Inside Gymnastics 50 Most Photogenic, Class of 2017

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contents February 2017

in every issue 10 Publisher’s Page 13 Inside Buzz 15 Chalking Up 17 People, Places and Faces 19 Opinion Line: Shannon Says with Shannon Miller

54 Final Dismount

features 20 Cover Story: The 50 Most Photogenic, Class of 2017 43 California Sports Center Celebrates 30 Years 46 Camp Directory 47 Countdown to Camp!

51 Company Spotlight: Destira Leotards

ON THE COVER Aliya Mustafina of Russia PHOTO BY GRACE CHIU

The graceful Mustafina has been at the top of elite gymnastics since 2010, when her performance at Worlds in Rotterdam catapulted her to international success and stardom. She has been largely responsible for Russia’s return to global importance in artistic gymnastics. The two-time Olympic uneven bars champion is a true presence on the floor, beautifully capturing the essence of artistic, photogenic gymnastics.

ON THIS PAGE Fan Yilin of China PHOTO BY RICARDO BUFOLIN

With beautiful lines, Yilin of China became famous as part of the epic four-way tie for gold on uneven bars at 2015 Worlds, and she followed up that memorable victory with a team bronze at the Olympics.

A versatile athlete, she also qualified to the beam final in Rio showing eye-catching flexibility and amplitude.

trending

10 hot topics that have the gymnastics community buzzing!

First Rotation

inside buzz

By Jessica Taylor Price

ragan SMITH (USA)

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Mags Got Swags: World gold medalist and University of Oklahoma gymnast Maggie Nichols is smashing expectations in her freshman year! She scored her first-ever perfect 10 during a meet with WVU leading her team to first place in the NCAA rankings!

Ragan Smith has put her trademark on whimsical, finger-snapping interpretations of famous tunes, and her last two floor routines have been huge hits lighting up the crowd and the gymternet alike.

Full of promise and potential, the 2016 Olympic alternate is looking forward to a fabulous 2017.

Photo by Grace Chiu

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Aliya Announcement! Aliya Mustafina (RUS) is having a baby! The two-time Olympic gold medalist has announced that she is expecting her first child in June, with bobsledder husband Alexei Zaitsev. The pair met in 2015 and married in November. Is it too early to look forward to the 2036 Olympics?

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Golden Girls: Simone Biles, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman glammed up for the 2017 Golden Globe Awards.

Raisman was spotted there with her new beau, NFL player Colton Underwood, who famously asked her out in a viral video last summer.

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Ragan’s Turn: U.S. Olympic team alternate Ragan Smith has been named to the 2017 AT&T American Cup roster, to be held in March.

We can’t wait to see her compete at this exciting competition at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ as we launch a new quad!

HCAPCH

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Star-Studded Debut: In their first meet of the season, UCLA gymnasts Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian became the first-ever Olympic gold medalists to compete in NCAA. With Jordyn Wieber in a coaching role and Simone Biles in the stands, the meet was jam-packed with Olympic royalty.

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Let’s Get It Started! The first National Team Camp of 2017 boosted a full roster of new seniors excited to kick off their 2017 season! Back on the scene were Jazmyn Foberg and Norah Flatley, as well as Olympic alternates Ragan Smith and Ashton Locklear.

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Sofia Stuns the Gymternet: Texas Dreams’ Sofia Hults, Veronica “Nica” Hults’ younger sister, wowed judges with her sassy Level 6 floor routine at Kim Zmeskal’s Texas Prime meet, earning a 9.85. Judges loved her “Uptown Funk” choreography so much that they asked her to do an encore after the meet.

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GOAT: Fresh from being named the United States Sports Academy female Athlete of the Year, Simone Biles got in front of the camera as a special Super Bowl correspondent for Inside Edition. She interviewed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who called her “the GOAT,” or “greatest of all time.”

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She’s Got This: Laurie Hernandez has been super busy juggling her press tour for her January 24 memoir I Got This: To Gold and Beyond, and touring with DWTS: Live! The beam queen has appeared on Ellen and the TODAY Show, and will have traveled to a total of 43 states when the DWTS tour ends in mid-February.

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Body Confident: Aly Raisman and Simone Biles showed off their toned physiques in this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Raisman posted one of the pictures to her Twitter account thanking the magazine for including her in an issue that “celebrates all women for being strong & beautiful.”

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Class of 2017, We Celebrate You! From high-flying powerful acrobatic skills to the grace and artistry intrinsic with the sport, to the raw emotion that comes with both victory and defeat, photos showcase just how dynamic gymnastics is. One of our most popular features, each year, we recognize a group of individuals in the sport we feel have a standout style as our 50 Most Photogenic.

Whether it’s beauty in strength, massive power, or the perfect expression captured at just the right moment, gymnastics is full of awe-inspiring moments sparking enduring emotions we love.

