National Team Camp - January 2015

Great news gymnastics fans! Laurie Hernandez is back and is back at National Camps! Those of you familiar with this gymnast may know here for her beautiful and unique artistry and choreography on beam and floor. She was out the early part of 2014 due to a knee injury and after careful months of rehabilitation she’s back at it! 2013 U.S. junior all-around silver medalist Lauren Hernandez of Old Bridge, N.J., was added to the U.S. Junior Women’s National Team on the final day of the women’s national team training camp. The camp, which ran from January 21-25, was held at the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch, (Huntsville, TX) under the director of National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi. The center is where Team USA trains once or twice a month to make sure athletes are keeping their skill level and ability and are efficiently ready to represent the US in national and international competition.

The five-day camp included the athletes having to be verified in half-routines on all the events and being tested on their physical abilities. The training camp also focused on finalizing routine construction for the first half of the 2015 competitive season. Two-time World all-around champion Simone Biles of Spring, Texas and World vault bronze-medalist MyKayla Skinner of Gilbert, Arizona used the camp as to prepare for their upcoming international competition, the AT&T American Cup on March 7th at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Laurie Hernandez, who missed the 2014 P&G Gymnastics Championships due to injury, had an amazing year in 2013, finishing second in the all-around, uneven bars and floor exercise at the junior competition at the P&G Championships and breaking out as a serious contender for Rio in 2016. She also recorded a third-place finish on the balance beam. At the 2013 Secret U.S. Classic, she won the floor exercise title.

In addition to Biles and Skinner, the members of the gold medal winning 2014 U.S. Women’s World Team in attendance were: Alyssa Baumann of Plano, Texas; Madison Desch of Lenexa, Kansas; Ashton Locklear of Hamlet, N.C; and Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, California. Along with Ross, 2012 Olympic gold medalists Aly Raisman of Needham, Massachusets, and Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Virgina, also participated in the training camp. Aly and Gabrielle were both on the gold medal winning team at the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

The complete roster for the camp is listed below.

Alyssa Baumann, WOGA

Simone Biles, World Champions Centre

Nia Dennis, Buckeye

Madison Desch, GAGE

Christina Desidero, Parkettes

Gabrielle Douglas, Buckeye

Norah Flatley, Chow's Gymnastics

Jazmyn Foberg, MG Elite

Ashley Foss, North Stars Gym

Margzetta Frazier, Parkettes

Emily Gaskins, Intensity Gymnastics

Felicia Hano, Gym-Max

Lauren Hernandez, MG Elite

Sydney Johnson-Scharpf, Brandy Johnson

McKenna Kelley, Stars Gymnastics

Bailie Key, Texas Dreams

Ashton Locklear, Everest Gymnastics

Laney Madsen, Gym Max

Lauren Navarro, Gliders

Victoria Nguyen, Chow's Gymnastics

Maggie Nichols, Twin City Twisters

Grace Quinn, Texas Dreams

Aly Raisman, Brestyan's

Kyla Ross, Gym-Max

Emily Schild, Everest Gymnastics

Polina Shchennikova, TIGAR

Megan Skaggs, Gymnastics Acad of Atlanta

MyKayla Skinner, Desert Lights

Ragan Smith, Texas Dreams

Deanne Soza, Arete

Olivia Trautman, Twin City Twisters

Alexis Vasquez, Chow's Gymnastics

Sabrina Vega, GAG