At the 2017 American Cup, the table was set for Riley McCusker like it was Thanksgiving Day: she’d placed first in selection camp the month before, she’d practiced well before the meet, and — most of all — the meet was just down the road in New Jersey, just 30 minutes away from where McCusker trained.

At the end of the meet, though, let’s just say it wasn’t all gravy.

On beam, McCusker rushed her dismount and fell on her back — something her coach, Maggie Haney, said she’d never seen before from the elite gymnast. In the end, McCusker left the American Cup with what Haney described a “decent” floor routine to leave with her head held high enough.

Although McCusker followed the performance with a courageous win at the 2017 City of Jesolo Trophy, things got worse in the fall when she withdrew from world selection camp because of injury. She missed the chance at competing in Montreal, and she hasn’t seen the competition floor since then.

“There was nothing easy or smooth-sailing about last season,” Haney told FloGymnastics. “Riley was very quiet about having to withdraw from the world selection camp. She didn't say much. I remember the day the nominative roster come out and that was a very sad day, because we already knew that she had to pull out yet her name was on the list to compete.”

But an otherwise-depressing story about injury is much brighter if you follow FloGymnastics on Twitter, because yesterday Haney sent us some of McCusker's upgrades on beam — and, well, you can just see for yourself.

Oh heyyy look at @mccusker_riley workin’ those upgrades! ????? #wst pic.twitter.com/ka4w1PFETt

— FloGymnastics (@FloGymnastics) February 8, 2018

Upgrades, indeed. She's certainly been busy.

“We are really taking our time with this recovery,” Haney said. “Riley is basically cleared and doing close to full training again — besides a lot of leaps and jumps.”

In a time of seemingly endless bad news, McCusker’s recovery is a piece of great news for gymnastics fans and USA Gymnastics alike.

As for concrete plans, those are still being determined, according to Haney.

“Right now, we are not going for any early international competitions,” the coach said. “We decided that it is best not to rush or to have to cram again. We are going very slow and planning to return for U.S. Classics — with the focus on a strong second half of the season.”

Given that the sport is in the midst of an off-Olympic cycle, taking things slow seems like the right move for McCusker, a fantastic all-around gymnast who shows power on bars, elegance on beam, and command on floor.

“I think Riley is a very unique gymnast who has an amazing special quality about her,” Haney said. “She is just stunning to watch when she's is at her best, and I am looking forward to the second half of the season with her. I am really proud of her for being so determined and motivated. She's a very special and strong girl.”

We couldn’t agree more.