Gymnastike's 2013 World University Games USA Dream Team

Jul 9, 2013 by Anne Phillips

This past weekend eleven countries competed in the 2013 World University Games. As we watched Russia's spectacular ten point domination of the women's team finals, it got us thinking… if the USA were to send their own team of NCAA gymnasts, who would make the list?

The Gymnastike team of myself, Jennifer Teitell and intern Lizzy Stranahan sat down today, formed a fake selection committee, and picked our 2013 World University Games Dream Team! Click here to watch the video of how it went down.

Our rules:

- Gymnasts must have competed in the 2013 NCAA Championships to be eligible for selection

- All elite scoring rules apply with the exception of bar settings. (We decided to overlook that gymnasts in elite competition must compete on the FIG bar settings, as most gymnasts in NCAA compete with the bars on a wider setting. That was way too complicated!)

- 2013 University Games competition format is 5-4-3, meaning five gymnasts per team, four compete on each event, and the top three scores count. Two gymnasts per country may advance to all around and individual event finals.

While the NCAA has an incredible depth of talent, the trickiest part of our selection was the fact that the University Games is held under elite scoring. To determine scoring potential for each gymnast in consideration, we dug into the skills competed this year and estimated if gymnasts could still compete their old skills.

And now we present, The Gymnastike 2013 World University Games Dream Team!

Bridget Sloan of Florida - All Around

Bridget Sloan was the obvious choice. Sloan is only one year removed from elite competition and has really done it all - 2008 Olympic silver medalist, 2009 World All Around Champion, 2010 World silver medalist, and 2013 NCAA All Around Champion as a freshman. We're confident that Sloan can still pull out some of her elite difficulty, especially on bars where she carried a 6.40 difficulty score in 2012. We're also counting on her to bring back her double twisting yurchenko on vault and roundoff double pike beam dismount (worth an E).

In addition to her scoring potential, Sloan would be a valuable asset to Team USA with her plethora of international elite experience. It doesn't hurt that she is known to keep the mood light with her goofy personality.

Vanessa Zamarripa of UCLA - All Around

Another easy selection. Zamarripa successfully entered the elite world in 2010, competing at the Visa Championships and earning a place on the U.S. Senior National Team. Zamarripa has the ultimate trick up her sleeve - a Cheng on vault. If Zamarripa is still capable of this vault, it is now valued at a 6.40, one tenth higher than the Amanar in the 2013 women's code of points. She is also capable of a laid out Podkapayeva vault, valued at a 5.60 making her a lock for our vault line up.

Zamarripa competed watered down routines to deliver steady scores for her injury ridden Bruin team in 2013, but she was training elite skills including a deltchev release and maloney+free hip+stalder+overshoot on bars, and a double arabian and double layout on floor. In addition to big skills, Zamarripa has gorgeous lines that will score well internationally.

Jessie DeZiel of Nebraska - All Around

After winning back-to-back Level 10 National All Around titles, DeZiel made a late entrance into the elite world in 2011 and ended the season representing the U.S. Senior National team at the 2011 Pan American Games. DeZiel is a trickster at heart with skills like a yurchenko double twist on vault, a piked full in, double layout, front double full, and triple full on floor, and a roudoff 2.5 twist dismount on beam which she impressively competed during the NCAA season. Her beam dismount will be key for the competition's elite scoring as gymnasts must dismount with at least a D skill.

DeZiel is also capable of two releases on bars, a tkatchev and piked jaeger, which bodes well for the leadoff spot.

Kytra Hunter of Florida - VT, BB, FX

Kytra Hunter made our team thanks to her powerful tumbling on floor, her clean yurchenko 1.5 vault, and her consistent big skills on beam, including a punch front mount and double tuck dismount.

We would put Hunter in the anchor position on floor, shooting for a place in the floor final. In her elite days, Hunter was known for her incredible power on the floor exercise. Her 2010 floor routine consisted of a full twisting double layout that looked way too easy, a piked double arabian, a back 1.5+front layout full, and as if that wasn't enough, she dismounted with a double arabian! Hunter never got the chance to shine on the World stage then, so we'll gladly put her on our "Dream Team" now!

Mackenzie Caquatto of Florida - UB, BB

As always, this last spot was tough. In the end, Caquatto got the edge over Georgia Dabritz of Utah and Katherine Grable of Arkansas because Caquatto can contribute a huge score on bars. Caquatto was a member of the 2010 USA World Team for this reason and competed a D score of 6.40 back then. Even if she can't return to full difficulty, she executes cleanly on this event.

We also have faith that Macko can carry that incredible consistency she developed on beam this season into our team's beam lineup. She would need a new dismount, however, as she dismounted with a roundoff double twist in 2013 (only valued at a C). Flawless technique and dependability has Caquatto sweeping the last spot on our Dream Team.

The oh-so-close Alternates:

Katherine Grable of Arkansas (VT, BB, FX, also capable of leading off on UB)

Georgia Dabritz of Utah (VT, UB, FX)

Brandie Jay of Georgia (VT, UB, possible FX)

Ashley Priess of Alabama (UB, BB)

Yes, we even went so far as setting potential lineups on each event.

Vault

Kytra Hunter - yurchenko 1.5 (5.30)

Jessie DeZiel - yurchenko double (5.80)

Bridget Sloan - yurchenko double (5.80)

Vanessa Zamarripa - fingers crossed for the Cheng! (6.40)

Uneven Bars

Jessie DeZiel

Vanessa Zamarripa

Mackenzie Caquatto

Bridget Sloan

Balance Beam

Vanessa Zamarripa or Mackenzie Caquatto (depending on who can upgrade their dismount to a D)

Kytra Hunter

Jessie DeZiel

Bridget Sloan

Floor
Jessie DeZiel
Vanessa Zamarripa
Bridget Sloan
Kytra Hunter

What's your take? If you were head of the selection committee, who would you send to take on Russia and the World at the University Games?