nica Hults, floor: Scratch.
 
Polina Shchennikova, vault: FTY, well done, small hop back. 
 
Kyla Ross, bars: Jump to high, inbar blind ot Jaeger. INbar fuall to bail to Ray, inbar stalder to toe stalder to giants to stuck double layout. About the best she can do that routine!
 
Samantha Partyka, beam: Front somie to back tuck. Check on fornt aerial. Bhs, layout. Side aerial. Switch to Gainer layout. Two bhs to 2.5 twist dismount. 
 
Kennedy Baker, floor: 1.5 to double Arabian, very good! Arabian double pike, huge. Not sure if she meant to do only a full turn in wolf position on floor or if that was an error...didn't see the rest of the routine, which is brand new for Kennedy (and very nice.) 
 
Lexie Priessman, vault: Wonderful Amanar with a tiny hop. Does it better every time she does it. 15.9. 
 
Simone Biles, beam: Step forward on front aerial. Bhs, layout ot two feet. Hit routine from what I saw, but runs backwards a few steps out of double pike dismount from two bhs. Too much power.
 
Bailie Key, floor: In the absence of Lizzy LeDuc this year, we have Key to provide the youthful cute/spunky floor routine. Fun, playful music and choreo. 2.5 to punch front, stuck. Double pike, stuck. My my...Switch ring. Great routine all the way through. 
 
Ariana Guerra, beam: Bhs, layout, what looks like a small check turns into a bigger problem with she comes off. Roundoff, double pike dismount with a step back. 
 
Dare Maxwell, floor: 1.5 to 2.5. Triple full. Spanish guitar piece, lovely and suited to Dare's style. Double pike. Switch half. Didn't see the rest.  
 
Rotation one:

Notes: Ross will start on vault, as will Ohashi. Priessman will be on floor exercise.  

The song being played right now is "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga. Edge of glory indeed -- every junior U.S. champion since at least 2002 who has later gone senior has earned at least one World medal (Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber excepted as they have not had opportunity)...

The lights go down and a montage of highlights from last year's U.S. Championships play to Katy Perry's "Firework". The gymnasts are announced. The stands in here look like they have as many people (almost) as came out on day one for the senior women. So probably around 7,000 people. Not bad. 

Kyla Ross, vault: If Ross is to have any shot at overtaking Ohashi, she needs to stand up this Amanar, and get credit for it. She only did one of the two in prelims...she has stood on the podium in her place just staring it down and running in place a little bit for the last two minutes of the touch...here we go....Amanar, beautiful! Just a small step forward. 15.65.
 
Ariana Guerra, bars: Hit routine with full twisting double layout dismount with a hop. Good start for her! Coaches and Araiana very happy. 13.65.
 
Dare Maxwell, beam: Words of encouragement from Kim Zmeskal on the podium before she begins...Front aerial, bhs, back pike. 2.5 dismount was all I saw.
 
Lexie Priessman, floor: Double double tuck, great. 1.5 to 2.5 to single stag, lovely. Front layout to double twisting front, underrotated but stood up. Full in tuck to great landing. Big applause.
 
Mackenzie Brannan, vault: Stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 cold during the touch...Yurchenko 1.5, small step back. 
 
Brenna Dowell, bars: Toe full to Maloney, very clam. clear hip to clear half, toe blind to pike JAeger, very good. Bail to Ray. Toe stalder to giants, full twisting double layout with a hop.
 
Macy Toronjo, beam: Fall, didn't see on what. 
 
Brianna Brown, floor: 13.7 for hit routine. Full in to start. 
 
Elizabeth Price, vault: Also did a very solid DTY in the touch...DTY to very good landing, just a small step. Nicely done. 
 
Sarah Finnegan, bars: Hit routine.
 
Peyton Ernst, beam: Great dismount: two bhs to double tuck. Big applause for her. 14.05.
 
Abby Milliet, floor: Double Arabian. Double pike with a small movement to end. 
 
Katelyn Ohashi, vault: DTY, small hop/step back. No problems with rotation/block as in the past. 14.8. Ross got 15 something....
 
Maddie Desch, bars: Jumop to high. Toe full to Geinger. Stlader blind to pike Jaeger. bail to Ray, stalder full. Full twisting double tuck. 
 
Kiana Winston, beam: Bhs, layout, check. Punch front, solid. Bhs, bhs, double tuck with a hop back. Don't believe she fell.
 
Amelia Hundley, floor: Full in pike with a hop forward. Fast paced Indian themed music. Very "big," like something you'd have at a celebration where everyone dances. 2.5 to front layout full, very nice. Ends with double pike. Great routine for Amelia! Her love of dance is obvious.
 
Mykayla Skinner, vault: Amanar, barely rotated around but they gave it to her: 15.2.
 
Ericha Fassbender, bars: Stalder to Maoney, stalder full to Tkatchev. blind ot half to bail to Ray. Arabian double front with a small hop. Nice routine. 
 
Nica Hults, beam: Front aerial, bhs, layout, solid. Side aerial. Switch to back tuck to Sheep. Bhs, bhs, 2.5 twist with a step. 
 
Lauren Marinez, floor: OOB on front layout to front double full. Tourjete half. Long wait before second pass. 2.5. Lovely movements. Switch ring to switch half. Double turn with leg up. Another Indian themed routine. Double tuck to end. It was a nice routine, but she seems a bit tired...
 
Samantha Partyka, bars: Ricna, caught. Toe stalder to bail to Ray. Full turn to giants to full twisting double layout that she tucked down a bit. Looks very displeased -- did she fall at the beginning and I just didn't see it? Getting words of consolation from her coach...
 
Kennedy Baker, beam: Double turn in sit position, well done. Comes off on standing Arabian -- a little too much energy, I thought. Comes off again right after...shaky leap. But nice Patterson dismount, just a step back.
 
Polina Shchennikova, floor: Double tuck. "Roxanne." Nearly stuck the first pass, sticks second: 1.5 to front layout. Switch half. What a beautiful gymnast! Not tons of difficulty, but who cares? Double full. Switch ring, Tourjete half. Full turn with leg up. 2.5 to end, and like Nastia, she lifts her leg at the end...
 
Simone Biles, bars: Hit routine! She hit her feet on her Pak on day one but corrected it today...full twisting double tuck, stuck. Good for her!
 
Bailie Key, beam: Front aerial. Bhs, layout. Tourjete half. Side somie, little wobble. Punch front. Switch, straddle. Side aerial, great! Switch half. The youngest competitor here is making quite the impression so far...stuck 2.5 twist dismount. Just like the other day.

The Gymnastics Examiner will be in St. Paul, Minn. this week for the 2011 U.S. Championships. Please check here for quick hits, results, plenty of photos and impressions from podium training and media day. Follow it all on Facebook or Twitter, or click the "Subscribe" button above to receive the latest gymnastics news and results via e-mail.

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Gymnastics Examiner

Blythe Lawrence is a freelance writer from Seattle. Contact Blythe.

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