Known for featuring many elite debuts and breakout performances, the Secret US Classic acts as an exciting prelude to what is the biggest national meet of the year; US Championships. This weekend gymnastics fans flocked to the Sears Arena in Illinois to watch the competition unfold - and it was quite a spectacle.

 

THE SENIORS

 

Simone Biles of World Champion Gymnastics, who dominated the competition from start to finish, posted the highest score on vault. She performed two vaults; first, an Amanar where she displayed excellent form with just a small hop on landing. Second, a layout half on half off, in which she landed with her chest down, but the difficulty was enough to secure her vault title. Other standout vault performances came from Felicia Hano of Gym Max, Melissa Reinstadtler of Rebound, Amelia Hundley of Cincinnati and Kyla Ross of Gym Max. Hano stuck her double twisting yurchenko to take 4th place on vault while Reinstadler and Hundley posted identical scores to tie for 7th with their neat yurchenko fulls. Runner up Kyla Ross earned her first massive execution score of the night with a confident double full. (5.9 + 9.3)

 

On uneven bars the standard was sky high as three competitors (namely Ashton Locklear, Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian) posted execution scores of 9.1. However it was Locklear of Everest Gymnastics who took first place as her routine showed the highest difficulty. Highlights of her routine included a super high pak salto, straddled jaeger and stuck full twisting double tuck dismount. All around champion Simone Biles also had a solid performance on bars. After a shaky start which meant she had to use all her strength to save her first handstand, Biles pulled it back with a stuck double twisting double tuck to score a very respectable 14.75. (5.8 + 8.95) Maggie Nichols from Twin City Twisters, who took the bronze medal in the all around, pulled off an extremely difficult routine which included a toe on full pirouette to shaposhnikova and a toe on piked tkatchev to pak salto. 

 

Although Biles appeared somewhat nervous on beam - she had uncharacteristic balance checks on her flight series and front tuck - her performance was enough to share 1st place on the event with 2012 Olympian Kyla Ross. Kyla's routine was stunning in every sense of the word; her execution was almost faultless. Her composure and ability to make difficult skills look effortless allow her to consistently achieve competitive scores. Martha Karolyi commented that Kyla was "like always - consistent and looking good." My favourite moments in the exercise were her high side somersault and switch ring leap. This event earned Ross 15.25 - and her third execution score of the night above nine! Rachel Gowey of Chow's, who has since been dubbed the "breakout star" of the competition, delivered an elegant and extremely difficult beam routine. I loved her impressive oversplit on her leaps and how she refused to let small balance checks waver her confidence. Gowey impressed by placing 3rd on beam and just missing out on an all around medal in 4th. Ashton Locklear transferred her poise from the bars over to the beam with a commanding routine which included a side aerial to layout step out connection and stuck double tuck dismount. 

 

On floor Nia Dennis of Buckeye Gymnastics performed three very impressive tumbling passes but a fall on her final pass affected her score. Kyla Ross kicked off  her competition with the artistry and precision that we have come to expect from her, as she drew in the crowd with her expressive dance and new opening tumble - a whip to double arabian. However the undisputed standout routine on floor exercise came from Simone Biles. I cannot stop watching it! Her energy in her choreography and huge smile are just infectious, not to mention she executes some of the most difficult tumbling passes in the world with apparent ease. Biles stuck a double twisting double tuck, a double layout half out - "The Biles", a double layout and a full twisting double tuck. This unbelievable routine scored a 15.8 (6.6 + 9.2). Go watch it if you haven't!!!!!!

 

Thank you for reading, I can't wait for championships!

 

Lucy

(16 year old gymnast from the UK)