From Rio stars to sentimental favorites, we present our list of the 50 Most Photogenic, Class of 2017!

By Anna Rose Johnson with Christy Sandmaier flavia SARAIVA (BRA) Brazil’s hometown girl delighted the audiences in Rio this summer - Saraiva electrified the crowd with her joyous performances, bright smile and overall effervescence, placing fifth in the beam final with a packed set.

kohei UCHIMURA (JPN) The King of Gymnastics cemented his legendary status in Rio, when he defended his Olympic all-around title - he’s dominated this sport since 2009! (Not to mention the fact that he won silver in Beijing 2008.) His performances are some of the most artistic in the world, which is an enormous part of his success.

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jake DALTON (USA) Strength defined, Dalton followed up his stellar London 2012 performance with an encore in Rio, where he qualified to the floor exercise final and finished sixth.

His explosive style on vault and floor is mesmerizing.

madison KOCIAN (USA) From Final Five legacy to UCLA Bruin brilliance, Kocian’s innate elegance is particularly evident on her specialty uneven bars - where she happens to be the reigning Olympic silver medalist.

Growing up at WOGA in the legacy of Carly and Nastia provided Kocian with a firsthand look at what it takes to become a champion.

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Built On Passion, Raising the Bar,

CALIFORNIA SPORTS CENTER CELEBRATES 30 YEARS CSC Mission: To provide the opportunity to become the best you can be.

GOOD To GREAT: CSC Stats

Interview with Dave Peterson, Director of CSC By Christy Sandmaier CSC believes teaching gymnastics, swimming, and dance in a fun, progressive, and safe learning environment will result in happier, healthier kids and adults, and they live it every day.

As CSC celebrates a milestone and sets the tone for their next 30 years, here’s a snapshot of the program Dave Peterson, his wife Anne, and his amazing staff has built.

How does CSC’s mission, “To provide the opportunity to become the best you can be” factor in, day to day in the gym and in the business?

The goal that we’ve always had is to be inclusive of everyone at CSC in whatever role they play. The more experience and years with the company, the greater the opportunity to engage in the big picture. As people grow with the company, the greater they understand everyone’s role, they assist and help each other and really become a part of our value system - and the priorities we have to make our programs better. If we do that, with anything in mind - each other as employees, the students, the parents, community, administrative outreach, and support each other, we all come out ahead and stronger.

How does your experience as an athlete and coach benefit the overall growth of the CSC programs and CSC brand?

CSC was built on passion. I’d been coaching at a community program when I took over the business. We had to set up and tear down equipment daily, everyone worked together, our teamwork thrived working in all areas.

This carried over into business. As kids progress from our preschool program, they could join rec levels, then team development, and eventually “the team.”

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• Founded as: California Gymnastics Center in 1987; incorporated as California Sports Center in 1991

What’s the goal for your students once they’re engaged or ready compete?

Our goal is to continue the athletes’ experience into the opportunities that recreation, Xcel, and especially Jr. Olympic participation brings. We are given the opportunity to change the lives of children, young adults, and adults daily, weekly, monthly, annually – and now I get to say for decades. It’s a pretty awesome experience and responsibility.

• Initial enrollment: 50 Students • Current enrollment: 5000 weekly in gym & dance and another 2000 in swim.

• Locations: 8 including 5 private gyms, 2 city-owned parks & rec gymnastics facilities/programs; 1 Olympic-sized swimming facility

How do we achieve growth and sustainability in the sport, especially on the men’s side?

It’s tough to narrow that subject down. Clubs need to do more proactively to support and advocate for men’s and women’s collegiate programs. I know that I cannot build my boys program fast enough due to the lack of men’s coaches. My concern, as a business owner, is to engage more boys in an awesome activity that’s good for them – and give them time to mature to become men’s coaches, regardless of whether they do it competitively. The tagline, “Begin Here, Go Anywhere” is some of the best marketing USA Gymnastics ever did.

It truly is a purpose for being in business.

What has your involvement been, big picture, in the development of men’s gymnastics?

I’ve been asked to sit on a national task force with three other business owners to develop a men’s Xcel program. The men’s program recent development of Division II and Jr. Development was one idea, but it does not go far enough. It will not necessarily attract a new mass of boys to engage in gymnastics. The women’s Xcel program has already proven success and it is our intent to duplicate that for the boys. We’ve written the program and look… it will start slow, as all new programs do, but within a year or two it has the potential of substantially growing the number of boys involved, which in turn will increase the number of men’s coaches – which ultimately will increase men’s participation.

• Preschool: California Kids Sports Center, a preschool gymnastics program focused on proper development of preschool age participants (18 months – 5 years) • Team: 100 boys and over 200 girls competing on teams with JO levels 3-10 and Xcel • Dance: 550 dancers – average age is 5.5 years old.

