2017 U.S. ClassicJul 25, 2017 by Lauren Green
Six Can't-Miss Routines From Juniors At The 2017 U.S. Classic
Six Can't-Miss Routines From Juniors At The 2017 U.S. Classic
Take a look back at some of the top routines from the U.S. juniors earlier this spring as they prepare for the U.S. Classic later this month.
The 2017 U.S. Classic is fast approaching on July 29 in Chicago. There have only been six junior elites who have earned international assignments earlier this spring with three of them -- Maile O'Keefe, Gabby Perea, and Emma Malabuyo -- earning spots at both International Gymnix and Jesolo.
This is the first domestic competition of the new quad, and all six juniors are age eligible for Tokyo. Let's take a look at some of the top routines to look forward to at the U.S. Classic.
O'Keefe is the defending junior national champion. She earned the all-around title at Gymnix as well as gold on floor, silver on vault, and bronze on beam. She took silver in the all-around at Jesolo and bronze on both bars and beam. Her beam routine includes two stellar triple series -- a back handspring-back handspring-layout two feet and a side aerial-layout-layout. She has showed training clips of a four-element acro series, and it will be interesting to see if she experiments with that at the U.S. Classic. O'Keefe is a beamer -- she has proven to be steady and consistent on the event.
Perea was third in the all-around at last year's junior national championships and earned the title on bars at both Classics and nationals. Perea showed her consistency with gold in the all-around, on bars, and on vault and silver on beam at Jesolo. She earned gold on bars and beam and silver on floor and in the all-around at Gymnix. She has lovely lines on bars and beam and combines great execution with excellent difficulty. This routine earned a 15.05 during the team competition -- which was tied for the top score on bars in the entire competition with U.S. senior Riley McCusker.
Malabuyo picked up gold in on floor, silver on vault, and bronze in the all-around at Jesolo and gold on vault at Gymnix this spring. Her landings are secure and clean, and she shows excellent flexibility on her leaps and jumps. But what stands out the most for Malabuyo on floor is the quality of the performance, the musicality, and her expressive dance. She performs this routine really well, and it has plenty of potential to become a crowd favorite.
Dunne made her international debut in Italy. Balance beam was the event on which Dunne shined the most. She had a significant bobble at the start of her routine on a side aerial but seemed to get the nerves out of the way and became more comfortable and confident throughout the rest of her routine. She shows lovely flexibility and amplitude on her leaps and jumps and has plenty of time to up the difficulty in this routine.
Lee earned silver on bars in Canada earlier this year with this stellar bars set behind teammate Gabby Perea. Like Perea, Lee showcases beautiful lines and great toe point throughout her routine. Her routine flows really well, and she has plenty of potential to be one of the top bar workers for the U.S.women in the years to come.
Kenlin was another of the U.S. juniors who made her international debut this spring. Her opening tumbling pass is a front handspring, double front with a half twist, which is one of the more unique passes seen from the Americans. She does it quite well, and it is definitely something to look forward to seeing on the domestic stage this summer. Kenlin was secure on all of her landings but will still need time to build up her difficulty just a bit. She finished fourth in the all-around in Italy.
Related:
Can't-Miss Senior Routines At The 2017 U.S. Classic
This is the first domestic competition of the new quad, and all six juniors are age eligible for Tokyo. Let's take a look at some of the top routines to look forward to at the U.S. Classic.
Maile O'Keefe (Beam) -- International Gymnix Junior Cup
O'Keefe is the defending junior national champion. She earned the all-around title at Gymnix as well as gold on floor, silver on vault, and bronze on beam. She took silver in the all-around at Jesolo and bronze on both bars and beam. Her beam routine includes two stellar triple series -- a back handspring-back handspring-layout two feet and a side aerial-layout-layout. She has showed training clips of a four-element acro series, and it will be interesting to see if she experiments with that at the U.S. Classic. O'Keefe is a beamer -- she has proven to be steady and consistent on the event.
Gabby Perea (Bars) -- City of Jesolo Trophy
Perea was third in the all-around at last year's junior national championships and earned the title on bars at both Classics and nationals. Perea showed her consistency with gold in the all-around, on bars, and on vault and silver on beam at Jesolo. She earned gold on bars and beam and silver on floor and in the all-around at Gymnix. She has lovely lines on bars and beam and combines great execution with excellent difficulty. This routine earned a 15.05 during the team competition -- which was tied for the top score on bars in the entire competition with U.S. senior Riley McCusker.
Emma Malabuyo (Floor) -- City of Jesolo Trophy
Malabuyo picked up gold in on floor, silver on vault, and bronze in the all-around at Jesolo and gold on vault at Gymnix this spring. Her landings are secure and clean, and she shows excellent flexibility on her leaps and jumps. But what stands out the most for Malabuyo on floor is the quality of the performance, the musicality, and her expressive dance. She performs this routine really well, and it has plenty of potential to become a crowd favorite.
Olivia Dunne (Beam) -- City of Jesolo Trophy
Dunne made her international debut in Italy. Balance beam was the event on which Dunne shined the most. She had a significant bobble at the start of her routine on a side aerial but seemed to get the nerves out of the way and became more comfortable and confident throughout the rest of her routine. She shows lovely flexibility and amplitude on her leaps and jumps and has plenty of time to up the difficulty in this routine.
Sunisa Lee (Bars) -- International Gymnix Junior Cup
Lee earned silver on bars in Canada earlier this year with this stellar bars set behind teammate Gabby Perea. Like Perea, Lee showcases beautiful lines and great toe point throughout her routine. Her routine flows really well, and she has plenty of potential to be one of the top bar workers for the U.S.women in the years to come.
Adeline Kenlin (Floor) -- City of Jesolo Trophy
Kenlin was another of the U.S. juniors who made her international debut this spring. Her opening tumbling pass is a front handspring, double front with a half twist, which is one of the more unique passes seen from the Americans. She does it quite well, and it is definitely something to look forward to seeing on the domestic stage this summer. Kenlin was secure on all of her landings but will still need time to build up her difficulty just a bit. She finished fourth in the all-around in Italy.
Related:
Can't-Miss Senior Routines At The 2017 U.S. Classic