• The CSC Family: 220 employees, peaking last summer with 250 temporary summer camp instructors and lifeguards

Interested in learning more about CSC? Visit calsportscenter.com What’s the takeaway to the gymnastics community about CSC and the benefits of the sport?

I like to tell my staff – and anyone who will listen, “Our children are a message we send to a time we’ll never see; what message do you want to send?” I love the message we’re sending and I can’t wait to see how it continues to spread around the community, the state, the nation, and maybe the world.

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ADVERTORIAL

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excited

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camp adventure! Add to your favorite memories (and list of skills, of course) and meet plenty of new friends from all across the country who love gymnastics just as much as you! Be sure to check out all of these great summer camp options for 2017. #happycamping!

Flip Fest 272 Lake Frances Rd. Crossville, TN 38571 www.flipfest.com 800-390-0821 www.flipfest.com Flip Fest is the only summer camp owned and operated by two Olympians, John Macready and John Roethlisberger. When families send their children to Flip Fest we work hard to ensure they return home with not only an increased zest for gymnastics but also for life! Join us for the summer of 2016 at one of the most exciting and impressive gymnastics camps in the country.

International Gymnastics Camp 100 Gymnastics Way Stroudsburg, PA 18360 www.internationalgymnastics.com 570-629-0244 www.internationalgymnastics.com At International Gymnastics Camp, we combine premier gymnastics training and exceptional recreation activities to create the ultimate summer gymnastics camp experience.

Olympia Gymnastics Training Camp PO Box 820295 Houston, TX 77282 www.ogccamp.com 877-642-2267 At OGC we believe in the fundamentals of gymnastics with an emphasis on FUN. It’s always fun when gymnastics is exciting as gymnasts learn new skills, but must be in a safe environment with trained professionals.

U.S. Gymnastics Training Centers Summer Camp PO Box 4088 Tequesta, FL 33469 www.usgymnasticscamps.com 561-743-8550

Woodward Camp 134 Sports Camp Dr. Woodward, PA 16882 www.woodwardcamp.com 814-349-5633 Life at Woodward is custom designed for you! We strive to provide the absolute best facilities in the world, which attract campers and the top pros from around the globe each and every summer. Add to that the best staff, radical training ideas and an intensive training program, and you have an experience unmatched anywhere in the world, which serves as a catalyst to make you better at your sport!

Woodward West 28400 Stallion Springs Dr. Tehachapi, CA 93561 www.woodwardwest.com 661-822-7900 Woodward has 41 years of experience in setting the standard for gymnastics camps nationwide. We offer the best combination of gymnastics, cheer tumbling, and T&T training and summer camp fun anywhere! World-class training, state-of-the-art facilities, fantastic staff and tons of recreation mean you’re going to have the best summer of your life!

With rolling hills, high mountain peaks, ideal weather and Woodward West’s 24,400 sq. ft. gym, this is summer camp like you’ve never seen!

WOGA Gymnastics Camp 1937 West Parker Road Plano, TX 75023 www.woga.net 972-985-9292

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World Champions Centre 28865 Birnham Woods Dr. Spring, TX 77386 281-292-6284 www.worldchampionscentre.com

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COUNTDOWN to

camp!

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Carly the Camper is back with your inside track to the most awesome camp experience! We all know that skills can just “click” at camp. You can be working and working a skill at home and suddenly at camp, a new coach, a new atmosphere, a new friend… and boom! You finally hit it!

Camp is such a great place to learn more about the sport, develop new skills and spice up your strategy.

Team bonds are created and memories are made for a lifetime! With just a little pre-planning, you can get your best experience possible. As you countdown to camp, here are a few key tips that can help you prepare for your best camp yet!

Define your goals!

Before you set foot on the campgrounds, think about exactly what you want to accomplish. Making lists now can make a huge difference in how successful camp can be. And, it never hurts to chat with your coaches about camp goals and gains.

Buddy up! Meet a new friend!

Some campers head out with teams and some go as individuals. If you are going as an individual, try to connect with a friend or teammate that is also attending to plan the experience together! And remember, going on your own is a GREAT way to meet new people!

M ine your m i ndset!

Check out the websites, facebook and Insta pages of camps you are exploring to a get a sense of the agenda, schedules, activities, and start thinking about how your days will unfold, what you’ll want to accomplish, and visualize yourself in that setting in advance, learning and having fun! You’ll be amazed by how quickly this will help you acclimate once you are there!

Foster the fu n !

A positive experience only heightens the camp experience and the learning process, so in the midst of all of the prep, enjoy the process. The process of exploring, researching, planning with your friends, and the countdown and anticipation can be almost as fun as camp itself! You’ll come home with a phone full of photos, new skills, new friends and ready to plan for next time!